Testimony, a formal statement by an authoritative entity, is held as a crucial source of knowledge in Law, Religion and Philosophy. This was true during Ancient Greece and stays true in the Digital Age, all thanks to the almost 6 Billion Dollar industry of Influencer Marketing.

A growing brand’s definitive way to instantly gain a higher reach, trust and credibility is to now collaborate with a trendsetter on social media! It leverages an influencer’s existing audience to market a brand, via direct endorsements, product placements or even affiliation.

It’s worth noting how influential influencers can truly get. Many major athletes are the faces of multiple brands. This is not only a testament to their popularity but the number of people they potentially inspire! This fan-following often wishes to imitate and be just like their favourite athletes!

As such, It is very easy to (falsely) assume that Influencer Marketing is a recent phenomenon. The word ‘influencer’ brings up the image of someone on Instagram or YouTube with large amounts of followers. The truth is, Influencer Marketing has always been a relevant strategy. Except of course, previously it was known as Celebrity Endorsements.

Just the news that a major celebrity will be promoting a certain product/service was enough to generate considerable buzz. These celebrity marketing campaigns would leverage the popularity and goodwill that personalities such as Actors, Athletes and Musicians garnered and associate it with the brand itself.

The advent of social media has blurred the line between a celebrity and an influencer. Anyone can now generate a loyal and dedicated fan base, provided of course, they create valuable and interesting content.

Having a good influencer marketing strategy can do wonders for a brand. And best of all, it’s an extremely versatile method of marketing! For an endorsement, many influencers are happy to accept a product/service, something commonly known as a ‘barter’. However, that’s not always the case. As a general rule of thumb, the more popular a certain influencer is, the more worthwhile it needs to be for them to endorse your brand.

That’s not all. The diversity at play is what has made branded influencer marketing a billion-dollar industry. This diversity, while true in the traditional sense of ethnicities and genders, is relevant in the amount, size and industry focus of influencers available.

For example – A fashion apparel brand can reach out to influencers with content focused on fashion. These influencers most likely have a following that’s interested in fashion, and by extension, can be potential customers for a fashion brand. 

Apply the same logic to every sector, no matter how popular or niche, and the way forward is crystal clear –

Influencer Marketing allows a brand to directly connect with its target audience.

A brand does not need to deal with hit-or-miss advertising, it does not need to establish itself with trustworthy social media. A simple shout-out by an influencer is enough to catapult the brand’s name from ‘never heard’ to ‘industry leading’.

Is Influencer Marketing the end-all-be-all? Not at all, this strategy is something that fits well within an overarching integrated marketing strategy! 

Case in point, The PR ideators have recently facilitated collaborations between brands like Monrow and Jimmy Choo with celebrity powerhouses like Sidharth Malhotra, Raveena Tandon, Parineeti Chopra and Malaika Arora. 

Another stellar example is the Influencer Campaign we did for Kaya Youth, a beauty cosmetics company. To launch their latest ‘Skin Relief Range’, we reached out to over 30 Influencers and Bloggers within the beauty, fashion, and lifestyle industry. The content produced found 1,10,05,745 individuals, a number 90% higher than what Kaya Youth expected! 

These efforts won the Best Small Budget Campaign award by Exchange 4 media.

Past the initial endorsement by the influencer itself, the momentum is maintained via a brand’s Social Media, which reposts and capitalises on the endorsement. A big enough endorsement can also stand to be covered by various news outlets, something that a good PR strategy will have already taken care of. Finally, the audience requires a platform via which they can avail of the brand’s services, something that a Website achieves.

As closing thoughts, an Influencer Marketing Strategy is always a good fit for your brand. But it’s an even better one with an existing Integrated Marketing Strategy in place.