Influencer Marketing: Influence Your TG, Enhance Your Business in 2022

Gone are the days when television used to be the only source of entertainment and updates. A decade back, people were highly dependent upon television commercial breaks for product information. Earlier, big brands preferred to choose top celebrities to appear in television commercials for their product. Well, that was the time when television commercials were the chief marketing source. However, in the present times marketing has become a much more complex process and many new techniques have evolved in this field. Influencer Marketing is one the most common and popular techniques in the present context. Through this post, Appinnovix has tried to-

• Define Influencer Marketing
• List Influencer Marketing benefits
• Explain the importance of Influencer Marketing
• Provide a detailed guide to starting influencer marketing for your business.

So let us now dive into the details, and let us know each and everything about influencer marketing

Who is an Influencer?

Before starting to define influencer marketing, it is important to understand who is an influencer first. Well, as we discussed earlier also, a decade back celebrities and sportspersons used to be ‘influencing’ an audience to buy a particular brand. However, even today big brands use Bollywood stars for their television commercials. But they are not restricted to this single traditional channel of brand communication.

Now, to come to the definition of an ‘influencer’, in simple words an influencer is a person who has many ‘fans’ and ‘followers.’ These fans and followers often listen to this person and connected emotionally to him or her. For example, there are so many fans of Shahrukh Khan in India and in abroad. So, when he says in the Denver Deodorant’s commercial-‘Denver is how I smell’, his fans will not only believe him but will also make an attempt to ‘smell’ like him.

Now influenced by this commercial, his fans will definitely buy the product. However, in the present day scenario, people are more conscious will spending money. So they want genuine advice and complete product review from someone who has more knowledge and expertise. Therefore, people began to trust more on the ‘reviewers’ on social platforms before buying a product. However, started quite humble earlier, these ‘reviewers’ are now new celebs who are also the new ‘influencers.’

So we can define an influencer with three key terms-

• Knowledge
• Expertise
• Being a trustworthy public figure.

What is Influencer Marketing?

Now coming to the main topic, let us define influencer marketing. Well, influencer marketing is a technique of social media marketing or digital marketing. Influencer marketing is how a brand would like to approach a social media celebrity (influencer) to use and review their product. However, we can also say that they might request them to endorse the product and ‘influence’ people to buy it. Moreover, depending upon the type of product, the influencers use different kind of methods to promote a brand on their social media handles. However, it is not necessary for influencer marketing to promote our product on their social media account. Rather we may also approach the influencer to appear for a short commercial on our social media platform.

So depending upon the need and type of product, there are different methods used in influencer marketing. Let us now discuss these methods in the following section-

Types of Influencer Marketing

Content creation is a major part of social media influencer marketing. Content may be in the form of a piece of writing such as a blog, article, or guest post or in the form of videos like short advertising videos, demonstrations, and product reviews. However, the choice of the type of content depends upon the type of product. Also, the right combination of content type and the type of influencer marketing is important to influence the TG in the most positive manner. So here we are discussing the top 5 types of influencer marketing with real-life examples-

1. Sponsoring the Blog Posts

According to WordStream, about 64% of consumers buy a product after researching their reviews thoroughly. Also, around 68% of them prefer to watch a video than read blog content. However, it is a no denying fact, that watching a video is not always possible. On one hand, carrying the headphones to crowded places, all the time seems hideous. On the other hand, watching a video requires greater attention and leisure. While travelling short distances or sitting in a silent zone like a school, college, hospital, or library, people will need to read. Reading is preferable, for a person has the choice of just going through the main points.

Additionally, a mention-worthy point is that there are many popular blogs on the internet that people find trustworthy. These blogs have a good number of readers. Some of the examples include-

1. 1. Neil Patel (Technology Blogs)
   2. Make Up and Beauty.com (Cosmetic Reviews)

(Source: makeupandbeauty.com)

So, if you have any product to promote in a form of a blog, you may approach the top bloggers to write a product review for it. You may compensate the writer of the blog with a chargeable fee and you will also need to provide them with a sample of your product free of cost. Big content writers charge per word charges and some endorsement fees to write a blog for your product.

