What Do Entrepreneurs Think About Influencer Marketing

What do you think about influencer marketing?

This was a question asked in the r/Entrepreneur subreddit a little while back by user u/ModalityInSpace. They wanted to know from an entrepreneurs perspective if influencer marketing was worth it, who is actually using influencer marketing, and things they've learned in their experience. The question sparked a conversation with over 50 comments on the post. These self-proclaimed entrepreneurs had some interesting points about influencer marketing. In our biased opinion, we've seen influencer marketing accelerate brands to the next level over and over again. But, enough about what we think. Let's take a look at what comments came up in this Reddit post.

The Power of Influencer Authenticity

Yes. I use influencers. The nature of the influencer can ensure that the brand can accurately target the customers. Influencers have a higher stickiness and trust among their fans, and fans have a weaker rejection of their recommendations and will be more willing to accept them."

-u/Affectionate-Toe-60

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This is one of our favorite things about influencers but more importantly influencers that are true fans of your brand called Ambassadors. Social media can be very difficult at times to figure out the right audience targeting strategies. You know these platforms have major reach to get your brands discovered but how do you make sure you are getting in front of the right people. Sometimes the audience targeting options are way too broad for brands. Most brands end up seeing waste in their advertising spend from misaligned targeting on social platforms. We're not saying that influencers completely solve for this problem, but, with careful consideration of an influencer's audience and their topic of authority you have an awesome opportunity to get your product in front of the right people.

Universal ROI Across Industries

“The ROI is just too good to ignore. And the beauty is it works across most segments and products. For example, we think of influencers as attractive looking people selling clothes or accessories to teenagers, however, you have many influencers in other segments like software development, SEO, etc. There is definitely value to be captured through influencers, but it does require a good plan.”

-u/mastagio

The user u/mastagio brings up a great point here. There are varying levels of influencers across almost any topic you can think of. This gives your brand another channel to showcase your product to a very specific audience, which can be really challenging otherwise. They are right though. It does take a very careful plan around finding the right creators and using the right methods to motivate them to post about your brand.

Tailoring Influencer Strategy to the Demographic

“From my experience and the company I created within this matter, it really depends upon the product/service that you are trying to sell, and most importantly, specifically the demographics that you are trying to reach. Since Google’s algorithm (and other search engines) are based on keywords, if you are working in market niches you need to reach your potential clients with high assertiveness. In this case, the use of influencers can and will be a good strategy. Or you can use all the social media platforms available and see the best that fits your needs. In any case, the preference of your demographic target client should be the rule for the final decision. Hope I have helped.”

u/Humanfromportugal

Navigating the Influencer Landscape

“How does one find reputable influencers for their niche?”

u/tinkydinkyqt

This question posed by user u/tinkydinkyqt is a very common one that we run across. There are a lot of ways to “fake” being an influencer. We like to look at engagement metrics and actual ROAS from influencers and their posts to figure out if their audience is actually real and if they will produce a high-performing campaign for your brand.

Challenges in Collaboration

“We’ve found some ‘influencers’ and bloggers can be difficult to work with. Make sure you have a contract ready and clear expectations with set delivery dates etc.”

If you have worked with influencers in any capacity you are well aware of the common problems that brands run into. These can be things like the influencer actually never delivers content, even though you sent them a free sample, they miss delivery deadlines, they say the wrong things in the post, and more. It takes time and know-how to manage a full influencer program.

Be Mindful of Any Regulations With Influencer Marketing

“In general, Influencer marketing is a sort of advertising where brands partner collaborates with online content producers or social media influencers to market their products or services. Particularly among younger consumers who are more prone to follow influencers and pay attention to their recommendations, this can be a successful strategy for marketers to reach a bigger audience and raise awareness of their products. Brands should exercise caution when dealing with influencers, though, as the veracity of influencer marketing has been called into question. Some influencers could be more focused on using their followers to sell things than on sincerely suggesting them. Additionally, It’s also important for brands to ensure that their partnerships with influencers are transparent and comply with advertising regulations. Overall, influencer marketing can be a useful tool for brands, but it’s important to approach it with caution and ensure that the partnerships are genuine and transparent.”

u/ritikchaudhary9

Rise of Micro-Influencers

“Influencer marketing can be really effective. I would say we are starting to see a trend toward micro influencers (Under 10k followers) vs macro influencers. Big reason being the market is starting to get jaded from well known people promoting products they don’t use. There is more trust with smaller influencers who have a closer relationship with their audience.”

u/joshykobyashi

We agree with this opinion. Micro-influencers have definitely started to become more popular with marketers. Another trend we are seeing is brands favoring using an Ambassador model versus an Influencer model. In an Ambassador model the brand and the creator have a long-term relationship. Usually the creator is actually a fan of the brand resulting in them posting more often and more authentically about why they love the brand. The Influencer model is seen as more of a one-off transaction where the influencer is told what to say for a fee. Learn more about how we build Ambassador programs here.

Trust in Influencer-Generated Content

“Something interesting that I found out recently is that when people see their favorite influencers post about a product they are 65% more likely to ‘trust’ that ad. Whereas only about 48% of people trust an ad when it is posted by the actual company selling the product.”

u/Tcronin14

Embracing Authenticity

“The more raw and more authentic the better. People are less into the whole Instagram and polished look of influencer. People don’t want to be sold to.”

u/Substantial-Chance34

This conversation uncovered a mosaic of opinions on influencer marketing within the entrepreneurial community. While the majority attested to its potential for significant ROI, caution and strategic planning were recurring themes. Navigating the influencer landscape requires careful consideration of authenticity, audience trust, and alignment with brand values. Not to mention an everyday concerted effort to run an influencer program that involves recruiting, product seeding, collaboration, payouts, and more. As the marketing landscape continues to evolve, it’s clear that influencers, when leveraged effectively, can be powerful allies for brands seeking to connect with their target audience.

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