Influencer marketing is on everyone’s lips and quite rightly so. After all, 67% of marketers believe that influencer marketing has helped them achieve their business goals. The industry is growing rapidly and is expected to reach the $2 billion mark by 2020.
The importance of Influencer Marketing in Germany
In 2017 a very interesting study on the meaning, use and effect of influencer marketing in Germany was realized on behalf of the Bundesverband Digitale Wirtschaft (BVDW) e.V. and INFLURY GmbH. The aim of the study was to get an overview of the situation of influencer marketing in Germany, as well as to analyse the advertising impact, acceptance and the assessment of trends. A total of 1,604 online users over 14 years of age were surveyed. The sample was then divided into social media-affine shoppers and influencer-affine shoppers. Social media-affine shoppers are users who have indicated that they have experienced a product or service through social media. In contrast, influencer-affine shoppers are customers who became aware of the product or service through a recommendation of an influencer.
One of the key findings of the study was that 68% of those surveyed had already become aware of a product or service through social media. The most important social media channels are Facebook (52%) and YouTube (37%). Instagram (15%) is in 4th place behind WhatsApp (22%).
According to the study, influencers have a very high influence on the user’s perception of the product and then of course on the purchase decision itself. For example, 38% of users with an affinity for social media (n = 1,103) were presented the product via an influencer. 15 % of this group even actively seek product information from influencers. According to the respondents, this is due to the fact that they like to get information about products from an influencer because of the personal approach (29%) and also appreciate the good explanations regarding the advantages and disadvantages of the product (28%). As for the influencer-affine shoppers surveyed (n = 422), every sixth 14 to 29-year-old online user later deliberately buys a product that was presented to them by an influencer.
Almost a third of the respondents stated that the credibility of the influencers plays an important role for them. This is only surpassed by the credibility of recommendations from friends and acquaintances (63%) and customer ratings on product pages (48%).
Importance of reviews
So if you look at the results of the study, it quickly becomes clear just how important reviews of products or services are. This is because customers receive important information about the product from a source that they perceive as credible and objective, especially in comparison to simple traditional advertising, which is perceived as subjective and questionable.
However, what really matters here is that the influencer is credible and competent. He must therefore be an expert in the field on which he makes a judgement. It is therefore important, firstly, to choose the appropriate niche, secondly to keep abreast of all new developments, tendencies and trends in the field, and thirdly to maintain his independence and be honest in his judgements.
Companies choose influencers carefully and more and more companies either have their own Influencer Marketing Manager or use the services of an appropriate Influencer advertising agency. In addition to the expertise and the following of course, we also analyse exactly which target group the influencer addresses and thus can influence.
By the way, the influencer with the most followers does not always have to be chosen. Even micro influencers with fewer fans often have a good chance of getting a collab, as the fans are often of higher quality, i.e. more suitable for the desired target group, than influencers with millions of followers, many of whom may be completely useless for their own product.
Once a company has selected an influencer, a plan is drawn up to help the influencer market the product. Reviews are particularly popular, because they really put the focus on the own product, similar to explanatory videos.
Here are some statistics about the performance of reviews:
About 71% of buyers are influenced by social media references
About 75% of users turn to social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram to decide whether a place is worth visiting
On average, 30% of millennials would not consider buying a product or service if they are not satisfied with the social presence of a brand
It is reported that about 45% of revenue conversions can be attributed to Influencer partnerships
Reviews usually leave a good impression if they are written by well-known and reputable people. They can increase brand awareness, bring more visitors to companies and improve engagement.
It’s a win-win situation for everyone involved. Working with more companies and major labels also helps influencers. It increases their following and raises their status. Therefore, they are often willing to publish reviews.
Reviews can be done in different forms, which mainly includes videos. These can then be easily shared across other platforms.
For companies, simply focusing on Influencer Reviews may not be powerful enough. They must also focus on customer reviews. After all, many customers are naturally aware that influencers are paid for their work and would also like to check neutral customer reviews. After all, about 90% of customers read a review before making a purchase decision.
The latest research shows that online reviews are as useful as suggestions from friends and family. About 72% of customers trust online reviews, compared to 55% who trust online bloggers.
It can be difficult to get reviews from customers, so more and more companies are using your relationship with the influencer to get customers to give you positive feedback. For example, the influencer may ask their followers to leave their opinion about a product or go to your official site to share their opinion about your company. This can be an effective way to get people talking and collect positive customer reviews.
92% of people trust personal suggestions about brands, even if they don’t really know the person themselves. This shows how important it is to hire influencers and build a positive image.
Conclusion
Reviews are an excellent option for you to become an influencer. However, you need to have a solid knowledge and a reputation to ensure that your opinions about products and services carry enough weight for your followers and are attractive to clients.
With the help of Adfluencer.de you can get in contact with companies looking for good influencers and find other influencers for joint collabs and to exchange experiences.