How Associations Can Use Influencers to Boost Engagement

Social media influencers are the hottest form of marketing right now. Think of them as a combination of today’s version of celebrity endorsements and word-of-mouth marketing. A company or brand uses a personality that is well-liked and credible to spread awareness and tout their product with the hopes that their adoring fan-base will be compelled to purchase. An authentic endorsement from someone you adore and respect is more impactful than a generic advertisement or promotion. Today’s marketers and PR firms are increasingly using influencers and according to Mediakix, a leading influencer marketing agency, for good reason:

· Brands are spending more and more on marketing strategies that utilize influencers and some estimate that the industry as a whole will be worth between $5-10 billion by 2020.

· Skeptics initially unsure about the viability and effectiveness of influencer marketing now embrace it, with 80% of marketers finding it effective and nearly two-thirds having upped their budgets this year.

· Brands are more confident and emboldened by the positive ROI influencer marketing generates, leading to larger budgets. 89% of marketers say that ROI from influencer marketing is comparable or better than other marketing channels.

· The most popular channels for influencer marketing are YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter and your social media strategy should take advantage of these as well as other tools such as LinkedIn and TikTok.

You don’t have to be a big brand or have a hip new gadget or product to use social media influencers. Professional associations, non-profits and niche organizations can use social media influencers to enhance their image, reach new members and partners, increase social media followers, engage with more members, and influence behaviors such as downloading your app, registering for an event, and participating in forums, to name a few.

Who Are Influencers and Why Do People Listen to Them?

Social media influencers are successful bloggers, celebrities, public figures and online personalities who produce likeable, engaging content. They amass a huge following by carefully crafting a distinct personality, an aesthetic, or a brand that they perfect with each post. In cultivating their image, they have built credibility and trust with their subscribers and viewers. They can use this to then persuade the public to act on their recommendation. Tapping into the network of a popular social media influencer is guaranteed exposure.

Every organization has its high-profile members—the ones who have a robust social media presence, volunteer often, work on committees, write articles, speak at events and are naturals at networking, connecting other members and building communities. Recent studies found that the top 5% of an organization's database, on average, has a reach 200 times larger than the organization's entire email list. These are your influencers! (And you can read this blog post on how to engage these individuals.)

Whatever your market or niche, you surely have thought leaders you can leverage to spread awareness of your mission, strengthen your member base, promote your programs, recruit volunteers, raise money and download an app. To begin using this growing marketing strategy, your organization should be utilizing these influencers, collaborating with partners to reach their networks, and identifying industry experts or personalities that will inspire your audience to take action!