The Power of Influencer Marketing

Is there any occupation more misunderstood than the influencer? Wherever you look it seems people have opinions. Pete Davidson is deeming them ‘’insane and lame.’’ Bestselling books like Yesteryear or The Followers are criticising them. 

Except all this noise misses the obvious point. Influencers are a major force in the consumer market – not an elusive, mysterious phenomenon. They’re people who have built communities around them. With audiences consuming content across social media, online publications and traditional media, brands need to start thinking about how communities can be engaged with where they are, and cut through the clutter. 

This is where influencer marketing can play an important role in a brand’s public relations strategy. By partnering with the right creators, businesses can reach established communities, tell their stories in new ways and build meaningful connections with potential customers.

Here is how your brand can utilise them to your advantage. 

The power of influencer marketing: 

Public relations is not just about media coverage. It’s about establishing a connection between a brand and its audience. Influencer marketing can support these goals by helping brands reach people through trusted voices and relevant online communities.

You can reach established audiences

One of the biggest advantages of influencer marketing is access to communities that creators have spent years building. From parenting and lifestyle to technology, travel and outdoor adventure, creators bring together audiences with shared interests.

For PR teams, this presents an opportunity to introduce a brand to highly relevant audiences without having to build a community from scratch. The right partnership can help a brand reach people who may not otherwise encounter its story through traditional media.

You can build trust and credibility

How a brand communicates its message can be just as important as the message itself. Influencer partnerships allow brands to take on a new life; to see how a certain look or lifestyle can be understood in practice rather than just in theory. 

When a collaboration feels relevant and authentic, it can help audiences understand a product or service in a more relatable context. Choosing creators who genuinely align with a brand’s values and messaging is essential to making these partnerships credible.

You can reach niche communities and subcultures

Traditional media coverage can offer significant reach, but influencer marketing provides another way to connect with specific audiences. A brand looking to reach new parents, camping enthusiasts or technology lovers, for example, can partner with creators who already speak to these communities.

This targeted approach can be particularly valuable for PR campaigns with a clearly defined audience, helping ensure the story reaches people most likely to find it relevant.

You can create opportunities for conversation (and collect insights)

Influencer marketing can give audiences a platform with which to engage with a brand and provide direct reactions and feedback. Product demonstrations, personal experiences, and behind the scenes access can all make a brand more accessible. These interactions can also provide insight into what audiences care about, the questions they are asking and how they respond to a brand’s messaging.

How an influencer agency can help you choose the right creators:

Finding the right creator requires the same strategic thinking that goes into identifying relevant media outlets or pitching a story to a journalist. The biggest name isn’t always the best fit. What matters is whether the creator can help you reach your intended audience and communicate your message effectively.

Start by looking at who follows the creator. Consider age, location, interests and other available audience insights to determine whether their community aligns with your target market.

Engagement refers to the comments, shares, reposts and conversations surrounding content, which can help influencer agencies determine whether the community is engaged and interested. Even if an influencer has a large following, this can mean nothing if the audience is not engaging.

Content, aesthetic and tone is also very important when considering the style of their content. Their approach should complement the brand’s personality and the key messages of the campaign.

A successful partnership should feel like a natural fit. Consider whether the creator’s values and existing content align with your brand. An overly political influencer can create controversy which becomes affiliated with your brand, and a mismatch can undermine the credibility of both the partnership and the campaign.

A considered approach helps ensure partnerships are purposeful and aligned with the wider campaign strategy.

Turning influencer partnerships into long-term PR value

Influencer marketing can deliver value well beyond a single post. When approached strategically, creator partnerships can become an ongoing part of a brand’s communications activity.

For example, influencer marketing can help PR teams build brand awareness to introduce yourself to a new audience or community, generate interest, strengthen a brand’s reputation, complement media coverage, events and other PR activity across social media platforms, and create useful content which can be repurposed across brand channels (subject to agreed usage rights!) and can generate audience insights by understanding what people are saying and what sparks interest. 

Long-term relationships can also be valuable. Rather than approaching creators only when a campaign launches, brands can build ongoing partnerships with people who understand their business and can communicate its messages consistently over time.

By Ruby Harris | PR Coordinator