Here Is Your Full 5-Step Guide for Influencer Marketing in 2021

If anything, the unusual circumstances we've lived through this year have increased our reliance on social media and the online world as the means to get things done, but to also obtain knowledge, communicate and purchase our everyday needs.

How many times have you decided to shop for your basics online this year, in comparison with your shopping habits before the pandemic? For the most part, we've resorted to buying things over the internet to avoid coming in close contact with other people, as mandated by social distancing rules inspired by COVID19. However, there has been only one obstacle for most of us; how do we make sure we're getting the best quality? How do we know we want the item without having actually touched it in the store?

Recent studies have shown that more and more consumers are now looking for trustworthy influencers for candid and honest product reviews, to help them decide what to purchase online. 

In the study conducted by Harris Insights and Analytics, a whopping 96% of U.S. and UK consumers who follow influencers have reported a higher engagement rate compared to the months before the pandemic. Additionally, a recent Tomoson study found that businesses are making $6.50 for every $1 spent on influencers.

These extremely high figures point to an increasing need for companies to step up their marketing game by hiring influencers that can boost their chances of reaching a higher audience.

Here, we present 5 of much-needed tips businesses should take into consideration as they begin to set their 2021 marketing plans; 

1. Divseify Platform Presence

While many businesses are spending most of their marketing budget on Instagram as the main social media platform, recent experiences have proved that other platforms are gaining just as much popularity, such as TikTok.

Decisions made regarding the main platforms used for this purpose should be carefully studied based on the target audience. Marketing businesses should also take note of the increasing use of video-streaming services as people spend more time at their homes, which could double their chances of reaching a wider audience that could be interested in their products or services.

2. Choose your influencer wisely

When it comes to choosing the influencer you want to hire for your marketing campaign, businesses need to remember that whoever they pick will be an unofficial representative of their brand. This means, that the prospective candidates to be chosen should not only be relevant to the company's vision and mission but also have secured a great deal of credibility amongst followers.

3. Use the right functions

Every year, social media platforms put more effort into developing proper shopping functions, ones that provide followers an easy way to browse through items, read reviews, and purchase their wanted products.

4. Create engaging content

Marketing campaigns for 2021 are also encouraged to go above and beyond to create content that is only appealing to social media users, but also engaging, fun, and doesn't come off as only marketing-oriented.

5. Marketing for a cause

While strategically planning content for social media networks, one that is expected to be consumed mostly by younger generations, marketing campaigns need to remember that their target audiences would like to see their values and the important issues they care about reflected in the values of companies they shop from.

Through a comprehensive study of the market, companies can identify values they should share with their audience, whether it's climate change, social justice, or other global values.

Do you make your shopping decisions based on reviews made by online influencers? What drives your confidence in the influencer you're following that leads you to trust their opinion on various products or services?