Influencer marketing isn’t new; it has been around since the dawn of modern advertising. To ask a reputed individual to help market your products is a classic and very beneficial strategy.Influencers have credibility, command respect and have large followings they can ‘influence’ to try a new product or service.
As so succinctly defined by Brie Shelley, Influencers are
people who have the power to affect the purchase decisions of others because of their real/perceived authority, knowledge, position or relationship. An influencer doesn’t necessarily have to be a celebrity, journalist or blogger. He or she can be an everyday person with the right connections and social pull
Why Influencer Marketing?
The importance of influencer marketing increased manifold with the advent of social media and its use by businesses to reach their customers.
Today, social media influencer marketing holds a lot of promise for brands. According to a study conducted by McKinsey,
Marketing-induced consumer word of mouth generates more than twice the sales of paid advertising.
Influencer marketing leverages the power of word-of-mouth at a larger scale due to the faithful following influencers command.
Using influencers is becoming more and more necessary because, let’s face it, consumers trust recommendations from someone they know and trust more than they trust brands.
With influencer marketing, the influencer becomes a bridge between you and your target customers. Not only do they bring their audience closer to your brand, they can also get their audiences’ networks closer to you.
Bloggers vs Snapchat Influencers: Which is Better for Your Brand?
Choosing Influencers
When choosing influencers, think about your audience. Think about what topics they would search for online and what blogs and influencers they would follow. If you are a company making financial software, you could benefit from finding people who blog about finance and related topics and approach them to partner with your brand.
SEE ALSO: Should Influencers Play a Role in Shaping Your Brand
Bloggers
Bloggers are influencers for all seasons! They are a good choice across industries. Whether you are in health, beauty, fitness, law, or finance, you can partner with bloggers to promote your brand.
Bloggers build a considerable following by virtue of sharing valuable and informational content – images, videos, podcasts, webinars, and articles. Their followers trust them, respect them, and value their opinion. Partnering with them can mean trust, respect, and value for your brand as well.
Here are ways to partner with bloggers:
Gifting Goods: There are many ways to partner with an influential blogger, once you have found your ideal influencer. Gifting goods is the easiest way to entice influencers to expose your brand to their audience. Luxury brand Chanel gifted a backpack to high-end fashion blogger Rumi Neely who then shared photos of the product on her Instagram feed.
Sponsored Posts: You can also promote your brand with a “sponsored post”. With a sponsored post, the blogger is paid to publish content for the brand on her website. Luxury fashion brand Prada has effectively used this strategy to promote its new offering Prada Candy Florale.
Product Reviews: Another powerful way of using influencer marketing is through product reviews. Research shows that 7 out of 10 people read online reviews before making purchase decisions.
Giveaways: Running a giveaway through influential bloggers is also a great way to generate excitement about a brand.Many brands, including Forever 21, have used this strategy to give away gift cards to the blogger’s readers.
Snapchat Influencers
Snapchat was launched with a very simple value proposition – share pictures that vanish after 10 seconds. It became quite popular with teenagers and young adults.With 130 million active daily users, Snapchat is the fastest growing social network in the world.
If you need to reach a younger audience, you should not ignore the marketing capabilities available through Snaptchat. If your target audience uses the platform, Snapchat influencer marketing may be an effective way to market your brand.
Snapchat Takeovers
Red Bull is an example of a brand that has used influencer marketing on Snapchat to the fullest. It has actually given access to its Snapchat account to Mark McMorris, Canadian snowboarder and X Games champion. Since the core values of Red Bull are supporting an extreme lifestyle, the partnership with McMorris was in alignment with its values and brand goals.
Similarly, Cody Johns takes over the Snapchat account of Coca-Cola whenever the beverage giant sponsors events like Nascar races.
Watch on @CocaCola‘s @Snapchat as @Cody takes #ChaseHappiness to a new level during the #AAA500! pic.twitter.com/F1lThRTqoT
— Coca-Cola Racing (@CocaColaRacing) November 8, 2015
Many fashion brands are using Snapchat’s influencer marketing to create awareness about their brands since their target audience uses Snapchat. Many leverage Snapchat by offering a behind the scenes glimpse as celebrities and models prepare for major events such as fashion shows, award shows, and galas.
Tommy Hilfiger partnered with model Gigi Hadid and allowed her to takeover the brand’s account as she prepared one of fashion’s biggest events, the Met Gala.
@TommyHilfiger pic.twitter.com/AQmeOgEU2a
— Gigi Hadid (@GiGiHadid) May 2, 2016
Conclusion
The choice to use Snapchat influencers or bloggers depends on your brand goals and target audience. If you are a B2B marketer and are trying to get the attention of C-level executives in major corporations, then Snapchat is not the platform for you. But if you are brand that appeals to a younger demographic who frequents Snapchat, then it is a wise choice
Influencer marketing, like any other marketing trend, is bound to evolve. But one thing is for sure – brands need to partner with people who are trusted by their followers and who can help them build awareness around their brands.
Companies need to build an effective marketing strategy that is informed by their broader goals. If influencer marketing is included in your strategy, finding the right partner and the right audience are the key.
So, when it comes to bloggers vs Snapchat influencers who do you think is better for your brand?
