Influencer marketing

The popularity of web creators and the influencer marketing market are constantly growing. According to data from Influencer Marketing Hub, the market grew from $1.7 billion in 2016 to $9.7 billion in 2020. In 2021, the market value was $13.8 billion. The industry is projected to grow to a value of $16.4 billion this year. Since we hear about a growing market everywhere, it is worth explaining what it actually is and how you can use it to use it in your brand.

What does influencer mean?

Speaking of influencer marketing, it's worth starting with who influencers are. In the simplest terms, these are opinion leaders who create content on social media and gather viewers around them. What differentiates influencers from celebrities is first and foremost the connection with the audience and the community. We associate a celebrity with someone unavailable, someone we admire but are unable to form a relationship with. The celebrity catches the eye and has the image to which we want to aspire. Influencers are more like friends. They have a closer relationship with their fans and often interact with them, for example through live or Q&A videos. Audiences can identify with them, and by being a member of the community, they satisfy the need for affiliation. In addition, traditionally understood celebrities have a recognition built in the media, but they do not own their own community, unlike influencers.

Why Do We Need Influencers?

This question is probably posed to a large number of people, and the answer is banally simple. Influencers entertain us, they are also a source of inspiration, also when it comes to shopping choices. According to a study conducted by IQS 83% of respondents say they follow influencers mainly for entertainment. More than half (53%) also seek information and reviews about products and services, and 48% want to be up to date with what is happening. 40% of respondents also admitted that they follow influencers because they are interested in their lives. Without the content that influencers share on the web, we probably wouldn't spend as much time on it. Social media is somewhat reminiscent of television, but there is no specific program and broadcast hours here. Everyone can find something for themselves and watch it at any time. Can you imagine popular social platforms without influencers and their content? We don't:).

What is Influencer Marketing?

Now that we have established who influencers are, now it's time to solve the riddle of what they are influencer marketing . Broadly speaking, these are marketing activities, based on collaboration with a creator or a group of influencers. Such cooperation can take many forms, and with the development of influencer marketing, the range of opportunities is constantly expanding.

Forms of cooperation with an influencer

In the beginning, the cooperation was mainly based on Product placement on creators' profiles. A definite plus of this form of cooperation is that it does not always require the creation of complex marketing strategies or huge financial outlays. Placement can take many forms - from tests, to placing the product as an element of decor in the frame. Such cooperation makes the product more credible in the eyes of consumers and is naturally associated with a given influencer. The popularity of influencer marketing has led to the emergence of new opportunities for collaboration, such as: sponsored materials, ambassador programs or products signed with the image of a given influencer. Recently, joint products created by brands and influencers have also become increasingly popular. Is this the whole list of possibilities that influencer marketing offers us? Definitely not! If you want to know how many opportunities influencer marketing offers, just go to the website, which was created in cooperation with the entire industry: Influencer benefits list .

Influencer Marketing Action

The consumption of traditional media in Poland has been steadily declining over the years. In the 16-24 age group, daily TV viewing time has decreased by 20% in the last 4 years. Also interesting is the fact that as many as 93% of people who watch TV view content on their smartphone during the break for commercials. Due to the decreasing interest in traditional media, the commercials broadcast there are no longer as effective as they used to be. So it seems natural that advertisers have seen new potential in social media. After all, according to a study conducted by IQS, as many as 96% of respondents aged 12-55 follow at least one influencer. In addition, as many as 74% of respondents make purchasing decisions at the urging of the web developer. This interest is confirmed by the fact that campaigns with influencers generate up to 6 times better results than traditional digital tools and 3.5 times lower cost of reach.

How much does it cost to be promoted by an influencer?

There is no clear answer to this question, but one thing is certain — influencer marketing is diverse and flexible. On the one hand, large, international brands can collaborate with influencers, and on the other hand, it is also ideal for smaller companies that have a much smaller budget. However, we can determine the average expenses incurred by companies that use influencer marketing campaigns in their strategies. According to the data of the LTTM agency, which in 2021 completed a total of 2505 collaborations, on average for one implementation with a youtuber the advertiser paid an average of PLN 18.8 thousand. However, this is not the amount that every brand has to spend to start working with an influencer.

What Do Influencers Promote?

The variety of content that influencers create allows you to collaborate with brands from virtually any industry. Every company will find a place for itself. However, it is important that she chooses a creator whose content fits her values, and also that it reaches the chosen target group. Very often, influencer marketing is used by brands related to the beauty, fashion or FMCG and even HORECA industry, but in fact it is difficult to find an industry that has not used influencer marketing in its strategy.

What does influencer marketing give?

The increase in the reach of influencers and the ever newer forms of cooperation strengthen the position of influencer marketing in the world of advertising. It is a tool that is constantly evolving and adapting to the needs of the market. If we want to achieve satisfactory results from a given advertising campaign, we should not skip it. Cooperation with the creator is above all an ideal form of brand promotion. Its effectiveness is confirmed by more and more spectacular actions and their results. The use of influencer marketing allows for flexibility and diversity in collaboration opportunities. The advertiser decides whether he wants to use a one-time product placement, a long-term ambassador program or permanent cooperation, or use the image of the creator occasionally in creating a brand channel. Each of these actions can bring a lot of benefits not only to the image, but also to the sale of products. Influencer marketing saves not only money, but also time. The advertiser does not have to prepare advertising materials, organize a photo plan or coordinate graphics — the influencer will take care of the proper exposure of the product. In addition, influencers are opinion leaders for the audience. Their recommendations or referrals are more valuable than those of anonymous people on the internet. Placing a product on the creator's profile increases credibility, which is why, people can decide to buy it.