Understanding the power of influencer marketing has become pivotal – Princewill
By Zion Rufus
In a time when the average customer is flooded with many marketing activities, both online and offline, understanding the power of influence to drive your marketing has become pivotal in building brands in the 21st-century era.
Seth Godin once said “People do not buy goods (brands) and services. They buy relations, stories, and magic”
According to marketing professional, Princewill Ejirika, the top Influencer & brand endorsement deals in Nigeria have mostly been enjoyed by the FMCG & Telco brands who have the deep pockets required to sign A-list celebrities with a large social currency that can help sway consumers to the brand’s side. He explained that with the rise of fintech in Nigeria, their growth in valuation and huge capital raises, they too have been able to afford some big names to endorse the brand and influence more consumers.
A 2021 U.S report by Civic Science found that 14% of 18 to 24 years old had bought something within the last six months due to a blogger or influencer’s recommendation.
Princewill said: “This transcends beyond just the United States. The influencer marketing trend is a worldwide phenomenon and smart brands are already reaping the benefits of such influencer collaborations. Your influencer marketing strategy should determine your choice of influencers based on their followership size and relevance to brand.”
Identifying Awareness and Target marketing as two popular reasons why tech start-ups should consider influencer marketing to drive business goals, the marketer shared: “When you just launch a product, feature, or partnership, influencers will get people in the know. You will need to leverage their reach, relevance, and resonance to deliver your message to a broad audience.”
“Additionally, when you understand who and where your customers are and where their interests lie then use influencers that appeal to those specific interests / niche who have built quality relationship with their followers who fit the profile of your customers. For example, a tech product targeted at women or fit mums would best collaborate with an influencer in the fitness space who helps women lose weight and advise on meal preps,” he further explained.
Meanwhile, for a tech start-up that wants to adopt an influencer marketing strategy, Princewill highlights 3 key components to consider when choosing an influencer.
Reach
He explained: “This is the number of customers or people your brand could potentially reach through the influencer’s community base. While trying to attain the best, it makes sense to have a combination of all types of influencers but this would be subject to the available budget.”
Relevance
According to Princewill, an influencer with relevance would share content that is relevant to your brand and industry. He pointed that for a tech start-up, the influencer/ambassador needs to have a personality close to that of the brand or the story they are trying to tell along with an audience that is like the type of customers the business wants to target.
Resonance
He noted: “This is the outcome of both reach and resonance, it is the potential level of engagement an influencer can create with an audience using your brand’s message and offerings.”
Citing some popular influencer marketing campaigns by Nigerian tech start-ups in recent times such as TheQuidaxCallcampaign by Quidax which carefully selected celebrity influencers in all 4 categories (nano, macro, micro & mega) to drive awareness and reach for their product launch; the ChipperXBurna campaign by Chipper Cash; and theKudaXErica campaign by Kuda bank; and the #ShowLoveWithAlat campaign by Alat, Princewill advised: “After managing to pick the right influencer to promote your brand, ensure you are maximizing the potential of your influencer by leveraging them to create as much relevant content as possible, using them to get their fans to create generated content for your brand end ensuring they use a call to action to get people to take the required action for your brand that could turn them into potential customers.”
RECOMMENDED ARTICLES
Comment
No comments found.