Top 3 Influencer Marketing Trends To Watch in 2018
Indeed, Influencer Marketing was mainstream in 2017. Brands reached mass amounts of online success thanks to their efforts of online advertising with influencers.
What good does Influencer Marketing bring? Marketers have a say here!
- 73% of marketers swear by its effectiveness for lead generation.
- 76% of marketers say it boosts customer loyalty.
- 93% of marketers say it helps to build brand awareness.
What an effective Marketing strategy to use, huh? Well, Influencer Marketing is here to stay in 2018 as well, so you definitely should not miss the opportunity to reap all the benefits it can bring to your brand.
But how? How can you really make the most out of Influencer Marketing in 2018?
We have got you covered here! Check out these top 3 Influencer Marketing Trends for 2018 to learn how to make the most of your Influencer Marketing efforts.
Following FTC Guidelines for Ad Disclosure
A major Influencer Marketing trend for 2018 is to follow the FTC guidelines for Inluencer Marketing, that has been put into law in 2017.
The main rule to follow here is for the influencers to inform their audiences of any advertising intent of their posts, i.e. the influencers promoting your brand name need to fully disclose the #ad nature of their posts.
A simple way to do this is to put hashtags like #ad #paidpartnership or #sponsored in the posts. This is to make sure that people don’t feel lied to whenever their favorite online influencers recommend a product or service to them. Don’t you agree that they deserve to know that, especially given the level of trust they have towards the influencers?
Also: 3 Keys to Great Social Media Customer Service
Creating Useful Content, Not Just Mere Ads
If you really want your target audience to notice you and trust in the quality of your product or service being advertised through the influencers, you better make your ad look and feel natural.
Don’t be misguided by the common misconception that Influencer Marketing has got to look a certain way. For example. the influencer holding your product in his/her hands and telling how much he/she loves to use your product. That would be a big failure!
Instead, you should have your influencers demonstrate use of your product or service in the most natural ways, as if it is a real part of their lives.
In other words. your influencer marketing should be the same as content marketing, only with influencers involved. The creation of entertaining and useful content for your audience is key in having success in Influencer Marketing.
Be creative! You need to stand out in the Influencer Marketing field, and only creativity with the right value offered can get you there.
Building Long-Term Relationships with Influencers
The relationships brands have with influencers should not be mere transactional. That’s right!
You pay influencers a certain amount of money and they post a certain amount of content, right? Then, when the business is done, it shouldn’t all be done between you too as well.
If you truly want to be successful in your Influencer Marketing, developing caring and responsible long-term relationships with influencers will be the key. Treat them as if they are partners, not just a means to an end. You see the point?
If influencers are satisfied with how they are treated by you and feel the care you have towards them, they will be more likely to develop a loyalty to your brand. They will even promote your brand with more enthusiasm. Great for you, huh?
