Influencer marketing has been booming since the mid-2000s. According to Influencer Marketing Hub, this sector is expected to reach approximately $24 billion by 2024. This growth is driven by emerging trends, including breakthrough technologies, new social media platforms, and evolving consumer attitudes toward influencer-sponsored content. Communications professionals, therefore, must stay abreast of evolving influencer marketing trends to keep their brands competitive in their respective industries and sectors.

Maximizing Influencer Impact in Niche or Precise Markets

Conducting B2B influencer marketing presents a unique set of challenges that differs significantly from the strategies employed by consumer brands. Unlike consumer brands, which can easily partner with one of the millions of lifestyle influencers available, B2B influencer marketing requires a more nuanced approach. This involves identifying and collaborating with industry-specific thought leaders who possess deep expertise and credibility within their niches. These influencers are not only fewer in number but also demand a strategic alignment with the brand’s values and objectives. Thus, the process of selecting the right B2B influencers is far more complex and critical to ensuring a successful partnership that resonates with a professional audience.

To navigate these complexities and achieve impactful results, many businesses turn to specialized agencies like Eberly & Collard Public Relations. Our expertise lies in conceptualizing and managing tailored Social Media Influencer Programs that bridge the gap between brands and industry experts. By leveraging our deep understanding of B2B dynamics, we ensure that the influencer partnerships we curate are both strategic and effective. In the following case studies, we’ll showcase how our targeted approach has successfully addressed the unique challenges of B2B influencer marketing for our clients.

Case Study: Coverings 2024 Influencer Program

Coverings, the largest tile and stone tradeshow in North America, sought out ECPR to implement annual influencer marketing programs to generate and enhance event visibility, drive attendee registrations and increase engagement across Coverings’ digital platforms.

Influencer Marketing is an Essential Strategy to Drive Event Attendance.

For Coverings 2024, our Influencer Marketing team employed a robust, targeted influencer marketing strategy focusing on securing partnerships with a diverse mix of content creators, aligning with the show’s key audience segments: interior designers, architects, builders, remodelers, contractors and more. Upon assembling a carefully researched list of hundreds of suitable candidates, ECPR team members strategized their outreach plans by sorting influencers into tiers based on numerous variables, such as follower count, engagement analyses and content relevance. Once highly relevant influencer partnerships were secured and negotiated, our program initiatives transitioned to content collaborations and onsite planning, some of which included:

• Engaging influencers to create and share content related to the event themes and highlights.
• Conceptualizing social media influencer agreements that included expert content goals and benefits for Coverings, while still permitting the influencers to utilize their own voices, tones and styles.
• Coordinating an Influencer Tour to provide firsthand experiences of the event’s offerings and a platform for them to create content onsite to share with their respective audiences.
• Utilizing influencers to promote a wide range of Coverings education, activations and other programming aimed at driving engagement and registration for the event.

Talented Influencer Amber Guyton Attending Our Coverings 2024  Influencers Tour.

The Coverings 2024 Influencers we secured and with whom we closely collaborated including the prominent interior designer Brittany Palazzo, architect Jeffrey Bruce Baker and installer Schannon Yodice, among many other talented content creators and social media personalities, were tasked with crafting wide-ranging content, including Instagram and Facebook posts, stories, TikToks and LinkedIn updates, all meticulously designed to highlight the distinctive features of Coverings 2024 and to amplify informational reach across every applicable audience segment.

The Results:

• Enhanced research methods from the ECPR influencer marketing team generated a 50% increase in Influencer Tour attendance compared to the previous year.
• The influencer campaign generated a total of 71,031,670 max potential impressions, an increase of 44.1% compared to the previous year
• The ECPR team significantly increased video content for Coverings 2024 by producing seven times more videos and reels from influencers. This strategic enhancement led to higher engagement levels with influencer content and subsequently drove an increase in event registrations.
• Coverings had significant growth in social media followers, with an addition of 4,352 new accounts across platforms.
• The strategy not only amplified the event’s reach but also significantly increased social media engagement and interactions across a broad range of audience segments.

Key Highlights:

• Influencers like Schannon Yodice (contractor) and Brittany Palazzo (interior designer) were particularly effective, garnering millions of impressions each, which indicated an especially strong resonance with their respective audience segments.
• Niche influencers like Jeffrey Bruce Baker successfully engaged with architects in the Atlanta area, regionally and nationally, significantly boosting the architectural industry attendance at Coverings 2024.
• The content shared by our influencers helped portray the event’s critical messages and highlights, directly contributing to an increased awareness and interest in Coverings 2024 across varying audience segments.

