Long gone are the days when influencer marketing is something new. Nowadays, it’s “get on with the trends” or be left behind. In fact, it is hard to find an establishment that does not inject this type of marketing into their system. Influencer marketing is the lifeline of everything online, and with how everything from booking to leaving reviews is on the world wide web, it is only expected for each establishment to utilize this area.
So, lets address the why’s of this equation. Why is influencer marketing so effective? What makes it have a higher Return On Investment (ROI) than the old school way of doing things? Well, there are many factors but let’s start with the basics.
People Trust Influencers
Before influencers, there were celebrities. These people are the actors, musicians, athletes, etc. They were conveniently asked to advertise because they have names that resonated due to their profession, some even are household names. They have a following and a lot of people idolize them. However, the advantage of influencers over the traditional celebrities is the presence of trust. Afterall, who would you trust more? A random pretty face or someone you have been watching for a long time and have shared a lot of their life with you? Through the help of parasocial relationships, where people feel a kinship with social media personalities, it boosts the trust factor.
Niche Markets
When you hire a celebrity to endorse your hotel, restaurant or whatever hospitality business you have, it has the reach and the engagement but not from the niche that you are targeting. Your target demographic is basically based on who knows the particular celebrity. If you use influencers who are already involved in your niche, let’s say food vloggers and influencers, their audience are already your target market of people who would most like be interested in your business.
Everybody Knows Somebody
What’s great about the online world is that everybody knows somebody in the community. The community in itself is a factor that is a big help. Communities in the internet are a mix of influencers and viewers of a certain niche, and most of the time they know each other through collaborations. Plus, there is always the possibility of going viral which would lead to more ROI.
Plus, platforms like TikTok make it so much easier to make use of content and use it as sponsored Ads. In fact, there is the option to buy a video from a creator directly and sponsor it as one of your advertisements. Apart from the less cost of production this act will provide, it also has the illusion of being a simple and honest review that could further win the trust of your audience.
Always Online
We are in the age of the internet. Most, if not all, of us are chronically online for work, socialization, etc. The upside of having influencer marketing on your side is that they are more in-tune with the online community since that is their full-time job. Where in celebrities, you still have to play into the part of content creator, as they are literally just faces. In an industry as service-oriented as the hospitality industry, it pays to have a real account of what you can offer go viral on the internet, and more often than not it is the influencers who have this power.
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