As a Gen Z, I often spend my downtime on social media, usually TikTok, Instagram, X (ne: Twitter) or YouTube, to name a few. I’m always following people and brands I like. If I were to glance at my own recent follows, I would say 40% are real influencers who inspired me to buy the product they feature on their channel, or to comment or like it. Even though I don’t always buy the product, my following and engaging with the content adds value to the product supplier and their brand. This is one of many reasons why real influencers are valuable marketing tools for businesses and can not only increase visibility online but also encourage brand recognition and eventually lead to regular sales.
Nowadays, it seems like anybody can be an influencer as long as they have followers. Influencers can be categorised by; micro-influencers (1-10k followers), celebrity influencers, social media influencers, key opinion leaders, and more.
Influencer marketing is not new to the game, but it has changed how people have been influenced. Consumers are no longer looking towards brands that hard sell their services or products, but prefer to be authentically engaged through honest opinions.
Let’s look at a great example of real influencer marketing…
Established in 2019, Teremana Small Batch Tequila was founded by former WWE wrestler and current actor, Dwayne Johnson (“The Rock”). With the goal of creating high-quality, responsibly sourced tequila that unites people, Teremana was launched at the start of the pandemic. While it was a risky move, he celebrated record-breaking sales (300,000 + case sales) within his first year of business and doubled it in his second.
How was that possible when there’s such intense competition out there? Even George Clooney’s Casamigos tequila only sold about 175,000 cases.
Read on…
If you didn’t already know, from his early days at college football to wrestling for WWE and his acting career, his life story is essentially public knowledge, thanks to his biopic series Young Rock and his autobiographies. His appearance in a wide genre of films and shows, from family movies like Moana to action and sci-fi classics – he appeals to multi-generations. Beyond his career, he is also passionate about giving back to the community, often raising awareness about causes he has experienced. This is what makes him a fantastic influencer.
In his interview with Forbes, The Rock said he didn’t believe in hard-selling their product but focused on fostering relationships with people instead. Capitalising on his massive following on Instagram, he took his audience on a journey through his involvement in building up this brand.
His authenticity won the hearts of his audience, building their trust in him. Due to The Rock’s influential impact, he contributed to Teremana’s success by being transparent and true to himself. A great example of vision, mission, and values (the brand trinity).
Now, considering everything you have just read, it is clear to see that not only does engaging the right type of influencer build your business’s credibility, but working with influencers can also create more diverse content, assist with targeted reach, improve social media engagement, SEO and lots more!
So what are the golden rules for finding the right influencer for your business:
- Identify your target audience, objectives, and goals for the campaign
- Sourcing for relevant influencers that align with your brand (according to the Brand Trinity) and do a background check on them
- Ensuring their engagement rate is authentic and produced content is high-quality
- Reach out and engage personally with them!
If you want to learn more about influencer marketing, you can follow our blog or get in touch with Ignite Search for a quote today.