The success of the Coverings 2024 Influencer Program underscores the power of targeted influencer collaborations in amplifying event outreach, engagement and attendance. By strategically selecting and partnering with influencers who aligned with the event’s core audiences, Coverings was able to significantly enhance its digital footprint and set a robust precedent for future events.

Macro, Micro and Nano Matter

While influencers like Brittany and Schannon significantly boosted reach and engagement, micro and nano influencers like Jeffrey offered a unique advantage by connecting with a more targeted audience through his tight relationships with followers. Despite having a slightly smaller reach compared to macro influencers, Jeffrey and other micro or nano influencers often excel in niche or specialized markets and achieve higher engagement rates.

According to Aspire’s sixth annual benchmark report, “The State of Influencer Marketing 2024,” micro and nano-influencers are highlighted as key trends to watch this year. The report reveals that nano-influencers consistently achieve the highest engagement rates across all platforms, averaging an impressive 4.4%. Their focus on close-knit communities enables brands to engage with highly loyal and enthusiastic audiences.

According to Influencer Marketing Hub, there’s a strong preference for partnering with smaller influencers, with nano-influencers (44%) and micro-influencers (26%) favored over more expensive macro-influencers (17%) and celebrities (13%). The effectiveness of nano and micro-influencers in achieving better influencer marketing ROI largely depends on the campaign’s objectives and target audience. The Coverings 2024 program illustrates that a strategic blend of influencer tiers can maximize both reach and engagement. Macro influencers are ideal for broad brand awareness, while nano and micro influencers offer superior ROI for highly targeted, niche campaigns due to their strong connections and high engagement rates with specific audiences.

Many companies are using AI tools like Upfluence, Traackr and Heepsy to find macro, micro and nano influencers. According to Influencer Marketing Hub, 63% of marketers plan to integrate AI into their influencer campaigns.

Our Eberly & Collard Public Relations influencer marketing team guides the strategic, creative and contractual processes for our clients’ social media influencer content and campaigns.

AI is transforming campaign management by leveraging data analysis to precisely match influencers with a brand’s target audience, enhancing both precision and efficiency. However, despite its advanced capabilities, AI can occasionally struggle to effectively identify niche influencers capable of projecting genuine authenticity through online promotions on behalf of a brand.

Navigating the Surge of AI in Influencer Marketing

AI influencer marketing tools have streamlined and enhanced various aspects of campaign management. AI algorithms and influencer tools have now become very common in analyzing data to find individuals whose audience demographics, interests and engagement levels align with a brand’s target market. According to Influencer Marketing Hub, “50% of those who have worked with AI influencers described their experience as ‘very positive’.”

Despite its transformative impact on influencer marketing, AI-driven research can sometimes overlook the genuine connections and insights that human influencers provide. AI relies on algorithms and data, which can result in content that feels formulaic and impersonal. This detachment from authentic human experiences and emotions can undermine the relatable and heartfelt connections that build trust and engagement with audiences. As AI can impact the influence of social media marketing on customer loyalty, the role of influencer marketing agencies becomes essential in crafting effective influencer partnerships.

From planning the influencer marketing strategy and conducting influencer outreach to negotiating and finalizing contracts and collaborating on impactful content creation, our team helps create genuine influencer partnerships for our clients. We conduct thorough research across diverse social media platforms to identify influencers who align seamlessly with our clients’ brands. This careful selection process ensures that the influencers we partner with will resonate deeply with their target audiences, driving increased engagement for our clients. By prioritizing influencers who genuinely use and believe in the brands, products or services they promote, we enhance the authenticity of each partnership, thereby building stronger trust between the brand and its audience.

Boosting Authenticity and Transparency in Influencer Partnerships

In the current digital climate, authenticity has become a cornerstone of successful influencer partnerships. Influencers who genuinely believe in and use a product or service bring sincerity to their endorsements. According to Sprinklr, “89% of customers value authentic content, making authenticity a crucial component of influencer marketing.” This genuine connection often translates into trust, encouraging followers to engage with and purchase from the brand. Authenticity not only bolsters the credibility of the influencer’s recommendations but also strengthens the bond between the brand and its audience, fostering deeper and more meaningful connections.

