Influencer Marketing: How it Works and Where it’s Heading

When are you more likely to be interested in a product or service? Is it when a stranger representing a company is selling it to you in a traditional advertisement? Chances are you will hit “Skip Ad” right away or scroll past. 

But what if the person you see is a familiar face, someone you admire in some way – or at least recognize? Then there’s potential, and that’s where influencer marketing comes in. In this blog, we’re going to highlight what strategies have proven successful in the past and forecast what trends will make waves in influencer marketing in 2022.

 

How and When Does Influencer Marketing Work?

Influencer marketing works best when the chosen influencer has a consistently devoted base of supporters. This should come as no surprise, because by definition, an influencer is someone with an established level of credibility in their field. 

They have reached their elite status by being people-pleasers. Let them do the work of adding credibility to your brand. Here’s the truth: chances are they’re better at it than you. Nielsen has reported that 92 percent of people trust recommendations from individuals over brands. 

 

Plan Your Strategy

Once you’ve decided to adopt an influencer marketing strategy, then comes the time to set a plan about how you’re actually going to implement it. One option to strongly consider is prioritizing the use of short-form video in your strategy. 

Short form video has been proven to be an effective way to get through to consumers. As we have referenced in a past blog, short-form video has the highest return on investment of any marketing strategy in the social media space. 

 

Predictions – Where Will Influencer Marketing go in 2022?

It can be hard to keep up with the constantly evolving landscape of social media. However, if you look closely enough, you can make note of the direction things are headed in terms of what marketing approaches are growing in popularity.

One of these emerging trends is the use of college athletes as influencers. Until very recently, college athletes were not allowed by the NCAA to profit off their name, image, and likeness. Now that that has changed thanks to a Supreme Court ruling, it will give more brands the ability to use athletes to promote their products and services.

Professional athletes are often at a premium, but college athletes are, on average, easier to acquire and work with. Take Braelon Allen as a recent example of this in practice. Allen is a freshman running back for the University of Wisconsin football team who is coming off a tremendous season.

At just eighteen years old, he’s already a big-time ambassador for a company called Iron-Joc, a clothing brand based in Wisconsin. Since bringing him on as an influencer, they have tripled their sales, according to their founder and owner, Paul Hanson. 

Expect to see more and more of similar uses of college athletes as influencers in 2022 and beyond.

Another trend that we predict will be significant in the future of influencer marketing is the advances that platforms like Tik-Tok are making in their live-streaming capabilities. 

Imagine a live Q&A session with an influencer regarding a product instead of a pre-recorded video message. You just can’t beat that kind of engagement between influencer and consumer, so expect to see more of that across all social media- whether it be Tik-Tok, Instagram Live, Facebook Live, or Twitter’s “Spaces” feature.

 

Takeaways

The key universal takeaways here are to know your audience, stand for something, and establish goals for what you are trying to accomplish in using influencer marketing. 

Know your audience, meaning think about the demographic that is inclined to be interested in your product. As is the case with short-form video, in general, younger audiences are more likely to be won over by influencer marketing.

Stand for something, meaning make sure your content is promoting a message that people are likely to support. It is more complicated to try to get consumers to identify with brands that are irresponsible with or dismissive of concerns regarding environmental sustainability, as an example. Make space to reassure your base that you care about what they care about.

Establish goals, meaning know what your ultimate intentions are in developing your strategy. Are you looking to increase brand awareness, encourage people to try a product, simply gain followers, or increase sales?

In the world of branding, a slogan is akin to a thesis, establishing values and rearranging perceptions with every word. Think about the brands you love; chances are, they have connected with you through their written words. A great slogan is a condensed mission statement, reminding the consumer that they and the brand share the same attitude towards the world; that they and the brand are friends, willing to do right by one another. In this blog, we are going to discuss the significance of slogans, provide insight on what to do and what not to do when crafting a slogan, and reference case studies of brands that Fortress has helped discover slogans and taglines for through our Branding and Corporate Identity Services

 

The Best Slogans in the World

 

We all know these slogans, but do we know what makes them so memorable? Let’s start with Nike’s “Just Do It.” This slogan is brilliant for a few reasons; it is extremely brief at only three words and eight letters; it is motivational and fits with their brand philosophy of pushing one’s physical limits and being prepared for adventure; and lastly it is works as as a subliminal message that helps users make their decision to buy from Nike. Debating on getting that new pair of running shoes? “Just Do It.” Enough said.

 

Next up, Apple. Their iconic slogan, “Think Different,” encapsulates the very essence of their brand philosophy. It’s not just a call to buy their products; it’s an invitation to embrace innovation and individuality. In just two words, they’ve managed to capture the spirit of those who dare to challenge the status quo and break new ground. 

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