How to supercharge your influence.
Influencer marketing is now a legitimate option within digital marketing strategies, and a mainstream form of online marketing. We have seen influencer culture inundate our social media feeds from the beginning of launching social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and TikTok, with the rise of influencers connecting consumers with brands and products they never knew existed or that they needed! We’ve discussed the benefits of UGC (user generated content) in a previous blog, and how this provides the social proof customers are seeking to validate their purchase decisions, and while influencer marketing has been around for some time now, we wanted to dive into the specifics of how brands are confidently place their marketing budget behind these content creators.
In the early days of influencer marketing, tripods and ring lighting were in hot demand to take content from basic to a somewhat creative approach, but as continuous content is now mandatory alongside the utilisation of social media platforms in marketing strategies, the quality of that content is being demanded – and that requires much more than a $39 LED ring light you picked up off a cheap tech site online, or even a well-directed significant other. Today’s influencers are investing, and with 800 million active users on Instagram alone it’s clear to see why – influencer marketing is competitive. Forty percent (40%) of consumers in Australia buy products based on recommendations from influencers, with 72% of Instagram users said to have made a fashion, beauty, or style-related purchase after seeing it on the social media platform – the power of influence and social proof.
Influencer marketing has become an integral part of many brand campaigns and can truly shift the dial for purchase power. Influencers provide reach to new audiences, drive engagement and help to build shareable content. The way brands partner with talent is ever-changing and needs to be considered according to brand alignment, new platforms, legislation, level of engagement, perception and authenticity. However, when done right, influencer marketing can achieve impressive results.
Cheyenne Myers, AMPR Senior Communications Director (Retail & Fashion)
Covid-19 saw the growth of influencer marketing from $1.7b in 2016 to an estimated market size of $9.7b in 2020, $13.8b in 2021, and this growth is expected to continue throughout 2022. The high consumption of content on social media has further increased the significance of influencer marketing, and brands seek to engage or collaborate with influencers to improve brand recognition, promote an event/s or campaign period, and market (in an authentic nature) a product or service and as a result these brands/businesses are making $5.78 ROI (return on investment) for every $1 spent on influencer marketing. But it’s not just about finding someone with a large audience and offering them top dollar to tell the world your brand and product supersedes all others. Influencer marketing is about identifying key individuals who have spent time building their own personal brand and subsequently growing a community / audience who are engaged and have genuine interest in following. As such it isn’t always about the money, but more the brand alignment for the influencer.
The expectation from brands is that the influencers will not only promote their product/service to an untapped audience, but to also create a certain level of quality content that is often regenerated through the brand’s owned channels. Influencers must keep up with ongoing changes in the digital world, particularly with the rise of social channels and their content offering, which calls for the need to find more efficient ways to produce the content.
In earlier days content creators had part time jobs as a photographer/videographer, however nowadays professional photographers are being booked to help capture the influencers content, based on requirements of the brand (which can often be more than one brand per shoot). Traditional photography or videography shoots often meant scouting the perfect backdrop around the city or waiting for the optimum time during the day to capture dream lighting, and while this is still the case for many there is a rising interest in influencers (and their photographers) utilising studios to capture their content for multiple briefs.
“There seems to be an emerging trend of Influencers enquiring about booking studio tours, or demos on our StyleShoots machines to help them understand the efficiencies and how this would be beneficial for their content creation requirements.“ says Craig Dunsford, Asset Factory General Manager.
If you’re an influencer, what are the benefits?
- Preset your settings and save for future shoots, customisable stage, adjust and experiment with the lighting, brightness and zoom
- Canon DSLR camera for consistent and accurate colour representations
- Capture multiple styles of photo and video in one place ie. flatlay, on model, clear cut
- On model photography shot on the Live machine, perfect for showcasing fashion products – everything that exists with a traditional photography set up, including the camera and lights, is all easily controlled at the touch of a button on the attached iPad.
- Flat lays and tricky products handled by the Horizontal machine, allowing for efficient image production and accurate styling every shoot, including custom digital shadows that ground your products with complete control over blur, opacity and offset.
- Editing and postproduction is taken care of, as well as files and formats all prepared and ready for social media upload
If you’re a brand, what are the benefits?
- Utilise your studio booking and allocate time for selected influencer/s to capture their UGC
- Minimise costs of what an influencer would otherwise charge as their photographer costs will be taken care of
- Utilise an experienced team to help bring your content requirements to life
If influencer marketing is already part of your business’ digital strategy, or perhaps you’re looking to integrate this into your existing strategy, then chat to our specialist team about how we can streamline your content and increase efficiency. Similarly, if you’re an influencer who is also looking for efficiencies across multiple shoots and content requirements, then book a studio tour or demo today.