When influencers seamlessly integrate a brand into their content with genuine intent, it resonates more profoundly with their followers. This authenticity builds trust, which is invaluable for increasing brand loyalty and driving higher conversion rates.

Case Study: Chiarabella 2024 Influencer Program

The goal of the Chiarabella influencer program is to elevate brand awareness across the United States by enhancing the company’s social media presence through strategic collaborations and partnerships. Chiarabella, which is one of the most trusted brands of kitchen, bath, wardrobe, and storage solution products, has a strategic targeted influencer marketing strategy that focuses on key figures in the interior design, distribution, construction, hospitality, and architectural industries.

We chose influencers for Chiarabella based on their follower count, engagement rates and alignment with Chiarabella’s brand values and sales objectives. The approach includes engaging influencers to create and share Chiarabella content about the brand’s flagship showroom and diverse range of kitchen and bath products, custom cabinetry, smart toilets, tubs, faucets and fixtures, wellness products, and others. Our Atlanta team also coordinates tour events at the showroom for our influencers to create content about the brand nationwide.

The ECPR team researched, vetted and acquired influencers Erika Ward, Jeffrey Bruce Baker and Ronald Jones who create multifaceted content that ranges from Instagram posts and stories to Pinterest posts and Facebook updates, all designed to highlight the products and attributes of Chiarabella.

The Results:

• The Chiarabella Gallery expanded its reach within the interior design, distribution, construction, hospitality, and architectural sectors through collaborative posts with influencers. This strategy not only enhanced B2B and B2C interactions but also significantly increased engagement with Chiarabella’s target audience.
• Growth in social media followers boomed, spanning the design and hospitality trade sectors with which the brand aligns.
• Connections with consumers of affluence generated flagship showroom foot traffic, design appointments, and brand awareness that has converted to brand equity and custom kitchens, baths and more.

ECPR’s select team members, alongside influencers Erika Ward and Ronald Jones, planning creative content at the Chiarabella showroom in Atlanta.

Key Highlights:

• Just one of Ron’s Instagram reels reached over 27,500 accounts with exponential visibility and interactions within a matter of hours.
• Chiarabella’s account engaged with 22,000 new accounts in July 2024, when one influencer’s reel went live, giving rise to a bevy of new followers, likes, reshares, and comments.
• Our influencer program showcased numerous custom cabinetry solutions and kitchen and bath product options to tens of thousands of interior designers, architects and builders in days, kick-off weeks and months of growing content and engagements.

The results significantly boosted Chiarabella’s awareness and engagement. Influencer collaborations increased visibility, while in-person influencer events at the showroom fostered direct interaction with Chiarabella’s social media presence.

The ECPR team successfully forged valuable partnerships with influencers who authentically showcased their enthusiasm for Chiarabella’s products and design. Ron’s genuine passion for Chiarabella’s intelligent toilets led to a deeper collaboration than initially planned. His ability to pivot his content to emphasize what he truly values about the brand provided a credible third-party endorsement.

On the other hand, Erika’s design philosophy—characterized by a blend of timeless and modern elements—mirrors the essence of Chiarabella’s offerings. Her alignment with Chiarabella’s modern yet classic elegance resulted in content that she sincerely endorses, reflecting her genuine appreciation for the brand. In turn, Jeffrey brought Chiarabella’s brand offer to light for leading architects and consumers in the Southeast, throughout the U.S. and Internationally with his diverse fans and followers.

The openness from influencer relations helps build trust with the audience, who appreciates authenticity and honesty. Additionally, featuring behind-the-scenes content or interviews with influencers about their experiences with brands can further demonstrate transparency and foster solid and real connections with followers. By prioritizing authenticity and transparency, brands can build stronger, more credible relationships with their audiences, ultimately driving more effective and meaningful engagement.

The dynamic nature of the influencer marketing landscape in 2024 and beyond necessitates the expertise of a well-versed influencer marketing agency. Agencies help brands navigate the complexities of influencer selection, campaign management and performance analysis. By leveraging industry insights and advanced tools, they ensure that brands can effectively engage with their audiences and achieve their marketing objectives.

