We should be careful when we select influencers for our influencer marketing program. One of the biggest mistakes is to mix up popularity with influence. They are not the same.
Popularity itself is about being liked and not necessarily being trusted. I go further, if something goes viral on the internet (for instance) it does not equal influence.
A bunch of eyeballs does not equate to impact. Being in a hot-topic conversation is not the same as being trustworthy. Just because somebody is famous for something does not mean that he has got influence on customers’ purchasing behavior or attitudes.
Influencers should be really careful with whom they partner. Such partners/brands should be related to their area of expertise. Otherwise, fans can easily perceive these one-off endorsements as the straight-up advertisements they really are.
I believe it is more important to be trustworthy, credible, and likable. You need to earn your influence by providing value to those who turn to you. You attract your following by serving them.
One more thing before I share with you the latest partnership agreement of Rick Shiels.
The followers’ numbers do not equal to reach (think of the influence of social media platforms’ algorithms and how they control the reach of our content)!!!
They do not give any measure of true influence on an audience and do not give any insights into the audience composition.
Amanda Russell says in her book – The influencer code:
“The reality is unless the influencer is 100% in alignment with the mission and message of the product it is not going to sell, period. Influencer marketing is all about bringing value to a community.”
At the same time, we should not neglect people with over 500,000 followers. They have got an important role in brands’ influencer marketing mix to generate awareness for the brand, product, or service.
We should not be lazy to find the right macro-influencers (between 100,000 & 1M followers) micro-influencers (between 10-100,000 followers) and nano-influencers (less than 10,000 followers).
Macro and mega influencers are excellent choices if you want to generate awareness for your product or service.
In my experience as a micro-influencer – with over 60,000 followers – is that micro-influencers should be used if you’re ready to start generating more focused leads.
They tend to have the same close relationship with their followers as that enjoyed by nano influencers, micro-influencers are more specialized, so their audience is primed to hear marketing messages within that niche.
If you’re a small- to mid-size business with a limited marketing budget, nano influencers are a cost-effective option for getting started with influencer marketing.
FYI*
- The value of social commerce sales in 2022 is estimated to be $958 billion.
- Influencer Marketing Industry is set to grow to approximately $16.4 Billion in 2022.
- More than 75% of brand marketers intend to dedicate a budget to influencer marketing in 2022.
- 54% of the firms working with influencers operate eCommerce stores.
- Instagram influencer fraud has declined over the last few years, still, 49% of Instagram Influencer accounts were impacted by fraud in 2021.
*Source: Influencer Marketing Hub: The State of Influencer Marketing 2022 study.
Now that we’ve cleared that up, here’s the news of the day.
Lyle & Scott + Rick Shiels partnership
Lyle & Scott has just partnered with Rick Shiels, the world’s leading golf content creator. Under the partnership, Lyle & Scott will be the exclusive apparel and headwear provider to Rick Shiels.
Alignment on values (me: very important!!) between Lyle & Scott and Rick Shiels made the formation of the partnership natural.
Chris Somerton, Head of Golf at Lyle & Scott explains
“As a brand, it is a real privilege to have 148 years of history and heritage. During that time, we’ve been a part of the biggest moments in golf’s history, and golf in turn has contributed to some of the biggest moments in Lyle & Scott‘s history.
Our focus is on using that authority and authenticity to help shape the future of golf, to set direction and to ensure a more diverse and sustainable future for our game”.
Rick Shiels notes
“Both Lyle & Scott and I seek to make golf more accessible, whilst respecting and withholding the traditions of the game.”
On what attracted Rick to the brand, Shiels comments
“When it came to signing with Lyle & Scott, it was an easy decision. The brand encapsulates everything I believe in. A British brand that looks to push the boundaries, innovate, and produce stylish clothing”.