Let Foundd Legal walk you through the 10 reasons brands should work with influencers.
You’ve just started your new company! You couldn’t be more excited. Or more stressed. If you find yourself sitting in your new office spinning in your chair or bouncing on that green yoga ball so you can keep those abs tight during your long days in front of your computer as you wonder what to do next, don’t fret. We at Foundd Legal have some thoughts on the matter. We have 10 reasons brands should work with influencers. Keep up that core strength and read on, friend.
In this ever changing and ever adapting economic market we find ourselves in, customers are becoming more difficult to please and ever more elusive when it comes to keeping them loyal to your brand, as more and more ‘brighter, bigger, better’ versions of whatever you have on offer keep appearing in the global market. We are a generation of consumers, but we’ve also become smarter. We’ll spend our money. But it has to be on the ‘right’ product. So how does your brand become one that stands out from the sea of companies all vying for customers to buy their products? You need to give your potential customers a reason to trust you, you need to give them honesty, teach them about your brand and build and hone those relationships! Sometimes, doing that all on your own can be hard work. Did you ever have that trusted bestie ask someone out for you in senior school? You knew they could lock it in while you, knees wobbly, were completely ready to just wow them with the awesomeness you knew you brought to the table once your friend first hooked them for you? We get it. We can help you find that friend in your business to work with you to create a beautiful, lasting relationship! Let us tell you why you need an influencer.
1. Influencers Are a Trusted Voice
Trust is important in life. In pretty much every aspect of your life, in all of your relationships. Business relationships are no different. You don’t just go around willy nilly giving your trust to anyone (we really just wanted to say willy nilly!), it must be earned, and earning real trust takes time! One of the great gifts of truly effective influencers is that they earn the trust of their, and in turn, your followers.
The right influencer will not purchase followers, will properly balance branded and organic content and won’t be representing a variety of conflicting brands. The influencer for your brand should align with your company, brand and mission, and the followers that they have and work to grow, as well. You wouldn’t jump onto an operating table for your heart when the surgeon’s website is covered with pictures of smiling kidneys, would you? You wouldn’t trust that they know what your needs are. An influencer who embraces your brand and introduces it to potential return customers in an organic and honest way will be much more likely to gain loyal followers. Human beings grow and earn trust through honest and real connection.
2. Influencers Are Creative
If you’re interested in checking out an influencer who oozes creativity, @aww.sam also known as Sam Ushiro, is one influencer to watch. A New York blogger, industrial designer and lover of donuts has a bright, joyous, bubbly aesthetic that makes you automatically adore her and want to buy everything she ‘pitches’. Influencers know that there is a lot of competition out there, so they are constantly finding ways to stand out from the crowd and make their influence unique and tough to beat.
Instagram Influencer | @aww.sam
3. Influencers Are Experts When it Comes to Brand Awareness
It needn’t be said, but we mean the right influencers are experts when it comes to brand awareness. Trust influences brand awareness. Influencers act as the link between your brand and all of those people out there that are just waiting to know everything about it! When a new customer becomes aware of your brand and they have a positive experience, whether it be through connecting with an influencer or directly purchasing with you, you’ve just started to earn their trust. If they come back and it’s still an all smiles and thumbs up experience, you just earned a few more brownie points. You’re on a roll! This new customer is definitely aware of your brand. Get it? Brand awareness is how well your target demographic or audience recognizes your brand and how much they may know about it. Do they recognize your swanky logo? Do they know the amazing products you sell, what they do and how they work?
An influencer knows your brand, what it offers, what it looks like and everything in between. They know your brand as well as anyone possibly could. Except maybe you. But an influencer can see it more clearly from a consumer perspective than you might be able to. (It’s your baby, after all. To you, it’s perfect, shiny and the very best in the universe…) Work with the right influencer and they’ll help your potential loyal followers and customers see your brand as something awesome, to be desired and maybe even needed. On the regular. How great would that be?
4. Influencers Boost Sales
Did you know that over 80% of consumers trust peer recommendations over brand advertising? That’s to say, they trust Tiffany in the yoga pants commercial showing you her downward dog much less than Jess giving you the lowdown on Instagram about how comfortable they are and how they wick sweat like nobody’s business.