Do you need an agency to help with influencer marketing for your business? Reach out to Eberly & Collard Public Relations to receive in-depth, expert advice from our full-service PR firm and influencer marketing agency. We are equipped to build B2B and/or B2C influence for your business, personnel, products, services and brands.

Influencer marketing, just in the U.S., is estimated to surpass $4 billion in 2022. With these numbers exponentially growing, it is safe to say that companies are picking up on influencer culture’s effectiveness and consumer impact. With this in mind, it’s important for company marketing teams to know how they can stay up to date with new influencer marketing trends, especially with the branding benefits involved in the newer and burgeoning styles of video and audio content.

What are Influencers, and Why are They Important?  

The idea of influencers revolves around popular public figures or celebrities being paid to endorse a business’s products or services, with the goal being to expand brand awareness and key messaging throughout their industries and among the customer or consumer followers or fans who admire them.

In this space, influencers are typically categorized as either micro-influencers or macro-influencers based on their respective reach. Micro-influencers are typically those with 1,000-100,000 followers, while macro-influencers capture audiences ranging from hundreds of thousands to millions of followers.

While it is important to consider reach in deciding which influencers to use, the value of influencers comes from their recognition as experts in their fields. Being held in such high regard creates trust in these creators, resulting in endorsements regularly increasing marketing engagement, presence and effectiveness. Whether the marketing objective is engaging with business-to-business prospects or reaching business-to-consumer targets, influencer marketing is a significant strategy marketing managers should maximize in 2022.

Leveraging Podcasts through Influencers

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, podcasting as a media outlet, has exploded with 80 million weekly American listeners, per Buzzsprout. The format’s ever-growing presence, combined with its ease of access, makes influencer marketing through podcasts a seemingly untapped gold mine.

Podcasts are unique in that they attract extremely loyal listeners in incredibly niche audiences. One example is that of industry trade shows, being one of the categories sometimes under the radar. Trade shows often host podcasts for business audiences to convey information about specific events, news and information for and within specific industry trades. These podcasts can help drive event registration as well as interest or sales for the trade show’s exhibited products or services.

Appropriately contracting influencers in this category of industry-specific podcasts can be extremely helpful for a company. Retaining influencers for trade show and other business-to-business podcasts can involve benefitting from the influencers’ third-party and positive commentary that includes key mentions or insights about the contracting company and its unique selling propositions. The same can be true of business-to-consumer events and podcasts.

As these podcasts are primarily funded by sponsors, similar to radio, they incorporate branded messages into their episodes, creating a perfect opportunity for paid influence. However, while radio sponsorships only occur live, podcasts are recorded and posted on streaming services, meaning, your company’s message stays in their segments for good.

Similarly, affiliate marketing with podcast influencers has become a popular practice in this space. By incentivizing creators to promote your service or product, in exchange for a percentage of business or sales received, influencers often go the extra mile with acknowledging your brand multiple times to increase their take from the partnership. Or, influencers can be funded with a one-time fee in exchange for an agreed type of endorsement or positive opinion or perspective they communicate.

From a marketing standpoint, affiliate marketing is not only the most common form; but, it is the most effective, with 29% of all podcast listeners saying they have used a promotion they heard about during an episode, according to a study by NCSolutions.

In a different lens, influencers can also be paid by companies to do guest appearances on industry or topic-focused podcasts. Having a guest influencer on an already existing podcast with a substantial following can further enhance a message’s effectiveness. While some podcast producers or hosts may not prefer to interview a business’s marketing executive (some do, and some do not), influencers are desired guests on podcasts because all parties benefit from their presence. Both the guest and the host show draw viewers towards one another while they promote conversation about your business.

Adding Virality of Short-Form Videos with Influencers

Those who work in the media industry have become aware of short-form video’s rapid growth since its inception into social media in 2013. Yet, it took years, until the boom of TikTok, that marketing teams began to use the style as a tool to promote themselves through popular creators. Since the concept has been spread to other platforms, it is bigger than it ever has been with a 2022 marketing trends survey, conducted by HubSpot, finding that 30% of marketers who use social media plan to invest in short-form videos.

TikTok and Instagram are the two largest platforms where short-form video marketing often occurs through the implementation of influencers. These influencer video applications’ marketing sphere can be centered around business-to-consumer marketing and/or business-to-business marketing. When well-managed and monitored by your public relations agency, influencer videos can easily create tenfold return-on-investment.

