Influencer marketing could be working wonders for your retail business. And it won’t be going anywhere any time soon. If you’re not already working with key influencers in your industry, you need to ask yourself why.
Why Does Influencer Marketing Work?
Influencers have a large following on at least one social media platform. Unlike a faceless brand, influencers have their own personal style, their own likes and opinions. They’re “real” people who their followers (your potential customers) can relate to. Followers feel connected to them and trust their recommendations. This means there is great opportunity for retail businesses to market their products and their brand through relevant influencers. What’s more, this soft approach works particularly well with the millennial audience (and younger) who shy away from more overt marketing styles.
Still unsure if influencer marketing is the solution for you? Here are five key things influencers can do for your retail business:
Raise Awareness of your Retail Brand
Looking to spread the word about your retail brand? Influencers can do the job for you. They can introduce their loyal army of followers to your brand and promote your brand identity. Product or brand features, competitions or account takeovers – whichever influencer marketing strategy you employ, you’ll be shouting your brand name out across the social internet. Incorporate influencers in your omnichannel marketing strategy.
Encourage Followers to Browse With your Retail Brand
Once you’ve got your brand name out there, the next step is encouraging people to browse products on your website. An influencer can present your products to great effect through their own content – their photos, their blogs and their videos. Followers can then search for those products on your website. This means greater online engagement and better quality leads into your sales funnel.
Lead Followers towards a Purchase
What makes you feel confident about buying online? These days we all tend to read reviews, and seek recommendations before making an online purchase, particularly if it’s a brand we haven’t come across before. Influencers are respected by their followers. When they recommend a product, they give their followers a sense of confidence, making it much more likely that their browsing will result in a sale.
Create Positive Brand Sentiment
The positive brand sentiment promoted by your influencers leads customers into a more meaningful engagement with your brand. They could end up understanding, talking about and living your brand exactly as you intend. And once an influencer’s followers are acquainted with you, a little of that influencer magic tends to rub off. Influencers are seen as real and relevant. And these become characteristics associated with your brand too.
Inspire Others to Share Your Content
Things can snowball quickly in the world of influencer marketing. An influencer shares your content. Their followers see it and view it as valuable. They then share that same content with their own following. Each post you publish will have greater reach. And you could find yourself with a whole new gang of advocates working to spread the word about your retail brand and products.
Influencer marketing offers endless possibilities for retail businesses. Your products can be photographed, talked about or given away as prizes. And your brand can be associated with the coolest and most respected kids in town. With the right collaborations and influencer links, you can reach out to potential customers at every step of the buyer journey and beyond. This is what it did to the fashion industry. Retail could be next.
