Utilising Influencers in PR

Influencer marketing has taken the industry by storm with the emergence of GK Barry, Francis Bourjois, Charlie D’Amelio, and others. Influencers span more than just Instagram; they can emerge from TikTok, YouTube and Twitter. Previously, people would look up to celebrities in admiration, wanting to look like them and live their luxurious lives but gone are celebrity endorsements; authentic content is here to stay. 

An influencer is generally described as someone who genuinely loves a brand’s products or services and engages with its target audience. The most successful influencers are authentic and honest, producing content their followers can relate to. Influencers working for or with a brand should share the beliefs and values of the company. 

Nowadays, when you talk about influencers, people don’t automatically think of beauty influencers. The industry has expanded so much; there’s now an influencer for just about everything, including food, fashion, fitness, travel, and even train spotting. Hence why they are integral in so many PR strategies to boost business and brand awareness. 

If someone has a social media platform, it doesn’t even have to be on Instagram; you can still utilise their content to supercharge your business. Some of the main benefits of utilising influencers in the PR world are:

Influencers have the attention of thousands, potentially millions of users.

These users already have a genuine interest in the influencer’s niche. When you work with influencers, you are putting your brand in front of an untapped audience who are already interested in the brands, products and services like yours. 

Influencers have an authoritative voice for positive branding.

People who follow influencers trust what they have to say and take their opinions and recommendations more seriously than brand advertisements. Brand advertisements can come across as the brand tooting its own horn, whereas users receive influencer recommendations with trust and respect. 

Better quality of traffic and engagement rates.

Over time, influencers have learnt what type of content is most effective at capturing the attention of their followers. Additionally, their posts are going out to an audience already interested in the subject; therefore, the users will respond well by engaging with the content. 

Better ROI.

Influencers have social media creator accounts which allow you to see profile, post and story analytics. You can use this to track engagement and gauge how much business success influencer marketing has achieved. Analytics also show the business which type of posts and media users respond best.

Long-term partnerships are mutually beneficial.

A long-term partnership between a brand and an influencer increases the audience trust of both parties, increasing audience loyalty. The audience will be able to build stronger connections with the brand than they otherwise would if it was a one-off sponsored post. The two parties repeatedly working together over time results in better collaboration as the influencer can better understand the brand’s values. Working together on multiple occasions will also allow for a more streamlined creative and review process. Finally, a long-term partnership is more cost-efficient. For example, rather than the influencer charging a standard ‘per post’ fee, the brand will have more room to negotiate a fee that works well for both parties.

Jack Wills is a great example of a brand that has used influencer marketing to increase brand awareness. The clothing brand took a group of influencers to Ibiza in the summer of 2022, where each influencer produced individual content featuring Jack Wills. 

As a result, Jack Wills was able to make a complete comeback; they were no longer seen as an uncool brand that was deemed too posh. The revival of their rebrand, aimed at a younger target audience, allowed people to see Jack Wills as trendy again.

So, it might just be worth adding influencer marketing to your PR strategy. That’s not to say you can just select any influencer to represent your brand – they must share your beliefs, values, and brand voice. But once you’ve found the perfect fit, watch how your success grows!