On both video-oriented platforms, sponsored collaborations dominate the business-to-consumer game. Popular influencers often sport merchandise or show off using consumer goods and products as they either create content around current trends or simply provide short testimonials or reviews geared toward the consumer or e-commerce follower audiences.

For a business-to-business approach, this style of influential videos is all about industry savvy influencers creating short video blogs or “vlogs” about their own positive experiences with specific products or professional service providers. The created videos and vlogs can provide real-time influencer insight on specific aspects of products or services for businesses, which has the power to intrigue business professionals who are decision-makers about purchasing products or procuring service providers for their businesses or the businesses for which they work.

Affiliate marketing, also, is seen as extremely effective in these areas through special influencer-based UTM codes and the announcement of special promotions or offers with calls for action. When influencers post content about your business or brand, you should ask or require them to include a UTM code to track any conversions or sales they induce. The premise is a pay-back or payout in the form of a small commission for each conversion they generate. This can be an event registration for a tradeshow or other event, or it might be a product or service purchase brought about and linked to the influencer’s created content.

The upside to these two specific platforms is their algorithm-based targeted content. While on other platforms, you must research how to attract certain audiences to your posts and account, TikTok and Instagram Reels constantly showcase new material to viewers based on what they interact with, who they follow and what kinds of content they regularly pay attention to. Meaning, that if you choose influencers correctly within your industry, others who look at similar content will more likely be shown or delivered this influencer and your brand.

All of this is only as good and results oriented as your or your agency’s management of your business’s influencer marketing program, strategy and agreements.

Connecting with Online Communities through Live Streaming and Influencers

Live broadcasting, or live streaming, is also accessible through various digital platforms and has become one of the highest grossing mediums available. When your influencers broadcast or stream content about your business or that which makes your organization distinctive, the interest and click-through rate exponential increases.

What the live streaming community offers that other media formats don’t is real-time interaction between influencers and their audiences, which creates a stronger bond and allows more information to be presented for those interested. This exchange makes the application of this format handy when promoting an event and/or a brand, product or service.

Seen especially in younger audiences, Grin found that some audiences on YouTube are influenced more by popular YouTubers than by celebrities.

Allowing your audience an insider or third-party view of an event or tradeshows, a sneak peak of a new product, or how a professional service is performed and yields benefit creates a sense of interest or intrigue and engages them to learn more.

For many event marketing teams, hosting an onsite livestream which features influencers as guests or hosts can provide this effect. Influencer-based live streams offer expert analysis of not just the event itself, but the products or services being showcased at the event, which can draw in viewers or attendees based on each influencer’s following.

When business-to-business events, conferences or exhibitions take place, livestreams are one of the most promising ideas for enticing new clientele or attendees to register. Many tradeshow and event organizers have to market their event’s benefits through associations and businesses whose members or personnel have attended in the past to validate the events worth for others to register and attend. In the influencer space, these trusted individuals can provide an even deeper level of event approval to an effective audience, persuading their followers and fans simply based upon their involvement in the sector and event via verbalized or shown experiences.

Tips for Video and Audio-Based Influencer Marketing Strategies

While employing these formats of video and audio media with an influencer can help expand the reach and visibility of your company, the most important part comes with properly executing your social media influencer marketing strategy.

Here are a couple key tips on how you can start making your influencer marketing campaign more effective.

Limit Scripting but Guide Soundbites: Whether it be demonstrations, sponsored messaging, or product videos for marketing, a common mistake many companies make is over-scripting for influencers.

While tempting to write exactly what you want them to say, these types of scripts restrict the creator, making the message feel ingenuine and out of character to their audience. Allowing influencers leeway to use their own voice and style in creating sponsored messages, reviews, tutorials or commenting often results in higher levels of audience engagement.

However, giving your influencers a messaging guide is essential. This can include what tone to use, what points and topics should be covered or a length estimate. Create a list of important soundbites, being concise, clear language and subject-matter you would like for them to incorporate into their content. Provide message and brand standards to ensure proper and correct information is shared, which also helps avoid inadvertent content that could confuse the audience or conflict with your objectives.

Appoint someone with a true and seasoned understanding of influencer marketing on your staff or with your marketing agency to work closely with and oversee your contracted influencers.

