Influence grows rapidly. Carefully tended, an individual can reach and affect an entire audience - something that even marketing groups struggle to do.

That’s the sheer potential of influencer marketing: marketing that places the focus on key individuals rather than the brand itself. Drawing on the power of social influence, influencer marketing has become a powerhouse in terms of having your brand reach maximum visibility and engagement.

Influencer marketing draws on the psychological process of identification, where people’s actions, lifestyle and decisions are drawn from someone they aspire to or seek to emulate. Back in the early days of print media and television, this form of marketing only limited itself to advertising. As television stars became a force unto themselves (and later on, transitioned away from television entirely), their fans and admirers followed - and a new marketing stratagem was created.

Social identification is a powerful tool, allowing brands to use the influence of already established and engaging figures to promote their own brands. Acting as a reliable channel to reach their target demographic, influencers can create conversations around your brand, act as spokespersons on your behalf, and most of all - establish your presence in the market.

There are three specific reasons why influencer marketing is so valuable:

1. Social reach. One of the biggest assets an influencer can bring to the table is how wide their audience already is - especially in a segment that your brand may have difficulty in reaching. Being well-established in social circles is a must for any influencer in order to successfully channel your brand.
   
   
2. Content creation. Influencers can often create content that revolves around your brand, making curating content far easier. In fact, the ease of becoming integrated into an influencer’s content is one of the reasons why they’re such an attractive marketing channel - you already have a guaranteed audience that is ready to listen to what your influencer has to say.
   
   
3. Rapport with their audience. Influencers already have one of the things that brands work so hard to attain: the trust of their audience. Influencers often put a great amount of time and effort into building audience engagement, something that can be far more relatable than a marketing campaign.

Learn more about new and developing marketing trends with us. Download myCEO’s free Marketing Pillar eBook to learn more about how you can influence your audience in creative ways.

It is also important to look at the platforms these influencers use: social media. Social media can be an excellent ground to launch campaigns that rely on buzzword and word-of-mouth marketing, however influencers use a different kind of dynamic. Influencers use social pull marketing in order to reach their audience: the audience demands the kind of content they want to see and the influencer either gives or shows them the channel for it.

However, it’s essential to note that social influence doesn’t wholly take place online. It’s important for brands to integrate both offline and online approaches when it comes to influencer marketing, since much of the activity that surrounds purchases or engagement still primarily take place face-to-face. The influencer simply makes getting to your audience easier, it is still up to you to push your brand further.

Influencer marketing is one of the emerging frontiers of marketing, a field that is still barely understood. However, the key aspect of this field lies in seeking and generating value in the faces behind the brand, an aspect that everyone, not just your audience can relate to - leaving you with more avenues of influence to discover.

If you’re interested in learning more about key marketing strategies by communicating directly with the experts, you may contact us at myCEO today.