2. The Game of Promo Codes: Affiliate Marketing

On the contrary, if your budget is too small and you cannot take the risk of distributing your product free to anyone, then in such a case affiliate marketing will suit you the best. In affiliate marketing, you may ask an influencer to either write a blog or shoot a video for your product. Then, just provide a promo code to the influencer using which a buyer may avail great discount. In this way, you can attract a good number of buyers for your product. For example check out in the following video, how MJO, a YouTube channel with 11.3M subscribers promotes Byju’s learning platform with this funny video-

(Watch How Byju’s Promotes Its Learning App in this Funny YouTube Video Here)

3. Let’s Unbox It with Technical Guruji

Technical Gruruji is today the most sensational and revolutionary name in the field of technology. Technical Guruji is the most popular technology YouTube channel by Gaurav Chaudhary. Gaurav Chaudhary is best known for his knowledge and expertise in the field of technology. Gaurav is a Microelectronics graduate from BITS Pilani, Dubai. Clearly, his qualifications not only prove his reliability but also create trust among his followers. Additionally, Gaurav runs a YouTube channel in name of Technical Guruji and has 22.1M followers. Also, today every mobile, laptop or any other electronic buyer depend upon his advice to choose the best out of so many options.

(Check out Technical Guruji Unboxing iPhone SE 2020 Here)

So, if you have an electronic or tech product, then you may choose to promote it with Technical Guruji. Gaurav provides a complete unboxing and a detailed review of the products. Additionally, he also compares the products of same genre to provide his audience a clarity.

However, if you have a smaller budget, then you may opt for some of his competitors on YouTube. There are many people who review such electronic items on YouTube and other platforms today.

4. Let Them Take over Your Social Media Handle and Give Away Your Product

Also, some brands prefer to give the influencer their social media handle for a particular time period. These influencers post engaging content on their social media accounts showcasing and endorsing their products. In simple words, it is a technique of signing an influencer as your brand ambassador for a particular time period.

Guneet Virdi Sponsoring TNW products on Her Instagram Handle

(Source: Instagram)

However, such campaigns are more popular on Instagram these days. It is because most of the influencers today prefer to make short demo videos on Insta only. Additionally, ‘give away’ is another technique that the influencers coupled with social media takeover marketing. They would endorse your brand, review it, and will also start a giveaway completion on either their own social media handle or yours. For example, Guneet Virdi-a makeup and beauty sensation in India often appears in such campaigns.

5. Face a Genuine Review

Above all, you may opt for a genuine product review by an influencer on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, or on a website blog. Whether you have a makeup product, a gadget, or any other kind of product, you may ask any of the reviewers with a good number of followers to use your product for a certain period of time and review the same. Also, you may find these reviewers on all kinds of social media platforms.

Why Influencer Marketing is so Important Today?

Now the next thought that might come to your mind is why Appinnovix Technologies is emphasizing social media influencer marketing to such a great extent. Well, we can list the following reasons for your quick understanding-

The shift in the Viewership:

Today, radio and television are no longer popular sources of entertainment but people prefer social media for entertainment and information.

Buyer’s Consciousness:

Also, the buyers are quite conscious today and they think at least 10 times before buying anything. Therefore, they prefer to research various reviews by great influencers on the internet before buying a product.

Reality Check:

Additionally, the influencers are best known for providing the most realistic reviews. At least in the videos and in images, a buyer may find the real-time appearance and original features of a product. So, this realistic experience makes influencer marketing more important than a 30-second TV commercial. Also, the motive of TV commercials appears to be ‘selling’ but that of an influencer video seems to be ‘telling’.

People’s Trust in Influencers:

To compare people’s faith in celebrities and in social media influencers, in the present context influencers have an edge over. It is because of their knowledge and expertise in the relevant field that people trust influencers more. Clearly, it does not matter for a smartphone buyer whether Salman, Shahrukh, or Hritik advertises for it. But, if Technical Guruji Gaurav Chaudhary endorses a smartphone, it speaks more volumes. Also, a point worth mentioning here is that even these influencers do not want their audience to lose faith in them. Hence, they are more conscious while endorsing a product.

Wider Reach:

All across the world, as per Statista, there are by the first quarter of 2022, there were 4.6bn active social media users. Also, this number is about to slope up in the upcoming years. Eventually, we can estimate that with the help of social media accounts we can reach such a large number of people.

What are the Benefits of Influencer Marketing?

On the basis of the above discussion, we can also list the benefits of Influencer Marketing briefly in the following points-

• It gives you a much wider reach.
• As people have more faith in the influencers, the chances of lead conversions get much higher.
• Also, your TG gets a clear review and demonstration with the video content, which appreciates them for buying a product.
• Additionally, an indirect benefit includes that influencers are conscious while choosing to endorse a product. So if they do not find your product up to the mark, you may also ask for suggestions from them. In this way, you get an opportunity to improve your product.