Participate In Trends: Influencers who participate in popular social media tends while showcasing your brand, and integrating popular captions at the time of creation, automatically sets the algorithm of the platform to favor their content, especially on Instagram and TikTok. In accurately researching popular trends, your influencers can create content around the topics and captions they should use, leading to more people likely seeing and following your business or brand.

Any given social media site normally contains an algorithm which determines what an audience is shown. These complex equations take into account a user’s interests and learns preferred topics over time through providing new content and achieving either positive or negative responses. While this cycle helps in targeting specific audiences, within these spaces virality is also key to the algorithm.

While the topic of influencer marketing geared to generate visibility of positive online content can involve a significant amount of time and energy, the payoff can be extremely rewarding to businesses when properly vetted and managed. Some companies make mistakes because they either lack awareness of popular influencer trends or how to incorporate and oversee them, or, they simply try too hard to play into a specific topic versus facilitate an innovative, yet macro-view, of influencer content.

The aid of influencers and public relations agencies can add much needed leverage to these styles of podcast and video campaigns because of their extensive platform-specific knowledge on what is captivating or entertaining to their followers and fans.

A great example of this type of influencer-based knowledge comes from TikTok’s ‘Sounds’. While many marketing teams or companies would need to spend extensive time researching which sounds are popular at a specific time or how they could incorporate them into brand messaging, creators have an innate ability to understand and customize them across their respective platforms. This brings about a natural flow of persuasive information about the products or services and brands for which businesses are seeking promotion.

The introduction of influencers into any marketing campaign can feasibly produce more engagement and interest in your products or services because of the community built around the trustworthy creators. To stay relevant and provide authentic content which is also effective, it is important to have awareness surrounding current media trends like short-form videos, podcasts and live streaming as well as how to apply and monitor these trends to appeal to your audience. Even if influencer marketing, videos and podcasts are not the forte for some internal marketing teams, this is no reason to avoid adding them to an annual integrated marketing plan. Public relations firm services can provide the tools necessary to develop and perform successful influencer marketing campaigns to grow and benefit your company and its levels of influence.

At Eberly & Collard Public Relations, we develop and manage influencer marketing programs for our clients by carefully researching, acquiring and managing top influencers that are the most beneficial for their brands. Contact us if you are looking to kick-off a new or improved influencer marketing program. Learn more: www.ecpr.com.

The influencer marketing industry is on track to nearly double its worth from $8 billion in 2019 to $15 billion by 2022, according to a Business Insider Intelligence report. Showing no signs of slowing down, influencer marketing is increasingly becoming a vital strategy for businesses to build brand awareness, generate engagement, attract leads, and drive sales.

What is Influencer Marketing?

Influencer marketing is a form of marketing that employs or engages industry-leading content creators, or influencers, to advocate your business and endorse your products or services. The goal of influencer marketing is to increase the visibility of your company and drive your brand’s message to your target audience via a variety of channels, such as an influencer’s blog and social media platforms (Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, TikTok, etc.).

According to HubSpot, 80 percent of marketers say influencer marketing is effective and helpful in growing their businesses. However, it is important to note that an influencer marketing program is only as results oriented and effective as it is managed. When managed properly, it can expand your reach and produce new, unique and positive results for your business.

Understanding the difference between macro-influencers and micro-influencers is a critical aspect of any successful influencer marketing program. Doing so allows you to determine which form of influencer marketing will be most beneficial for your business and the goals you wish to achieve.

Macro-Influencers vs. Micro-Influencers

Macro-influencers are celebrities and other well-known individuals with broad, diverse audiences of hundreds of thousands to millions of followers. There is no denying that macro-influencers are capable of introducing and promoting brands, products and services to a wide-reaching audience; however, this is not always the best influencer marketing strategy for every business. Not every brand has the budget to engage macro-influencers; and depending on your marketing goals and objectives, smaller-scale influencers may be a better fit for your company.

Micro-influencers, on the other hand, typically have between 1,000 to 100,000 followers. They have more specific and targeted audiences, and are regarded as experts in their respective niches. Not only are micro-influencers considered to be far more accessible, affordable and authentic than macro-influencers, they also drive increased awareness, fans and followers, engagement, website and blog traffic, leads, and sales conversions for brands and businesses of all kinds and sizes.

