Why Influencer Marketing is Essential for Your PR Strategy

You can no longer ignore that influential individuals can positively impact any brand or product, especially if influencer marketing was done correctly.

It’s only recently that influencer marketing has come into focus for international brands and marketing or PR agencies. 

You can no longer ignore that influential individuals can positively impact any brand or product, especially if influencer marketing was done correctly.

As we march towards 2023, it’s not surprising that most marketers plan on taking advantage of influencer marketing campaigns that are part of their marketing strategy for the following year.

Today, we will look at what influence or marketing is, how to reach out to influencers, and how to use influencer PR to promote your brand or business online.

What is Influencer Marketing?

At its core, influencer marketing is a marketing strategy that helps Brands and businesses connect with their audiences through people that have a particular influence over that specific audience.

Influencers are people with a large and dedicated social media or online presence. They typically have a responsive audience that they regularly engage with.

One of the most important aspects to consider when working with influencers is engagement overall.

It’s better to have fewer followers with a significantly higher engagement rate than a higher follower count with an abysmal engagement rate. 

Working with influence based on engagement, as opposed to follower count or any other metrics, is one of the most efficient ways to connect with influencers that can positively impact your brand, product, business, or service.

To find the perfect influencer to work with, you need to look for somebody who encourages conversation and action. You can direct this engaged audience towards whatever you’re looking to promote.

Why Should Businesses Use Influencer Marketing?

Influencer marketing is one of the fastest-growing components of any existing digital marketing strategy.

With people, especially the younger crowd, spending significantly more time online – it makes sense to use the platforms they are interacting with to engage with them.

It also needs to be mentioned that traditional digital advertising, whether display ads or TV commercials, is becoming less effective as consumers continue to become more immune to them.

While digital ads and other digital-focused strategies are still highly effective, many customers find them annoying. They are looking for other ways to engage with content online.

This means that working with an influencer is one of the most effective ways to reach a particular target market, especially when you consider that they’re great at building trust with their audience and that their content works like a testimonial or review, even if it’s sponsored.

Consumers also trust influencers because it’s easier to relate to an individual than it is to relate to a display ad or other marketing campaign.

Most of these influencers have already built a loyal and dedicated following, so it doesn’t come across as disingenuous when marketing specific products or services to them.

Reasons to Consider Influencer Marketing as Part of Your PR Strategy

Influencers are becoming an integral part of digital marketing campaigns.

They’re excellent brand ambassadors, and you must consider your current influencer PR strategy.

Let’s examine why you should consider using influencer marketing for your brand or business.

Access to a Large, Targeted Audience

One of the main benefits of working with an influencer is that you will have access to a large, targeted audience that they have already built.

Depending on your Niche or industry, it’s possible to reach millions of people through a Facebook post, Instagram post, Twitter post, or YouTube video.

This is an audience that would be otherwise highly expensive and difficult to obtain on your own through organic digital marketing methods.

Another benefit to his audience is that they are already engaged and familiar with the influencer.

This makes them more receptive to whatever the influencer is promoting or recommending, increasing your chances of generating sales, generating leads, raising awareness, or achieving your marketing goals.

Regarding brand awareness, influencer marketing is one of the most effective tools for building brand awareness and can help improve the rest of your other marketing strategies.

Positive Branding

Within the PR industry, one of the main goals is to tell a positive brand story that paints and promotes brands in a positive light.

For this strategy, influencer marketing is an effective way to achieve this positive branding without coming across as disingenuine or unrealistic.

Most social media influencers have worked hard to build a loyal following. The result is that they can expect higher engagement rates, better reach, and more interaction overall from their online content.

It’s also worth mentioning that most consumers are more likely to trust recommendations from influencers than traditional advertising forms.

This is a trust you want to capitalise on when you’re working on building your brand and investing in influencer marketing as part of your PR strategy.

It’s hard to price this social proof, but investing in the right influencer can pay dividends for your brand and business. 

Influencers Can Send High-Quality Traffic Your Way

Along with building brand awareness and credibility for your business, influencer marketing can generate high-quality and relevant traffic for your website.

Depending on your goals, this could result in more sales or leads. It will also help get people into your business funnel, where the rest of your marketing strategy can start to work.

Within the industry, many marketers believe that the traffic coming from influencer marketing is better quality and more engaged than traffic from any other channel.

This is because the traffic is highly targeted and relevant to an audience already engaged with the influencer. What does this mean for you? It means that this traffic is more likely to convert and enter your funnel than the traffic from other channels.

All of this makes influencer marketing a great opportunity to pursue if you want to build your brand, generate leads, or grow your sales online.