An influencer giving an honest review about your product is more likely to boost your sales than throwing away a wad of cash to an ad firm who sit around their desk all day talking about how to sell yoga pants. In their suits. And fancy shoes. Trying to sell yoga pants...you get the jist? The other cool thing about influencers is they are there to receive DMs (direct messages) and can engage a potential customer in an actual conversation about the product and how fab it is. When you talk to your tv, it doesn’t answer back...if it does, you’re in trouble. That extra level of attention and response to questions can help close the deal and get that product off the shelf and into the loving arms of a now loyal customer.
5. Influencers are Awesome Digital Communicators
These ladies and gents know the digital world inside and out. They know how to connect, they know the ‘lingo’ and understand want it takes to connect with people in the digital market. With such a vast array of online and social media knowledge, influencers can create videos, photos and stories that speak to their audiences in a way that those who only have a loose understanding of digital media couldn’t possibly replicate. Seriously. They get it. They get what their audiences want and need and will do a killer job of spreading your brand love.
6. Influencers Build Relationships
It’s true, influencers build relationships with their followers. They share stories, anecdotes, opinions and if honest, aren’t afraid to show some humour in the form of self-deprecation to connect with their audience on a real, funny and much more human level. Gretchen Rubin, author of The Happiness Project, is a great example of real and relatable. She was one of the first LinkedIn influencers and was named one of the “100 Most Influential People in Health and Fitness”. Keep it real and your followers and growth will give you real back.
LinkedIn Influencer | Gretchen Rubin
7. Influencers Improve SEO
Assuming you're an individual who has started your own company and you don't live under a rock, you're familiar with Search Engine Optimization (SEO). You have an idea about how it works and understand that in order to get high rankings and make your company noticeable to Google in a positive way, therefore noticeable to potential customers, you need great SEO. Influencers can help rock your SEO. One way of doing this is by creating organic, quality content that your potential customers will love. If you find an influencer that is a terrific blogger and their content is readable and enjoyable, they get Google bonus points. If they use links to your site in their work as well as on their own site, these backlinks are powerful tools to up your SEO game even more. Think of these things as the yummy pellets to Google’s PacMan. Get it? Good.
8. Influencers Bring in New Audiences
Authentic influencers build and create authentic relationships. As those relationships begin to grow and change with each new post, each new opinion and each new connection, so too, does your audience! Working with influencers who are able to truly connect with their followers will help expand your audience growth because it is human nature to tell people you know about awesome products, fantastic companies and cool stories you’ve heard or read about! Word of mouth exists in and out of the digital world. And influencer can help your awesome brand spread far and wide.
9. Influencers Drive Your Social Media
Great social media influencers are experts when it comes to, well, social media. Instagram. Facebook. Pinterest. YouTube. These are, to name a few, some of the social media markets that are inundated with content and information about new brands, old brands and everything in between. If your social media marketing is not up to snuff, you may find yourself drowning in a sea of uncountable numbers of posts, chats and videos. Influencers who specialise in social media marketing can help you stay on top of the pack, get the word out and get your brand noticed, even amongst the massive amount of content online today.
Fashion Blogger + Instagram Influencer | Amy Roiland | @afashionnerd
10. Influencers Are Good Value for Money
If you can find yourself a dedicated micro-influencer, you’ll likely find yourself in a position where you’re quite happy with your return on investment (ROI). Of course, this isn’t black and white. There is no guarantee when it comes to earnings for dollars spent. But we’re of the opinion that if connecting with your customers and creating relationships holds value, then spending marketing dollars on a solid influencer who takes the time to direct message, connect with and grow trusted brand followers is way more lucrative than spending on banners and click ads.
There you have it. 10 Reasons brands should work with influencers. We’ll say it again, trust, communication and connections are imperative if you want your brand to really have life and organic growth. As great as spending money on click ads and banners can be and though it’s easier to track their ROI, a quality influencer will be able to create relationships paying for ads never could.
Have any questions about influencer marketing or require an influencer marketing agreement? Get in touch with our expert consumer, marketing and advertising lawyers today to help you better understand this new legal niche! Contact the Foundd Legal team here. We can’t wait to connect!
FOUNDD LEGAL articles are intended to provide commentary and general information only and presented in an informal style. Though we like to keep it real, please don’t rely upon our posts as legal advice. If there is something in one of our articles that speaks to you, reach out for some formal and up to the minute legal advice to properly address and discuss your queries and concerns. We’re here for you!
Photo credit: @newdarlings