While a micro-influencer’s number of followers is smaller than that of a macro-influencer, they have proven to achieve similar, if not better, results for businesses and brands. In fact, influencer marketing trends predict micro-influencers will continue to rise in 2021 and are emerging as the most effective influencer marketing strategy. As such, more and more businesses are realizing the importance and value in partnering with influencers who have smaller but highly engaged followings.

Below, we share five of the top benefits of using micro-influencers, as opposed to macro-influencers, to build brand awareness and boost sales for your business in 2021 and beyond.

1. Micro-influencers have higher engagement rates.

Did you know that influencers with smaller followings tend to have higher engagement rates than influencers with larger followings? This statistic may catch you by surprise, but according to Markerly, influencers with a follower base of 10,000 to 100,000 offer the best combination of engagement and broad reach, with like and comment rates that exceed influencers with a higher number of followers.

Although micro-influencers have fewer followers, they hold a large and powerful influence on their tight-knit, loyal communities and audiences. Micro-influencers are much more engaged and able to interact more frequently and authentically with their followers. Conversely, macro-influencers have such large followings that it is difficult to engage every single follower on a personal level. The more influencers interact with their audiences on a genuine level, the more connected, relatable and influential they become in the minds of their followers.

This is one of the best ways micro-influencers can benefit your brand, as partnering with them often yields more impactful results by helping connect your brand, message, product or service with their highly engaged and responsive followers.

2. Micro-influencers reach niche and targeted audiences.

Micro-influencers are seen as industry experts and topic specialists in a particular market, and they reach niche and targeted audiences consisting of people who share the same or similar interests. In contrast, macro-influencers have a much broader audience with diversified interests. Thus, partnering with micro-influencers for brand, product or service promotions instead of macro-influencers is often recommended. Doing so allows you to reach highly engaged followers in a specific niche and easily connect with your target audience, as opposed to getting lost in the masses.

3. Micro-influencers are more affordable.

Incorporating a micro-influencer strategy into your marketing mix can benefit your business’s overall budget. Micro-influencers are far more affordable than celebrities or top-tier influencers with millions of followers. This has encouraged many brands to turn to micro-influencers for collaboration.

More often than not, macro-influencers charge thousands of dollars for a single post promoting a product or service, whereas 97 percent of micro-influencers charge less than $500 for a promotional post. Instead of paying a costly fee for a single, short-lived post from one macro-influencer, consider investing in several different micro-influencers to maximize the benefits and longevity of your influencer marketing program. By doing so, you can reach a larger, more engaged and targeted audience that is more likely to have a true interest in your brand and take action on your products or services.

4. Micro-influencers provide more authentic content.

Micro-influencers generally give the impression of being genuine and trustworthy individuals, as they provide their audiences with more authentic and relatable content. They are very invested in the communities they have created, and their followers look to them for honest reviews and recommendations. Because of this, they are strongly motivated to produce creative, high-quality content that impresses their followers as well as the brands with which they work. In doing so, they are able to deliver your brand’s message in a way that will appeal to and resonate with their followers, ultimately encouraging them to transform into potential customers.

5. Micro-influencers generate higher conversion rates.

Collaborating with micro-influencers is an excellent way to increase your conversion rates. According to a recent study, 82 percent of consumers are highly likely to follow a recommendation made by a micro-influencer. This, in part, goes back to the authenticity factor that we mentioned just above. The suggestions and reviews made by micro-influencers are considered to be candid and sincere by their followers.

A great strategy for this is to create special discount codes or affiliate links for your micro-influencers to share with their followers by way of product reviews, tutorials, sponsored posts, etc. In turn, this will encourage and motivate their audiences to purchase your products or services. As a result, there is a strong likelihood your sales conversion rates will increase.

At Eberly & Collard Public Relations, we develop and manage influencer marketing programs for our clients, and carefully research and vet influencers that are the most beneficial for their brands. Contact us if you are looking to kick-off a new or improve a current influencer marketing program for the new year.

Today’s marketing communications world is more integrated than ever before. Companies and corporations around the globe are recognizing the true value and efficacy of melding various aspects of marketing communications to maintain a consistent corporate identity and brand message across traditional and nontraditional channels. Implementing an integrated marketing approach helps businesses reach and interface with their publics and target audiences through the many networks and formats they use to find and purchase products or services.

