post

How Influencer Marketing Can Drive Sales for Your Business

Millennials are going crazy with BTS, the Korean boy band. Most sports lovers glorify Cristiano Ronaldo. Mr. Beast tops the YouTube leaderboard. All of them were called influencers. Brands and businesses partnered with them to promote products and services. So, how can influencer marketing drive sales for your business? We’ve got you covered!

WHAT IS AN INFLUENCER?

An influencer is a person or group with the ability to sway the buying decisions of many consumers. They may have authority over a specific subject, expertise in a certain niche, or simply be popular in their own craft such as acting, blogging, singing, and dancing.

There are 5 types of influencers based on their number of followers. These are the following:

  • Nano-influencers of those with 1,000 to 10,000 followers
  • Micro-influencers of those with 10, 000 to 50,000 followers
  • Mid-tier influencers of those with 50,000 to 500,000 followers
  • Macro-influencers of those with 500,000 to 1,000,000 followers
  • Mega-influencers of those with more than 1 million followers

Influencer endorsement is a powerful social proof as it can boost brand awareness and reach new potential customers. It is because they command much more trust than faceless brands. Their recommendations can sway the audience because they have already captured the audience’s trust.

HOW DOES INFLUENCER MARKETING DRIVE SALES FOR YOUR BUSINESS?

Influencer marketing means partnering with influencers in the form of branded content and sponsored promotions. 

Build Consumer Trust with Authentic Influencer Content

Clinique Australia launched its Clinique ID range for imperfections. To raise awareness and encourage customers to try their new products, the company partnered with Cheryl Law, a local content creator. With 19,000 followers on Instagram, Cheryl created a short video using punchy pop music while applying a Clinique moisturizer to her cheeks. She pitched it as a way to refresh during the colder months. Cheryl further noted that for Clinique, skincare is self-care. Because of that video, Clinique earned an 8.7 times return on ad spend by building consumers’ trust.

Create Content that Uses Real-Life Experiences

ASUS wanted to convey its unique selling point as it launched the new Vivo Book laptop. It was very light and portable. ASUS partnered with Vamp from Meta business to connect with the right audiences. Vamp showcased the product daily uploading videos in home offices and on-the-go scenarios. Vamp also shared branding guides on what to and what not to do with a laptop. The campaign resulted as an instrument to expand the reach of ASUS in Poland. By showing target customers the real-life application of the Vivo Book laptop, influencer marketing can drive sales for your business.

Integrate Branding Subtly

L’Oréal worked with 15 global beauty creators to subtly promote their brand palette for consistent color, composition, and skin tone. Each creator detailed their own skin concerns and their experiences with L’Oréal Revitalift Hyaluronic Acid Serum. These helped the audience associate the creator’s content with L’Oréal products boosting its sales.

Mix Accessible and Aspirational Content

Konvy is a Thailand-based beauty products retailer. It aimed to boost awareness on its 11.11 Single Day campaign. Konvy collaborated with 8 female beauty and lifestyle influencers during their 2020 winter campaign. The influencers delivered fun and positive photos and videos showcasing Konvy product discounts. By mixing accessible and aspirational content, Konvy’s brand credibility and sales eventually increased.

Pair Branded Content Ads with Daily Campaigns

A challenge in working with influencers is that the content or post can only reach the influencer’s followers. But when you pair branded content with their daily campaigns, a brand or business can expand its reach and influencer marketing can drive sales for them.

Reference: https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/facebook-publishes-new-guide-to-influencer-marketing-and-its-rising-benefit/611205/

post

Why Brands Should Make Instagram Reels

The same kinds of campaigns have been saturating social media marketing today. As such, the engagement rate of social media users among brands has significantly declined. Recently, the TikTok app took the world by storm. Through catchy and short-form video content, creators achieved a ridiculous reach within the platform. That is why other social networks tried to mimic the TikTok clips. YouTube created Shorts, and Snapchat designed Spotlight. But according to a social media agency Hong Kong, Instagram’s TikTok clone works the best. For them, Instagram Reels is getting its users back from TikTok into the platform. They are the perfect way to engage with a new kind of audience. They allow creators to collaborate with the community by creating reel-ish content. They are easily digestible and highly entertaining. So, there are a lot of reasons why brands should make Instagram Reels.

