London – The is an internet phenomenon
that has been well-documented over the past few years. However, an area
less explored by the fashion remains the rise of the digital influencers
and the marketing sway held by the individuals behind the screens taking
the selfie. As appetite for word of mouth marketing from these influencers
continues to grow more and more retailers and brands alike scramble to work
with these leading fashion taste-makers. But what led to the rise of the
social influencer? How should retailers work with them? And what approach
should fashion labels be taking when working with influencers?
FashionUnited takes a closer look.
The emergence of social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram,
Youtube and Twitter paved the way for people to share ideas, thoughts and
information like never before. Along with consumers shifting preference
towards shopping and ‘show-rooming’ online came the increasing inclination
for a ‘authentic’ and trusted opinion over the marketing voice boomed by
brands themselves. According to Nielsen’s latest biennial Global Survey of
Trust in Advertising, which polled 30,000 online individuals in 60
countries, personal recommendations are the most trusted form of
advertising – with 81 percent of UK respondents agreeing to this. This is a
vast difference from the 23 percent of British consumers who believe their
purchasing decision is influence by brand advertising from the label
itself.
Although influencers are certainly not new to the marketing game as the
fashion industry has been working with artists, celebrities and models for
over 100 years to sell their products, the rise of the digital influencer
is a new addition. Rather than turning to traditional forms of advertising,
consumers are turning towards these selected individuals who share their
personal opinions on brands and products via social media channels for
advice. As this new breed of influencers, also known as content creator or
bloggers, begins to gain momentum, some of the are able to attract
thousands and millions of followers from around the world. These
influencers have gone on to become brands in their own right – just think
of Chiara Ferragni, the woman behind The Blonde Salad, who is said to be
“the most influential fashion blogger in the world.”
“The best ones are honest, authentic, use good imagery to showcase
themselves and act as a positive role model,” said Estée Lalonde, lifestyle
blogger during her panel at the Web Summit. “There is a real shift
happening in the industry from general marketing to authentic.” For many
fashion brands and retailers the rise of these digital influencers has led
to a new form of marketing, such as sponsored posts on social media,
tapping them to star in their editorial campaigns or having them grace the
front row of their catwalk shows during fashion week. However, in spite of
the growing frenzy surrounding these fashion shakers and makers
there are still other labels who have yet to embrace this form of marketing
and may be missing out opportunities to digitally engage with consumers.
According to research carried out by the Fashion and Beauty Monitor,
together with international research firm Ecoconsultancy, 57 percent of the
348 questioned marketing specialists currently have a influencer marketing
strategy in place. 25 percent of the respondents added that they are
allocating between 30 percent and 75 percent of their marketing budget to
influencers, which is quite a significant amount. However, one of the main
challenges for fashion retailers and brands remains identifying the right
influencer, with 59 percent of respondents finding it to be a difficult
task. In addition, getting a large influencer’s attention and being able to
engage them also presents an ongoing struggle for 59 percent of those
questioned.
In order to ensure the right blogger is approached for the brand, retailers
should look deeper than just follower numbers and Instagram posts. “I’d
look at an influencer’s social reach, but I would also dig a bit deeper to
look at the engagement they’re getting,” said Rachel Bloom Senior digital
account coordinator, Liberty Marketing. “I would never just look at
follower numbers, as quite often you can get a follower count, but they
could have bought some of those followers. We would look at their blog
metrics too, such as their domain authority and their trust flow, and we’d
make sure the blog looked professional, because as well as receiving a
mention, most fashion and beauty brands like to receive nice photography
from bloggers as well, which they can then use themselves.”
Budget issues also poses another issues for fashion retailers working with
influencer marketing, as 63 percent of the survey respondents noted that
digital influencers are an expensive outlet for smaller brands.
Nevertheless 59 percent still aim to increase their marketing budget for
influencers this year. However, just as having the deepest pocket for a
marketing campaign does not guarantee immediate success, tapping the
biggest fashion influencer will not always reap the best rewards for a
brand. If the fit is not correct and the blogger’s or vlogger’s personal
image does not align with the brand’s image then it is likely to have
little impact in terms of sales.
“Credibility is of ultimate importance. Someone may have a million social
media followers but if they don’t know what they’re talking about or
they’re irrelevant to a brand’s followers then those
numbers have very little real value,” pointed out Anna-Marie Solowij,
founder of online retailer BeautyMart. “We have seen big numbers in social
media campaigns where the uptake in terms of sales conversion has been very
low. Many influencers have teenage audiences who are not necessarily active
consumers.”
Although there is no denying the wielding power influencer can have over a
brand, more and more of these digital content makers are also becoming
wiser as to how and when they work with brands. In the past, partnerships
made would have been led by the brand itself with many bloggers given
product in exchange for positive copy and good image association. But times
have changed and most digital influencer now expect to receive monetary
rewards for working with brands according to the report – although selling
product is usually never the primary focus of an influencer.
In this sense labels should also be wary with taking too much of
a commercial approach when working with influencers, as consumers are able
to read through the lines of product sharing versus paid product promotion.
“It becomes a race to the bottom between the brand and the influencer. You
scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours, and what’s in it for me?,” said Tim
Bax, creative director of iCrossing. “And as soon as it becomes too
commercial, people aren’t stupid, they can see what the influencers are
doing. If they’re pushing stuff too much they’ll lose their voice in the
community.”
Of course, influencers should always be fairly compensated for their work
but their promotion should not be solely focused on sales conversions. In
this sense influencers should be wary with their approach to brands as well
and not be swayed by a big pay check. “You should always keep
your integrity otherwise once it’s gone, it’s gone!,” stressed Lalonde. She
added that bloggers should always follow their institution and listen to
their gut feeling when it comes to promoting brands and retailers. “Influencers
think that because they have some audience, they have the power. And of
course they have some power, but they should be careful in how they use
it,” concluded Bax.
“Influencer Marketing is not about throwing money at someone and expecting
wonders to happen overnight for your brand,” pointed out Sarah Penny,
editor of Fashion and Beauty Monitor, at the Festival of Marketing. “It is
about a long-term partnership with a person who will consistently add value
to your business because of the influence they yield online.”
Photos: Estée Lalonde Facebook