It’s harder and harder to get people’s attention these days. As consumers thumb through their social media feeds, you have only nanoseconds to stop the scroll. Marketers are getting savvy about solving this problem, however, and influencer marketing is one way to stand out from the crowd.

Influencer marketing involves having your product or service promoted by someone who has a social media following. Rather than rely on big celebrity endorsements, you’re working with influencers who tell their followers what they like about your brand.

These influencers don’t need to have hundreds of thousands of followers, either. Even accounts with modest follower counts are able to capture the attention of their fans. 

There are many reasons for this shift toward influencer marketing. In this quick read, you’ll discover three of the biggest reasons you should add influencer marketing to your strategic plans.

Influencer Marketing Offers Long-Term Results

When you partner with influencer marketers, you’re able to create a mutually beneficial long-term relationship. These people effectively become brand ambassadors who promote your brand message among their own followers. 

Those followers may share this content with their own followers, too. This broadens your reach even further, as more and more people learn about your brand. This extended network is filled with potential new followers and customers who want to buy from you.

Related: 3 Simple Ways to Increase Your Exposure Online

People Trust Influencer Messaging Over Brand Messaging

The Digital Marketing Institute (DMI) reports that 70% of younger generations trust influencers over celebrities. The messages coming from influencers are viewed as more authentic and credible than a paid ad or promotion from a brand.

With this credibility, you are more easily able to connect with your target audience. DMI also states that 49% of consumers depend on influencer recommendations, and 40% had purchased something after seeing it on Twitter, YouTube or Instagram.

Think about a product you love that you found through social media, and you can understand these statistics. Seeing how a product is used in real life by someone who seems relatable makes you more likely to buy it.

Influencers Can Include Employees and Customers

Consider, too, that influencer marketers aren’t just outsiders who partner with your brand. They can also include happy customers as well as employees within your own company. DMI notes that employee-generated content is re-shared up to 24 more times when posted by employees versus a brand. In addition, these posts get up to eight times more engagement.

Moreover, you can incentivize employees to post both branded and unbranded content about your company. With Rallio’s Activate platform, the process is even easier: Provide your employees and influencers with limited mobile logins so they can upload and post content about your brand.

With customers, you can feature their testimonials on your own social feeds. Either post a photo or video of them that you film yourself, or reshare user-generated content. For example, if a customer posts a Story about your new soda flavor or lipstick shade, reshare it on your own stories.

Related: Employee Advocacy Checklist: A Guide to Creating Your Advocacy Program

Start Small and Grow With Influencer Marketing

The best part about influencer marketing is that it’s possible to get started without investing a lot of capital. If you have a product or service people love, they will be happy to share about your brand. 

Sometimes, all it takes is asking. Get in touch with your top employees and customers, and ask if they’d be willing to post about your brand. Create an incentive plan or special discount that makes it worth their while.

In time, you’ll be able to grow your influencer marketing program to include influencers with a bigger following. Remember, though, it’s about quality and not quantity. Your followers will often connect more readily with people who have a modest following rather than a large account, which they might view as less trustworthy.

To learn more about how Rallio can help you power up your influencer marketing, contact sales@rallio.com.