Influencer marketing, the process by which brands leverage well-known figures who have influence over their target markets to promote their brands, has been a widely used marketing trend for some time.
Today, big brands can generate impressive ROI with beauty, entertainment and fashion bloggers, and consumers love to hear advice and opinions from experts and industry influencers with whom they trust. Marketers are using influencer marketing because; it expands their reach, it gives the brand credibility and it allows for cross-promotion.
And then there’s video marketing. Currently, internet video traffic accounts for 80% of all consumer internet traffic. So it’s only natural for marketers to combine the two trends – video marketing and influencer marketing – to get their audiences excited and motivated to buy.
However, video marketing is only effective if it is done right. The key is to hire the right influencers for your audience, be creative in your pitch, and make it as easy as possible for them to participate.
Marketing expert Neil Patel says consumers expect marketers to focus on the positive, so they turn to the people they trust and those people include: industry experts, celebrities, and athletes.
With that said, not every marketing company has it in their budget to hire a celebrity or famous athlete. Patel suggests before marketers reach out to influencers, they should ask the following questions:
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Is the influencer willing and available to promote your content?
While it would be great to get Michael Jordan or Tiger Woods to participate, the chances of either one having the time or desire is unlikely. Instead choose an influencer who is actively involved in promoting your content. This will be way more effective than a superstar who can’t dedicate any time to your project.
Is the influencer’s audience relevant to your brand?
Even when you have found an influencer who is willing to advertise your brand or product, they need to be promoting it to the correct audience. Before hiring an influencer, marketers must determine if they will be a good fit. This is simply done by researching who the influencer’s current followers are, and what those people are most interested in.
Is the influencer already talking about your brand?
Focus on looking for those influencers who are already know about your brand since they will be more likely to participate, especially if your company is relatively new. Marketers can also find influencers who are casually talking about your competitors, but be sure they don’t already have an official partnership with that company.
Don’t forget the importance of short-form content
Large, small and even unknown brands have benefited from embracing short-form video content, especially when influencers share those videos across their respective social media platforms. Social media has paved a path for brands to interact with their customers in an engaging manner, and can help increase sales and shift perception.
The QYou, led in part by G. Scott Paterson, is a media company that curates and packages short-form video for multiscreen distribution. Today, marketers are placing a greater importance on the integration of short-form videos into their marketing plans due to the high volume of consumers engaging with interactive content.
From YouTube to Snapchat, it’s no surprise that video has become a staple of our everyday lives. Convenient and efficient for the consumer, video marketing and influencer marketing provides marketers with an attractive, flexible, and extremely shareable medium to reach their audiences.
