Redefining Engagement: How Influencer Marketing is Reshaping Traditional Strategies

Anyone who works in the world of marketing is now aware of just how popular influencer marketing has become over the past decade. Expected to be worth over $24 billion this year,  influencer marketing has quickly replaced other traditional marketing strategies. This trend can be especially beneficial to entrepreneurs, given the many benefits this strategy brings to the table.

The power of social media and influencers is well reflected by one of the latest events to shake the industry. Earlier this month, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill that could ban TikTok, one of the most popular platforms for influencers. The alleged reasons are related to national security due to the links between TikTok’s parent company and the Chinese government.

The American government is worried about China pressuring TikTok to gain access to private data or influence American citizens. Experts like Competitive Enterprise Institute’s director Jessica Melugi believe that these “vague concerns”  are insufficient to justify such a ban. 

Melugi’s position matches that of many experts who believe this is a matter of TikTok’s popularity causing a “moral panic”. Not many platforms in the history of the internet have been so popular as to become a national security concern, that is for certain.

Now, TikTok is far from the only social media platform out there. Over 40% of U.S. adults aged 18-49% say they have used Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin, Twitter, Snapchat, YouTube, Reddit, and TikTok. The numbers by themselves should be enough for any marketing professional’s mouth to water, but there is much more to influencer marketing than just range.

Unlike traditional advertising full of disruptive and invasive ads that often come with a lot of privacy concerns, influencer marketing is much more organic. This is because brands and products are being promoted by people whom the end-user is not only already interested in and familiar with but also trust.

As social media algorithms have gotten increasingly better at showing users relevant content they will get to enjoy, influencers are constantly reaching new audiences with an interest in their specific niche. This makes all influencer marketing behave as evergreen content when combined with the entertainment or informational nature of most influencer accounts.

The result is that advertisers get to promote their brands in a way that is scalable and organic without any further effort on their part. As the costs associated with influencer marketing are also much lower than traditional advertising channels, this makes it the perfect opportunity for entrepreneurs who are in the early stage of growing their businesses.

While this paradigm shift represents a huge opportunity for everyone involved, it also comes with an entirely new way of thinking about marketing. Gone are the days of just pumping out interruptive ads and hoping they stick. It is now all about engagement.

This is easier said than done as influencer marketing can be quite intricate and nuanced when first transitioning. Being accessible and effective doesn’t mean that effort is not needed, as identifying the right influencers, developing creative content strategies, amplifying that content, collaborating with your influencers, and optimizing based on data are all involved.

Simply throwing money at celebrities or influencers with big followings is not a sustainable long-term strategy. However, if done right, influencer marketing’s potential is much higher than other forms of marketing. That’s why the insights from proven experts have become so invaluable in the field.

Bayer’s former vice president of Brand Integration PR, Social, and Influencer Denise Vitola is such an expert. With over 26 years of experience in the world of marketing and PR, Vitola has become deeply familiar with the ins and outs of digital marketing. This knowledge and expertise have led her to win several digital communications and marketing awards, as well as to talk in some of the most important stages in the world.

Vitola took multiple stages during the latest edition of SXSW to talk and teach the audience about the ins and outs of digital marketing. One of these stages was that of The Lively & Grit Daily House, where she spoke on the topic of “Leveraging Influencer Partnerships for Greater Value”.

 If you were unable to attend and want to know more about what one of the most influential digital marketers has to say about influencer marketing, worry not. You can watch the whole presentation in the video below, as well as find dozens of other presentations and panels on Grit Daily’s YouTube channel.