The Rise and Rise of Influencer Marketing : How to find yours
Trevor Punt , director of pm2o strategies , presented his thoughts on influencer marketing at International Confex
There are the three things an event marketer wants from their marketing strategy :
• Simplicity
• Affordability
• Effectiveness
Sadly , it ’ s all too apparent that some marketers treat their marketing strategies as if they ’ re stranded on islands . They put messages in bottles and throw them into the sea , hoping something will come back . They work alone .
The shrewd and savvy are connected . They have learnt that collaboration is the route to better content , better reach , more traffic and longer-lasting relationships . They ’ ve discovered the power of influencer marketing .
The term influencer is one of those words that ubiquity has rendered meaningless . To be branded an influencer is simultaneously an insult and an aspiration . Mostly , to many of us an “ influencer ” describes those that consider themselves famous , infamous or authoritative when the reality is that no one really knows who they are or , indeed , cares .
But , despite misgivings in some quarters , influencer marketing is booming and has a huge potential to deliver , powerful , effective and lasting results . So much so that spending on influencer marketing will reach $ 16.4bn this year and continue to rise to nearly $ 48.84bn in 2027 and it ’ s estimated that global sales through social media platforms and influencer marketing will reach $ 2.9trillion by 2026 . ( Source : The State of Influencer Marketing Benchmark Report 2022 ).
When influencers were initially identified as an important part of event marketing , their authority was measured by how many followers they had . The problem was that fake followers can be bought . Today ’ s marketers not only look at follower numbers but also how actively
Trevor Punt
“ Choose quality over quantity . Is the influencer creating high quality , compelling content ?”
they are engaged with them and how targeted the marketing is towards the needs of the audience .
Influencer marketing is more important , more relevant and more popular than ever . If you ’ re not making friends , you ’ re doing it wrong . So how do you find the right influencers and get them interested in you ?
Tip 1 : Determine the audience you ’ re trying to influence and who influences them .
Tip 2 : Target the right influencer : Research is the only way to find the right influencer to work with .
Tip 3 : Beware the fake influencer . Numbers matter , but , a high number of followers doesn ’ t necessarily mean that the influencer has a high engagement rate .
Tip 4 : Choose quality over quantity . Is the influencer creating high quality , compelling content ? Are they trusted by their followers ? Are they authoritative ?
Tip 5 : Leverage your network : Reach out to those you know and those at your event . Nothing tops making a real , human connection . Take time to meet your influencers .
Do it right and you ’ ll naturally attract influencers who will create more influencers until you have a small army promoting your shows . EN
April — 33