To understand the importance of influencer marketing, we must first understand what it means; influencer marketing can be simplified as the relationship between a brand and an influencer with many different ways for them to promote companies across social media platforms. YouTube, TikTok and Instagram are all some of the leading platforms where sponsorships can be implemented with a guaranteed amount of views depending on the amount of followers the influencer has accumulated.
Two birds with one stone?
Much like celebrities, influencers can be accused of being ‘out of touch’ with their lifestyle and earnings being completely different to the 59% of our population that works full time. With influencer content being heavily advertised, the concept of authenticity in terms of their influence is something that is increasingly questioned by consumers. This is ultimately where influencers can benefit from pro bono work in terms of creating credibility for their own brand.
You may be thinking how can this help the not-for-profit? When viewing Oosga.com and their latest insight into ‘Social Media In Australia’ there are over 21.2 million Australians who own a social media account. With this overwhelming statistic we can understand that the influence of social media both nationally and internationally is incomprehensible. An additional statistic came from a Forbes article (2022) with 80% of consumers being influenced through friends or word of mouth through social media to buy products. These statistics are constantly inflating making influencer marketing one of the easiest ways to create brand awareness especially to a younger demographic. Many Gen Z and Millennials have built a form of relationship with their favourite influencers with trust in influencers and what they’re promoting growing from 51% in 2019 to 61% in 2023 (Morning Consult Pro). It is to be recognised that the unsponsored post’s and pure passion influencers have for brands and initiatives extends trust and can create a more reputable brand for the chosen influencer.
How is this partnership an equal transaction?
If influencers are to do these schemes at a discounted rate (or free) there must be more enticing evidence for a partnership to coincide. An article by Forbes touches on five major points discussing this relationship especially for companies considering this option. The five are:
- Influencers leverage authentic storytelling: Authenticity is not just an issue in the influencer world, companies can also be accused of being ‘out of touch’ the larger they get and influencers can often add a personable touch (if executed correctly) and grow the relationship between seller and consumer.
- Influencer advocacy goes beyond reach: with generic marketing campaigns scratching the surface in terms of a successful social media campaign with influencers having a guaranteed audience (amount changing depending on amount of followers they have)
- Audiences love influencer driven challenges/initiatives: Much like the second point, many people who own social media accounts prefer hearing from an influencer compared to the company itself as it is usually someone they trust.
- Influencer transparency can show real world impact: This is where we initially consider where to start with an influencer partnership, with one of the best ways is the said influencer connecting with the beneficiaries of the company. This could be long term clients either providing testimonials or even something as simple as them showing the companies impact on them with help from said influencer.
- Can help address the economic elephant in the room: With not-for-profits in mind, influencers can help by showing the effect of micro-donations and highlighting more of a need for monetary support.
Where can influencers help most?
As mentioned by Jennifer Dublino in an article by Business.com, one of the main areas that many not-for-profits struggle to acknowledge is the rise of digital marketing and the change of direction marketing has taken over the past decade or so. The ‘traditional’ marketing schemes have proven to lead to an ageing demographic with the ease of social media diminishing certain ideas such as letters or newspaper advertisements for many companies to keep up with the current trends.
An area where influencers can help most is arguably what they are best at; social media. With mid-tier influencers (50,000-100,000 followers) charging upwards of $5000 per sponsored post, a discounted rate (if any rate at all) can and should be applied to companies that support a good cause that the individual is passionate about. As previously mentioned in the Forbes article, with an established audience (influencers have accumulated) it is almost a no brainer for charities to start there
Conclusion
After assessing all of the information surrounding partnerships between influencers and (more specifically) not-for-profits, it is almost undeniable for both parties that there are more pros than cons. The most important thing for a brand to do however, is pick an influencer that would best represent their brand and the views that they share because for a campaign like this it is necessary that it is executed as authentically as possible.