For companies looking to boost brand exposure in the online environment, traditional search engine optimization and social media marketing may not be enough to push ahead of the competition. In fact, paid advertising may also fail to ignite interest from certain users or may simply get lost in the clutter of banner and search advertisements. Although these online marketing methods are essential, one tactic that is beginning to appeal to marketing professionals everywhere is influencer marketing.

What is influencer marketing? According to Moz, it can be defined as:

“Influencer Marketing is the name we give to the process of developing relationships with influential people that can lead to their assisting you in creating visibility for your product or service. This type of marketing depends on your having something great to offer your potential customers, and the audience of the influencer, and it also depends on your building a great relationship with the influencer as well.”

This type of online marketing allows brands to leverage the power of peer recommendations, develop brand advocates, and generate a positive buzz about their company online. Whether it’s through informational posts or product reviews, reaching out to social influencers and bloggers is proving its worth in gold for companies all around the world.

Why is influencer marketing so effective? It allows businesses to create new brand advocates; these influencers will essentially become evangelists for the company and influence their followers’ purchasing decisions. These brand advocates will allow your company to reach new audiences, and the new relationships developed with these advertising partners will enable your company to generate brand loyalty with new customers via an organic form of advertising. Below are some quick stats showing the impact of having brand advocates for your business, focusing on the four areas of trust, credibility, engagement, and impressions:

Incorporating influencer marketing within your overall advertising activities will also boost the performance your other online initiatives. Professional bloggers and social media ninjas enlisted as brand advocates will drive pertinent traffic back to your site, providing an increase in referral traffic and the establishment of valuable backlinks from blogs with considerable exposure. Additionally, the impact can also be felt on social networks, where influencers and their respective fans will be sharing branded content related to your business. Influencer marketing is a form of earned media that can prove to be very advantageous and allow you to generate a significant ROI over the long-term.

Source: Social Media Today