Traditional advertising is under attack. Did you know that 71% of consumers are more likely to make purchases when referred to by social media?

Influencer marketing stats show that 74% of consumers trust social networks to guide purchasing decisions. So, whether you sell fitness and health products, tour packages, or home services; a single recommendation from a trusted source can trump even your most beautifully written copy or most engaging video demo. Impressive, right?

Social media is now an integral part of our lives and influencer marketing has exploded. People are turning to Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube for advice on purchasing decisions. And yes, partnering with an influencer could open up your business – whether big or small – to never before explored avenues.

So, are you considering hiring a social media influencer to advertise your brand or product? Are they worth the investment? Generally speaking, the answer is yes. Why? Well, you can potentially gain access to target audiences that you might normally struggle to reach. Social media influencers have large audiences of followers on their social media accounts, and they leverage this to influence or persuade their followers to buy certain products or services. And, hypothetically, they have established a significant online credibility in their field of industry, so their followers often feel that their endorsements are particularly authentic and trustworthy.

Be careful though, you need to do your due diligence to avoid being scammed by social media influencers who artificially inflate their followers. But this doesn’t mean that you have to throw the baby out with the bathwater! This uniquely unconventional way of advertising could be a powerful asset to provide precision marketing to reach exactly the people who would benefit the most from your product or service.

Remember, navigating the complex world of social media influencers can be intimidating. The right influencer can make a campaign successful beyond what you thought possible. But, on the other hand, the wrong influencer can damage your brand significantly.

Here’s what you need to look out for when dealing with social media influencers:

• Examine their followers. Do they have profile pictures, or are they just avatars? Click on a suspect’s profile and see if they have online presence. If the account isn’t active, it’s a tell-tale sign it isn’t real.
• Look at their engagement. Does the audience engage with the influencer? Do they have thousands of followers but only receive a few comments and likes per post?
• Consult experts. Marketing professionals have access to software to sniff out and identify fake social media accounts. Also, they may have established relationships with authentic social media influencers with proven track records.

When looking at influencer marketing it is important to choose the right platform. The heavyweights like Instagram, Facebook and YouTube are some of the best options to choose from. Also, make sure that the influencer’s content is relevant to your brand; like-minded ideas and beliefs are important.

Clearly influencer marketing is not only having a moment, it is here to stay. Worth looking into, right?

Source: www.pixlee.com, digitalmarketinginstitute.com, medium.com, www.forbes.com, thenextweb.com, www.kunocreative.com www.convinceandconvert.com, www.business2community.com, izea.com