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5 Reasons You Need an Influencer Marketing Strategy in 2023

By: Viral Nation | 4 mins read | Jan 6, 2023
It’s finally 2023! And businesses need to consider what kind of marketing campaign they will use to grow their brands this year. More and more brands are leveraging influencer marketing and social media marketing in their go-to-market strategies. This is why the influencer marketing industry was expected to grow to $16.4 billion by the end of 2022, with 88.7% of marketers using influencer marketing by the end of 2026. With all this in mind, you should understand the significance and benefits that influencer marketing can bring. So, here are five reasons you should consider incorporating influencer marketing into your go-to-market strategies in 2023.

1. Social media users trust influencers more

Why are influencers generally so well-loved among their followers? Here's a simple and short answer: Trust. Influencers are often ordinary people who love to share their passion online. If we compare them to celebrities, the outlook may not be the same since they usually hold lavish lifestyles, which ordinary people can't always relate to. Celebrities feel distant and have different social standings. Influencers are more relatable and have similar lives to their followers. This relatability allows influencers to build a closer relationship with their fans, which allows them to gain trust and credibility. People are more open to suggestions from those they trust. After all, you are most likely to trust your friends' words over those of strangers. You can use this trust to strengthen your brand's credibility. By having influencers recommending your brand, fans are more likely to check out your products or services. They know that if the influencers they follow say your brand is good, then it must be at least worth a try. Deloitte conducted a consumer survey where 70% of people admit they will trust a recommendation from someone they don’t know and 40% of people note they rely on social media to browse products, read recommendations and find any deals or promotions. Long story short: sometimes you don't have to go out of your way to find a high-profile celebrity to endorse your brand — working with legitimate, growing influencers will do wonders for your business and growing your audience. 

2. Enhanced content creation and value 

Influencers are the master of creating engaging content. After all, in order to be a successful influencer and grow their own following, they must be able to charm their audience with engaging and thoughtful content. It certainly helps that most influencers start their account to talk about a topic they are passionate about.  Their passion and dedication make them inspiring and authentic to their audience. They are here because they want to share what they love - not just because they are getting paid for it - and people like to hear about it.  Influencers are able to inject your brand's advertisement with passion and turn an unstimulating promotion into something their audience will voluntarily watch. Hearing an influencer rave about a product, giving real time reviews or explaining what a brand stands for are just some of the reasons why audiences find their content to be of high value.

3. Engaged communities 

Having engaged communities is an absolute must. Their fans' support and interaction with their content are the basis of their popularity. Influencers often spend time communicating with their fans directly or via the comment section on their posts, creating a positive feedback loop. Strong community management is so important because it increases your level of customer service, increases brand and product awareness and allows you to gain a better understanding of your target audience - all by responding to comments or to direct messages on social media platforms.  Brands can tap into these strong and active communities when collaborating with influencers and become more visible to a new audience. If you can turn some of them into a part of your brand's community, expect to gain new members who are active and engaged with your personal brand content. 

4. Increased brand visibility

Influencer marketing can help your brand reach new target audiences that you may not gain through traditional marketing. People are starting to view traditional ads as not as engaging, reducing the impact they have on consumers. They also tend to be unfocused and target a broader audience, whereas influencer marketing will allow you to reach a more niche audience. Through influencer marketing, social media users will gain more in-depth awareness of your brand. There is only so much you can tell through a billboard or a five-second ad. The right influencer will share the same values, voice and messaging style as your brand.  Influencers can be your spokesperson to social media users, allowing them to create a connection with your brand and speak on your behalf. You can slowly grow this connection into a strong relationship and turn these consumers into loyal customers.

5. Improved search visibility and rankings

Collaborating with influencers can help you improve your site ranking by generating natural backlinks. If you work with bloggers or influencers with a website, you can ask them to create content and link it to you, creating a high-quality backlink. Influencers can also help by sharing your link, which will increase the chance of their followers sharing it. If enough people share it, there is a chance that a higher-authority domain will notice and add your link to their website.  Once this happens, your website ranking will increase, boosting your Google search results. The higher your website is on the search result page, the better the chance of people visiting your website. There are many benefits an influencer marketing strategy can bring, especially in the modern age, where social media have become integral parts of daily life. Influencers can help brands grow and expand in ways that traditional marketing cannot do. Get started today with your influencer marketing strategy to start reaping the benefits throughout 2023!
_About the author
Viral Nation

Viral Nation is a new media innovation group that powers the social ecosystem through integrated solutions that align strategy, talent, media, and technology. As pioneers in the influencer space, Viral Nation is comprised of a full-service creative agency, a creator and athlete-influencer representation agency, and a technology division creating modern marketing solutions for the social media age.