Best Platforms for Influencer Marketing in 2022

So, we hope that you have understood well all that we tried to explain you about social media influencer marketing. Now you must be wondering, which platform suits best to your product? So let us discuss some popular influencer marketing platforms in 2023-

1. Instagram

As per Statista, as of January 2022, the total number of Instagram users was 230.25 million alone in India. Also, the United States comes second with 159.75 million users. Therefore, Instagram can be a great platform in 2023 for your influencer marketing campaign. Moreover, after the closure of TikTok, most of the popular influencers switched either to YouTube or to Instagram. Additionally, on Instagram, there are already so many influencers.

However, we will give you an Appinnovix pro tip. If your product belongs to the beauty, hospitality, glamour, fashion or a similar genre, then Instagram is the best platform for you.

2. OTT Platforms

However, technically speaking OTT platforms like Amazon Prime and Netflix are not for social media influencer marketing, but you may plan a commercial over there. In the commercial, you may use an influencer as an ambassador. It is because OTT viewership is much larger today in comparison to television. Eventually, you can plan to have a commercial on them.

3. YouTube

YouTube is one of the most comprehensive and trustworthy influencer marketing platforms. It has no time limit to upload a video. So, influencers prefer to make detailed product-review videos on YouTube. Through the YouTube platform, you can show a complete product review and even a demonstration and comparison. However, we would advise you that if you have an electronic gadget, a makeup product, or gym equipment, or a machinery product that requires a detailed demonstration, then you must opt for YouTube influencer marketing.

4. LinkedIn

LinkedIn is another popular platform to market your products. It offers you many free and premium features like video posting, creating a business page, and also sharing directly do follow links to your website. So, you may invite an influencer to take over your LinkedIn account and promote and endorse your product there. Moreover, LinkedIn also has a great number of users worldwide, which again gives a much wider reach.

Additionally, we would suggest that if your product belongs to a corporate genre like enterprise software, writing services, marketing, or any educational product, then LinkedIn will suit you the best.

5. Facebook

Finally, last but not the least, Facebook is also a good platform where you may promote your product with influencer marketing. Also, Facebook is probably the oldest social media platform in our generation. So just create a business page for your work and ask an influencer to either take over it or post guest content on it endorsing your brand.

Why is Instagram on Top?

However, Appinnovix opines that Instagram and YouTube are the two best platforms in 2022. While Instagram comes first, YouTube is second in our opinion. We chose Instagram to be on the top because it provides a wide ocean of features for content posting. For example, Instagram reels, stories, Instagram pages, and business insights-all these features reduce the pains and costs of analytics and editing. Also, YouTube comes second due to its freedom in time-limit to post videos. Additionally, the maximum number of influencers are either on Instagram or YouTube.

Benefits of Using Instagram for Influencer Marketing

How Can I Find an Influencer to Market My Product?

Well, to be brief these influencers often provide their contact details such as other social media handles and email addresses on their social media accounts. You may first try to write a formal mail to reach out to them. Also, you may approach some advertising agencies to do the work for you. Moreover, share some samples of your work with them. And wait for their response. Also, if you have good social and business connections then you may also try to meet them in person. In this way, you may reach out to them. Apart from this, you may have the following questions too-

Where to Find an Influencer?

Social Media Influencers are available on all kinds of social media platforms. We have already provided you with some of the most eminent examples above. So, in a word Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, and similar platforms are best to find a suitable influencer.

What Qualities to Look for in an Influencer?

You must look for the following qualities-

• A good number of followers
• Suitable knowledge and Expertise
• Quality in reviews
• Authenticity
• Quality of their content tools (like the video clarity, voice clarity, editing, grammar etc.)

Also, make sure that your TG aligns with the audience of the influencer. For example, if you wish to expand your brand outside India, then you must check if the influencer has a good viewership in the desired country or not.

How to Compensate the Influencers?

The influencer would demand a fee to endorse your product. However, if you do not have a great budget, in this case, you may opt for techniques like affiliate marketing, or free product supply for a particular period of time. If the influencer is impressed with your product, there are chances that he would agree to these alternative compensations.

Concluding Thoughts

So now with the help of the above discussion, we can conclude that Influencer Marketing is of utmost importance in the present context. With the increase in the number of users of social media platforms, social media marketing tactics have also gained momentum. And social media influencer marketing is one of the most popular techniques of digital marketing these days.

Hence, in this blog, we have given you a detailed account of various social media channels and social media influencer marketing platforms. So what are you waiting for now? Just go ahead and start tracking your new social media influencer marketing campaign. And do not forget to reach out to Appinnovix in the comments section below for any further queries.

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