As a journalism major in college I have to chuckle at how much the world has changed in the 9 years I have been out of school. I think back on all my marketing classes and am just in awe how different marketing and advertising has become with the growth of social media over the last decade! Influencer marketing has taken the forefront and continues to grow at accelerated rates.
So, what exactly is influencer marketing?
“Influencer marketing is a form of social media marketing involving endorsements and product placement from influencers, people and organizations who have a purported expert level of knowledge or social influence in their field” – Wikipedia
Individuals with a large following on social media help connect to people by building on audience trust and approval. Business services in the home décor and lifestyle industry do very well with influencer marketing because of all the visual products. Many influencers are able to market products by captivating audiences with products & services they already use in real-life and that can lead to trust in the eyes of the consumer.
Unlike former large ads in magazines, on television, billboards etc. influencer marketing comes directly into your home and household and is specific to YOU as an audience. Brands can connect directly to their consumers in ways that have never been possible! As our world faced a Global Pandemic this year – everyone across the world has resorted to having to be home A LOT more than ever before! 2020 has been such a driving force for home & garden channels as this was everyone’s only outlet for months and is still much more a part of all of our lives than ever before!
If you are in the home & garden or lifestyle industry at all you should specifically look into using channels to connect with your audience like HERE for example! There is still so much opportunity to capitalize off direct, influencer marketing in the home & garden industry and the perfect time is now!
Another wonderful approach to influencer marketing is using the expertise of others to share vital information. While many people can turn to the Google search engine to obtain information on certain things influencers, can share their expertise with their social media world and help become a beacon of information.
For example, let us talk about houseplants that are all the rage currently! Truly, I feel like the early 90’s are calling and everyone is taking tips from their mother’s…I guess the saying “what’s old is new again” is true! Well when your mom cannot help keep your new snake plant alive, many influencers out there can give you lots of tips & tricks to help you out.
Look at some of the top plant influencers on Instagram to get a better idea on how these influencers can help you keep your plant babies alive. What makes influencer marketing so amazing is it truly is a one-stop shop and the consumer is the one choosing their media outlets. It truly becomes a personalized shopping and information gathering experience!
There is so much opportunity for brands, consumers & influencers when it comes to influencer marketing! I am happy to be able to provide quality products & information to my followers to help the brands I love reach more consumers. The growth of influencer marketing currently has so much more untapped potential and I believe we are going to see it only continue to grow! Things have change a lot in the last decade and I can only imagine how funny it would be to look back into my old marketing college textbooks.
Next time you see an influencer promoting a product enjoy the tailored-to-you marketing approach!
xoxo
kelsey
