What is really happening in Influencer Marketing
T
he sun was shining brightly, as it usually does
in Colorado, and the air was crisp with the chill
of the winter night giving way to the day ahead. A
new dawn in many respects. The energy was kinetic
as the first people started to arrive and anticipation
evolved into action. What started as a lot of hesitant
introductions quickly became a relaxed
collaborative environment. Such was the scene at
TapInfluence’s State of Influence user conference in
February at our headquarters in Boulder, Colo. The
event brought together top brand marketers and
agency leadership and the influencers with whom
they work so often to discuss trends and best
practices in influencer marketing.
It was a day that was filled with insights and
revelations - not only on the current state of influencer marketing, but for where it’s headed. The
event was one of the first times influencers and
marketers have sat down together to talk about this
new emerging channel and share their experiences
and expectations from each side of the equation.
A brief look back at marketing’s history highlights
that we’re at an amazing evolutionary point; consumers crafting brand messaging collaboratively
with brands for the first time. So how did we get
here exactly?
Influencers are, after all, consumers. The beginnings of influencer marketing can be traced back to
the emergence of Web 2.0 and the rise of user generated content - when bloggers started sharing their
thoughts on topics about which they were passionate. They developed a voi ce and subject matter
expertise that built a loyal audience. What really
brought influencer marketing to the next level,
though, was the critical mass of social media. Over
the past ten years, as the networks have grown,
consumers have moved a majority of their conversation to these platforms. It’s how we as a culture
now research, share and communicate. With one
third of online time spent on social platforms, influencer marketing has become the most effective way
to reach consumers natively.
On that February day in Boulder, a key topic discussed by marketers and influencers alike was
automation. What was - even just a couple years
ago - a manual, time-consuming practice that was
typically outsourced, has become automated and
measurable. This advancement enables marketers
to build more predictable revenue and efficiently
scale their efforts.
Three influencer marketing trends also emerged
for the coming year: video in general, Instagram
specifically and overall measurement capabilities.
Video is an engaging and compelling medium to
deliver content, and each year it gains steam. It’s
more personal and engaging than copy alone.
Strictly Marketing Magazine May/June 2016
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