Influencers are today the ones in charge. They show brands how to connect with their audience and promote new products via social media channels. Lessons from influencers in content marketing are a great source of inspiration, especially for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs).
SMBs can benefit from how influencers create their niches and connect to smaller audiences.
This article will provide four key content marketing lessons from influential people for SMBs. There are a few examples to inspire you.
Influencer marketing: a quick history
While the modern social media influencer is a new phenomenon in marketing, influencer marketing has been around for centuries. People looked to the royals for the latest fads in the 17th and 18th centuries. Brands began to play with fake influencers in the early 20th century (think the Marlboro Man and Coco Chanel), but this was not the first celebrity version.
Four Content Marketing Lessons From Influencers
Today’s consumers can see if a product is fake from a mile away. In a digital age, brands cannot choose which information to share with customers. Data is everywhere, and people are very good at finding it.
Brands must be authentic to their customers and know who they are. Brands can’t hide from their mistakes. They must admit them and take responsibility. This means brands must be truthful in what they share and post online. They will not go away forever.
Authenticity is the most crucial aspect of brand trust. Trust is more valuable than all other aspects of a brand relationship. Trust indicates that consumers are likelier to recommend and buy from a brand.
This is what influencers excel at. They can create a niche and stay true to it. They are skilled at creating #ads that scream authenticity while enticing consumers to purchase. It’s working. The Edelman Trust Barometer revealed that 63% of consumers trust influencers more than brands and that 60% have bought a product because of an influencer’s recommendation within the last six months.
Connect with customers
Connecting with customers is possible only when authenticity and trust are built. Influencers are masters at connecting with their audience and evoking emotions. They show people what the brand’s products can do in real life.
If we think about why most people trust influencers over brands, it is clear that they can see themselves in the shoes of influencers. Influencers showcase products in real life, not as advertisements.
SMB brands can benefit by connecting with influential people who can promote their products. However, brands can also learn from the content marketing lessons of influencers by encouraging and sharing user-generated material (UGC). UGC can create a connection like an influencer content. Consumers report that UGC works well because they trust each other more than brands.