Along with the proliferation of social media, influencer marketing has exploded over the past few years to the extent that most people are now familiar with the term.
If you are not too sure what it is, influencer marketing is the use of niche content creators to help market a brand.
This can be as straight forward as promoting a product, or less obvious in the form of brand awareness or driving a brand’s messages to their target audience.
If you read out last blog called Cause Marketing Campaigns – the good and the bad, one of the fundamental mistakes that brands who’s cause campaigns have monumentally failed is to align with a cause that is not congruent with the brand identity.
Similarly, if a brand uses the services of a social media influencer that does not match the brand the results can also be dismal.
Brand Influencer vs. Brand Ambassador
A brand influencer is someone that has built up a considerable online following within a specific niche with whom they engage regularly.
People follow the pages of influencers because they value their opinion and insight on the subject matter that the influencer is seen to be knowledgeable in.
Brand influencers include micro-influencer, celebrity influencer, blog influencer, social media influencer, and key opinion leader.
A brand ambassador is employed by a business or brand under contract to help achieve specific goals such as brand awareness and ultimately boost sales.
Brand ambassador contracts are usually several months or more and during this period they represent the brand and the lifestyle associated with it.
They usually have a deeper knowledge about the brand and/or products.
Brand ambassadors, by convention, often have a public profile based on their personal achievements and not related to their YouTube or Instagram following.
For example, a well-known Cape Town Adventurer, Chef and Inspirational Speaker, (and client of ours) David Grier has been a brand ambassador for CIPLA and Operation Smile South Africa’s ‘Miles for Smiles’ initiative for several years and has achieved amazing things for this cause.
Influencer Marketing Statistics
Nonprofit organisations, NGOs and cause campaigns have often used brand ambassadors to further their cause but seem less inclined toward influencers.
This may have something to do with influencer marketing feeling more like using a ‘hired gun’ whereas a brand ambassador suggests an affinity to the cause.
However, not all influencers are simply Instagram or TikTok celebrities and the statistics around influencer marketing are worth consideration.
We have drawn these statistics from several sources online:
- 80% of marketers say influencer marketing is effective, and 89% say it works just as well (if not better) than other marketing channels.
- 71% of marketers claim the quality of customers and traffic from influencer marketing is better than other sources.
- 49% of consumers today depend on influencer recommendations for their purchase decisions.
- Google searches for “influencer marketing” grew 1500% in the last three years.
- 48% of marketers working with influencers say audience relationship is the most valuable factor when considering which influencer to collaborate with.
- The top three goals of influencer marketing for businesses include increasing brand awareness (85%), reaching new audiences (71%), and generating sales and conversions (64%).
- Influencer Marketing Is the Fastest-Growing Online Customer-Acquisition Method
- 74% of People Trust Social Networks to Guide Purchasing Decisions
So, is influencer marketing something to consider with your cause campaign?
It is certainly is, but as with any marketing campaign, careful planning and strategising is fundamental to the success of this.
Drop us a message below and we can chat you through the prospect of using brand ambassadors and/or influencers.
Good Reads:
- TikTok in the Social Impact & NPO domain
- YouTube Tips for non-profits and social impact campaigns Pt.1
- YouTube video Tips for non-profits and social impact campaigns Pt.2
- 5 Instagram tips for NPOs and Social Impact campaigns
- Instagram Algorithm – What you need to know
