Assil Dayri
Influencer marketing is always a buzzword in the festive season, brands and e-commerce are heavily investing in influencer marketing strategies, during this shopping spree period. Brands in the fashion, lifestyle and beauty industries are especially interested in engaging with influencers. There is a whole community of micro-influencers that are progressively being pursued after by brands to influence their followers’ shopping decisions.
Along with technological and Internet developments, marketing communication has undergone a major transformation. Social networks have played a very important role in the digital marketing strategies of brands and, with them, also of digital influencers.
These have become an extremely important source of communication, conquering a position of ambassadors and influencers of products and services, as well as healthy habits and behaviors. As a result of the lockdown that happened during the COVID-19 pandemic, companies had to adapt to maintain their business, which boosted e-commerce, namely companies related to physical activities.
Influencers have become a vital part of social media and content creation. Many brands discovered that working with an influencer can be more effective than traditional advertising, and the many ways influencers can contribute to a brand strategy continue to evolve.
One of the great advantages of working with influencers is that regardless of the size of the brand or the audience you want to reach, there are nano, micro or macro-influencers who are skilled at reaching that target market and can work within your budget.
Recent research shows that more brands are finding success with smaller influencers, thanks to their hyper-focused audience with very specific interests. As smaller influencers are seen as more genuine and trustworthy, their followers tend to put more faith in the product or service.
Consumers are also beginning to have less trust in macro-influencers, as they understand how many of them think more about the financial aspect and not about the value that the transaction brings to the public. Influencers end up working with the brands that are most dedicated to the visibility of influencer campaigns, rather than working with the ones that offer the best products or solutions.
Many brands are investing in micro -influencers to address this challenge and work with authentic creators who also help create content that raises awareness. We can’t forget that 61% of consumers trust the product recommendations they receive from influencers. Meanwhile, only 38% trust branded social media content.
The average spend of e-commerce on social media influencers has reduced these past seasons as companies are focusing more on micro-influencers from 1,000 to 10,000 social media followers.
This development comes at a time when e-commerce companies have started to focus on profitability and the larger startup ecosystem is experiencing a global funding slowdown. Micro-influencers are expected to play a larger role. While micro-influencers have fewer followers compared to mega and macro-influencers, their audiences tend to be more engaged, and they also charge less. To stand out, brands must create foresight and excitement among their target audience. All you need is enough time on your side to spread word of mouth.
Assil Dayri is the CEO of AMD Consulting Group, a London-based agency specialising in digital marketing, social media and customer acquisition. The agency supports brands, SMBs and start-ups from all over the world to take their businesses to the next level by leveraging the power of the internet to grow their revenue and customers.
