To Build Brand Awareness Through Influencers, Allow Them To Be Authentic To Earn Buyers’ Trust

A research report on the rapidly evolving brand-influencer dynamic shows the disparity and alignment of perceptions of marketers and influencers. The report, Aligning Marketers and Influencers: Shifting Perspectives on Influencer Marketing Across the Funnel, found that 75% of marketers leverage influencers for brand awareness and 73% for brand engagement. Influencers, almost 60% of them, said their top reason for working with marketers is to create authentic content, especially in a world where buyers are increasingly skeptical of traditional advertising.

The report, conducted by impact.com, a partnership management platform provider, in partnership with WARC, an international marketing intelligence company, was based on global survey responses from more than 400 marketers and 400 influencers across North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia.

The value of authenticity cannot be overlooked, said impact.com in a press release. According to the research, 85% of influencers and 67% of marketers ranked high levels of trust and authenticity as the first and second most (respectively) significant strengths of influencer marketing, which, over time, creates stronger partnerships.

The report uncovers key considerations for those seeking true, impactful partnerships with influencers who are now at the center of the brand-consumer relationship given their impact on engagement and relationships with consumers. Those considerations include establishing a wide understanding of influencer marketing across functional teams, engaging with creators over an extended period of time in order to receive the best results and working with influencer marketing experts, such as technology platforms and agency-managed services, to ensure the best reach and results.

Key takeaways marketers and influencers shared for those looking to create (or expand) an influencer strategy include:

• Creating a clear, mutually beneficial partnership must be a priority. Today’s creators want more control over the content they create for brands. They expect the relationship to operate like a partnership rather than a simple fee structure. For marketers, it will be critical to balance brand requirements with creators’ demand for more freedom and control over the content they produce. In fact, according to 50% of influencers surveyed, striking this balance is the second most significant challenge they face. At the same time, compensation is a vital part of the equation – marketers must focus on incentivizing influencers around important metrics, to help align both partners and deliver improved results from the relationship.

• Driving valuable long-term relationships with creators is key. As influencers become more important to the brand-consumer relationship, it is important to stay focused on creating long-term relationships, which over time help drive more conversions. Though marketers tend to leverage influencer marketing for shorter, more awareness-driven campaigns, results can improve the longer a brand works with an influencer. A key example of this is in the beauty and fashion industry, where advertisers have proven that longer-term influencer marketing collaborations yield better outcomes. And, among marketers who use influencers over a longer period, 73% rank trust and authenticity as the biggest strengths of influencer marketing – six percentage points higher than among other marketers.

• The criteria for selecting influencers has changed, too. While macro influencers boast followings in the millions, nano and micro influencers with less than 1,000 followers may be key to unlocking a successful influencer strategy, according to respondents. Not only do they bring extra authenticity – they have very active communities of followers, resulting in higher engagement and their potential to influence product purchase decisions.

While the report is based primarily on comments from B2C marketers and influencers, the use of influencers by B2B companies is climbing. “Having started primarily as a marketing strategy for business-to-consumer sectors, influencer marketing will increasingly emerge as a business-to-business approach that deliver can on engagement, help with brand awareness, and resonate with a wider, more diverse audience,” noted impact.com CEO David A. Yovanno. “As B2B marketers become more familiar with the potential for collaboration with creators, our research findings can guide them on how better alignment can lead to more effective and valuable partnerships.”