WHAT ARE INSTAGRAM REELS?

Reels are a new way to create and discover short-form videos on Instagram. Like TikTok clips, Reels allow users to record a 30-second multi-clip video using creative tools, effects, and music. A private Instagram profile can share Reels on their feeds. On the other hand, those with a public account can additionally share Reels on Instagram Explore pages. Reels in the Explore page showcase the best culture trends in the world today.

To create a reel, simply tap the camera icon, and select the “Create a Reel” option. A variety of creative tools will then appear on the left side of your Reels camera screen. These include the following:

  • Align to line up objects within your clip frame.
  • AR Effects to add augmented reality to your background and overlays to your clips.
  • Audio to add a pre-recorded from your device or a song from Instagram’s music library. The pre-recorded audio will be attributed to you once you share a reel. If your Instagram profile is set to public, people can use your audio to create another reel.
  • Speed to control the speed of the beat on the part of the video or the whole video. It can help users speed up or slow down the motion of a reel clip.
  • Timer and Countdown to allow users in recording Reels hands-free. 

WHY BRANDS SHOULD MAKE INSTAGRAM REELS

To Increase Brand Reach

The average reach of an Instagram post is currently less than 2% to 3%. For example, if you have 1,000 followers on your Instagram account, the reach of a normal video post is only limited to the active followers of your Instagram profile. A video marketing agency Hong Kong noted that if a brand posted a reel on IG instead of a normal video, there are 4 ways Instagrammers can discover Reels.

  • Reels can be discovered on a dedicated Reels tab at the home screen navigation.
  • Reels from the brands users follow are visible when scrolling an Instagram home feed.
  • Reels are featured on the Instagram Explore page.
  • Reels are featured on individual Instagram profiles.

The algorithm of Instagram Reels also works in mysterious ways. Among Instagrammers, they are most likely to see Reels from accounts they already followed, the content they interact with, and their location.

To Increase Community Engagement

According to a digital marketing speaker Hong Kong, Reels can increase community engagements among brands. This is because the higher the reach of an Instagram reel is, the more chances it can drive followers to an account. With a huge number of followers, Reels can also increase community engagement. A recent report shows that 75% of Instagram users buy a product or visit a brand website after watching an Instagram Reel. Most IG users are getting bored with images. Reels offer them a new way to genuinely enjoy catchy and funny videos. They are super scrollable, and Instagrammers can easily comment, like, or share a posted reel. Besides, Instagram Reels allow creators to showcase their true personalities in a relaxing way. This makes them more authentic, triggering actions through emotional connections.

To Increase Revenue and Sales

Instagram recently rolled out Shoppable Reels. Using this eCommerce feature, brands and businesses can now tag products when creating Reels. These make the Reels fully shoppable. Whenever a viewer taps on the product tag, the user can directly buy the item without leaving the Instagram app. Shoppable Reels are a game-changer for Instagram ads. Being featured on the Instagram Explore Page makes it easier for a large number of audiences to find a product. Brands can use their resources with Shoppable Reels in the most innovative way. They can add a product link, a CTA like “Shop Now,” a shopping bag icon, etc. Shopping from Creators is another new way to turn Reels into a shoppable post. Creators can now use branded product tags when creating Reels. The tags make it easier for viewers to buy the items featured directly on its checkout feature. This can be the next big step to influencer marketing. At the same time, it is also a way to revolutionize online shopping. 

Launched in 2019, Instagram Reels are now available to over 50 countries. In the past 6 months, such short-form video content has been boosting Instagram engagement and reach to the roof. So, if a brand is not using it today, it’s now time to make Reels!

Reference: https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/367075