Although we recognise the influence of a celebrity when we shop, more and more we are turning to our friends and colleagues -- or lesser-known influencers -- when we want to by something new.
Brands are increasingly adopting engagement strategies that incorporate a wide array of influencers to help their conversion rates and advertising reach.
According to a recent Forrester report, incorporating everyday influencers into targeting and optimization logic can help brands with digital advertising strategies, brand positioning, and increase prospect to conversion rates.
The study shows that 98 percent of marketers see value in incorporating influencers into their strategies. Brands can thrive with a good influencer marketing campaign, as it effectively drives sales for them.
With four out of five marketers believing it is tougher to reach new customers than it is to retain existing ones, new influencer strategies are being used to retain customers.
Directories such as SEEN, Open Influence, and Sysomos help search for and identify the right influencers for campaigns. Iconic Reach has a self-serve advertising platform for influencers to connect with micro-influencers -- those who have 10,000 to 100,000 followers and high-engagement rates.
Micro influencers have changed the way brands engage socially. Celebrities who have massive followings are often out of touch with the average consumer.
These "micro" and "everyday influencers" (friends, colleagues, and extended family members) are believed to be critical to influencer marketing success.
Using programmatic data to target everyday influencers is the most accountable way to activate customer purchase intent -- brands need to visualise influencer value.
Often marketers manually manage campaigns, and they're often unable to properly access the best influencer for their campaign or track returns on their investment. Streamlined sourcing, transacting, and executing influencer campaigns can ensure better returns.
And it seems to be working, too. Targeting consumers and those who influence the consumer's decisions, such as parents, friends, and colleagues, are showing positive returns on ad spending.
Women's luxury fashion brand Johnny Was wanted to determine the potential performance boost from messaging key audiences and their respective influencer groups compared to directly messaging audience members.
GlobalWide Media's RYPL platform showed a conversion rate uplift of almost 40 percent for the brand when influencers were used to boost the message.
Getting the influencer mix right -- and the messaging on point -- will get the returns that brands need and show a positive return on their influencer investments.