Ensuring you take a meaningful approach to Influencer

Influencer marketing has quickly become a key tool in every good marketers toolkit, being coined as a careful blend of old and new marketing. A tactic in the modern-day marketing mix that we see propelling brands to new heights through social media, but its use is not without its challenges.

More and more we are seeing our clients look to ‘key opinion leaders’, AKA influencers to reach audiences that otherwise have become increasingly difficult to reach, as consumers diversity and spread out over various platforms.

As audiences evolve, we are seeing a new era of democratic marketing that puts consumption in the hands of the audience. An audience that has become more and more sceptical of brands and their marketing over time, meaning building a relationship with consumers that is based on trust is more important than ever. Advertising through influencers allows brands to capitalise on a relationship that is already cemented; a niche community that is ready and waiting to consume. You could even go so far as to say audiences have become active participants in the marketing scheme, rather than passive consumers.

The growing success of influencer marketing has led to a greater professionalism of the area. Previously, influencers would have been compensated on a case by case basis by being sent free items, invited to events or paid for posts. Despite these strategies still being in play today, it is less ad-hoc and we see more strategic thought and long-term relationships surrounding influencer marketing.

This shift to influencer marketing becoming such an integral part of a brands marketing mix, spending much more budget here, and growing connections in this way, means a much closer eye is needed on the area.

One way you can do this effectively is through including influencer-marketing specific questions within your agency appraisals. Questions on every part of the process, ranging from identifying the right kind of influencers for your brands identity, setting and achieving KPIs, standing out against your competitors and everything in between. Our Agency Appraisal tool has these kinds of questions ready-to-go, waiting to be tailored to your brand.

If you are looking to gather some specific knowledge on how well your agency is performing in the influencer marketing sector, contact us for more information on our Flock Agency Appraisal Tool.