For the past few years there has been a rapid growth in influencer marketing and now it is widely used in the social media marketing sector to broaden a brand. Influencer marketing is when a person with a prominent online presence with numerous social media followers endorses a brand. The efficacy of this style of marketing is due to the trust these influencers have created with their followers by serving as a real life satisfied consumer of a product; creating social proof. Compared to traditional marketing, influencer marketing has the ability to create a more authentic message to their targeted audience. In fact, there are products that have had their sales increased by 58% due to their promotion by a social media influencer.
Influencer Marketing Growth Through the Years
In 2016, four years after gaining more popularity, influencer marketing started growing rapidly by 50% percent each year on Instagram. In 2019 to 2020 when Tiktok exploded globally the amount of influencer platforms doubled causing a craze for influencers to promote small and big businesses. Now knowing that influencer marketing is not going to slow down anytime soon, artificial intelligence is making it easier to identify qualified influencers with the fewest fake followers providing your brand a high chance of a positive return on investment. Influencer marketing solved some of the issues of marketing to Millennials and now it is opening up opportunities to reach the Gen Z market. Depending on the presence, a social media influencer can have a more positive outcome on a brand rather than a celebrity due to the interaction and relationship some influencers have with their following.
What does this mean for marketing in the future?
As we look back five years, we can see the different ways in which influencer marketing has changed and adapted through new platforms, different events and social movements. For the foreseeable future influencer marketing will play a major role in a strategic marketing plan and the success of marketing your brand. Curious on how to use influencer marketing to impact your brand? Give us a call at (210) 348-8008 and we will be glad to discuss your goals.
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