Influencer Marketing: Is it a Boon Or Bane?

No wonder brands around the world are talking about it! 

However, many brands have had little success with this strategy.

So, what’s the deal? 

Is influencer marketing a boon or a bane?

Is it for you?

Before you decide, take a look at the pros and cons of influencer marketing.

Pros of Influencer Marketing

If done right, influencer marketing can help your business grow. Not sure how? Let’s take a look:

Pro #1: Influencers Can Help You Build Credibility

Trust takes time to develop.

You can’t expect your brand to generate it overnight.

However, partnering with relevant influencers can help you accelerate the process. That’s because people look up to influencers.

When influencers recommend your brand, you can earn more credibility and boost your brand awareness.

Pro #2: Influencer Marketing Can Boost Your Sales

Once you find influencers, you can reach out to a new audience. This, in turn, can help you boost your sales.

However, keep in mind that relevance is essential.

For instance, if you sell sports shoes, collaborating with a food influencer would make little to zero sense. 

However, by reaching out to a sports influencer, you can directly communicate with an audience interested in your product.

Pro #3: Influencer Marketing Is Affordable

Whether your business is small or big, affordability is likely to be an important factor in making crucial marketing decisions. 

So, how does influencer marketing fare up?

If you are working with a limited budget, you can partner with micro-influencers. 

Although they typically don’t have a huge follower count, many of them are likely to have highly engaged audiences. Using micro-influencers can also be a useful tactic for B2B marketers who are targeting a narrow industry or job title

Cons of Influencer Marketing

It’s evident that influencer marketing has many pros. 

However, this strategy does come with its set of disadvantages as well. 

Con #1: Influencer Marketing Could Hurt Your Reputation

If you collaborate with an influencer who has fake followers, you can damage your brand reputation. 

Similarly, an influencer who posts fluffy and ingenuine content can dent your brand credibility.

Con #2: Influencer Marketing Is Risky

When it comes to influencer marketing, the onus for content creation rests on the influencer. If their content does not strike a chord with your target audience, your resources may get wasted.

This could result in a low ROI and monetary losses for your business.

If you’re a little too skeptical, consider partnering with an influencer marketing agency. 

Check out this blog post published on shanebarker.com to find the best influencer marketing agencies to partner with.

Image Courtesy: shanebarker.com

Author Bio: Shane Barker is a digital marketing consultant who specializes in influencer marketing, content marketing, and SEO.

He is the co-founder of Attrock, a digital marketing agency. He has consulted with Fortune 500 companies, influencers with digital products, and a number of A-List celebrities.