How influencer marketing doesn’t just stop at Instagram

Influencer marketing is an industry that has taken over all social media platforms, as well as being one of the main advertising exports for the majority of companies. What would convince you to try something new? A random advert on TV or a recommendation from a public figure that you trust?

There are many good reasons why influencer marketing is reshaping the way that marketing works in 2020. Millennials in particular are heavily influenced by their peers when it comes to purchasing decisions. In fact, 70% of them turn to their peers for advice when they’re thinking about a product or service. But Millennials aren’t alone — in general, influencer marketing gets a return on investment that’s 11 times greater than traditional marketing!

Social media influencers need to become your brand ambassadors in their sphere of influence — whether they’re mega-influencers or micro-influencers. You need to find and foster your influencers as if they’re an extension of your own marketing team. But first, you need to know which social media channels people are turning to for advice.

Yes, Instagram should go without saying, but where else?

YouTube

YouTube is only second to Instagram when it comes to influencer marketing reach, even though many would argue it was first to the party — and it may be more powerful among certain demographics.
The platform does seem to have more sway among males. It affects the purchasing habits of 22.8% of men vs. only 13.9% of women. In addition to this, teenagers feel 7 times the emotional attachment to their favourite YouTube stars than they do to other celebrities.

Moreover, YouTube has strong influencers in a broad array of niches, including cars, alcohol, beauty, and toys (just to name a few). Consumers enjoy the funny, sometimes-irreverent familiarity of their favourite YouTubers and really take their recommendations to heart.

Influencer marketing agency Socially Powerful can help businesses tap into the benefits that YouTube influencers can have on brand awareness and sales figures, making it an even greater market for your company to explore.

Pinterest

Pinterest is one of the ‘new kids on the block’ when it comes to social channels, but it already has over 150 million users — and 85% of those are women. However, Pinterest doesn’t think of itself as a social media channel so much as it does a “visual discovery tool.”

Despite that, Pinterest is a channel full of consumers — 87% have purchased something because of Pinterest. If you’re a visually driven brand, Pinterest can be useful. Look for influencers with well-organised boards, easy-to-find keywords, and lots of follower engagement to make it work.

Snapchat

People on Snapchat only tend to follow other people that they know. Because of that, Snapchat influencers tend to be highly effective in inspiring trust.

The downside to Snapchat is that ‘snaps’ don’t have much longevity. Yes, they vanish after just 24 hours which could limit just how effective an influencer can really be. Influencers, even if they’re paid, will lose their authenticity if they’re constantly repeating snaps on the same product or service.

However, that hasn’t stopped a few companies from incorporating Snapchat into their social campaigns. Companies like VaynerMedia and AKQA have found ways to mix Snapchat into their cross-platform social campaigns for MasterCard and the Call of Duty games.