Photo credit: Aileen Olmedo
Mommy bloggers, Instagram “models,” beauty gurus, the list goes on. You’ve seen social media users amass large followings, some in the millions. People have been chronicling their life in blog form for years out of fun or stress relief but it was only fairly recently these bloggers began to understand how to monetize their blogs by featuring products from fashion to home furnishings.
Now, more than ever, brands have begun to understand the importance of these social leaders. In fact, Tomoson reports influencer marketing as the fastest-growing online customer acquisition tactic beating out organic, paid search and email marketing. It’s clear that consumers look to “thought leaders” to influence their purchasing decisions.
Why is influencer marketing growing? Simply put, there are massive amounts of social media users. . .and brands are always looking for the best ways to engage with these users. According to Pew Research Center, nearly-two thirds of all American adults are on social media sites and 90 percent of young adults actively participate on social sites. What does this mean? People are heavily consuming social content and it’s become a part of their daily lives.
Furthermore, social media is revolutionizing the concept of word-of-mouth referrals. People always have talked about their experiences, events and products they love with friends and loved ones over lunch, drinks or the phone. With the increase of social media, people are now sharing these same experiences online. According to Nielsen, 92 percent of consumers trust recommendations from others — even people they don’t know. This makes word-of-mouth marketing highly effective.
Now that we know why influencer marketing is so important, stay tuned for our next Skogrand PR Solutions blog post. You’ll learn which brands are using influencer marketing well and tips for how you can integrate this into your strategy.