Corporate public relations and corporate branding are two aspects of marketing communications that are key to the success of any business or corporation. While these two marketing components have separate definitions, strategies and campaigns, they are far more effective when planned and executed synergistically to market and promote a business’s brand. The integration of corporate public relations and corporate branding can convert leads and prospects into new sales and clients for your business. Therefore, it is important to understand how each of the two activities operates separately as well as how they integrate and work together as a unified force.

What is Corporate Public Relations?

Corporate public relations refers to the practice of establishing and maintaining communication and relationships between a business or brand and its various publics, such as its employees, clients or customers, key stakeholders, investors, the media, and the general public. It also involves creating and cultivating a positive reputation and public perception of a corporation.

From brand storytelling to media relations to crisis communications, corporate public relations comprises a wide range of responsibilities and functions that contribute to a company’s long-term success.

• Brand storytelling: Various methods of communication, including press releases, social media posts, newsletters, etc., can be used to disseminate your brand story and messages.
• Media relations: A corporate public relations department manages requests from the media for information about the company and interviews with key executives and managers, as well as conducts media outreach to garner positive coverage in targeted publications and news outlets.
• Crisis communications: If a crisis arises, a company’s public relations team is typically responsible for initiating and guiding the crisis plan, crafting a strategic statement or response, providing information to the media, preparing messaging points to address important groups with interest or involvement in the organization, and advising the company spokesperson on how to respond to the media appropriately and in a way that provides the public with the facts of the situation and explains how the crisis is being handled.

Your corporate public relations strategies and campaigns should be designed to communicate your company’s mission statement, values, products or services, and achievements to the media and general public. A proactive approach is paramount when it comes to corporate public relations. Proactive public relations strategies entail researching, vetting and acquiring new opportunities that generate exposure and activate thought leadership for your business and brand.

Some great ideas for corporate public relations events and activations you should seek to secure include speaking engagements, panel discussions, webinars, podcasts, industry awards and recognitions, and third-party endorsements. Securing these types of opportunities will allow your target audiences to interface with your business and gain a better understanding of your brand, products or services.

What is Corporate Branding?

Corporate branding refers to the practice of promoting the name of a business or organization as a whole, rather than the name of a specific product or service. It creates a unique corporate identity for your business that reflects the company’s mission, values, character, and culture. This is conveyed through visual and non-visual elements, including your brand colors, logos, taglines, fonts, product packaging, professional service descriptions, website and blog content, tone of voice, etc. Every message you communicate, both internally and externally, reflects your corporate identity.

Understanding the importance of corporate branding versus corporate public relations is essential. From a public relations standpoint, corporate branding develops and maintains a distinguishable corporate identity and consistent brand messaging that shapes how clients and prospects perceive your brand. Ultimately, it helps stimulate brand recognition, trust and conversions. To achieve this, businesses must create and implement well-planned, creative corporate branding strategies and campaigns.

Successful corporate branding strategies will connect your brand with your target audiences. Social media marketing is a great strategy to increase the visibility of your brand and reach potential customers or clients. Building a social media presence and plan for your business offers users the opportunity to discover your brand, learn about your products or services, ask questions, and share feedback. When executed properly, this strategy can drive brand awareness, engagement, website traffic, sales, and more. You can learn how to create an effective social media marketing plan for your business in our blog post written May 29th.

Branded content can also be used as a corporate branding strategy and campaign. Branded content is a powerful tool that can deliver true value, insight and customer service to your target audiences. In today’s digital landscape, especially, branded content can be packaged in a variety of formats, including videos, podcasts, blog posts, case studies, etc. An effective branded content strategy or campaign can further your brand story and communicate important information about your business to your targeted customers or clients. In a previous blog post, we shared five tips to writing branded content that can help you better grasp how to generate sales leads for your business and brand success.

Corporate public relations and corporate branding both focus on keeping a company’s corporate identity aligned with its brand messaging. Therefore, they may naturally overlap at times, but the results are maximized when they are used in unison. Integrating the two practices and executing them simultaneously ensures your corporate identity and brand messaging are consistent across all channels, creating a unified and seamless experience for your publics and target audiences to engage with your brand. In addition, doing so generates sales and customer loyalty for your business’s brand, products or services because the more you consistently meet or exceed your customers’ expectations, the more they will trust and depend on your brand.

The Eberly & Collard Public Relations team specializes in integrated marketing communications, public relations and corporate branding. By creating and managing integrated public relations and branding strategies and campaigns, our firm helps drive interest in and promote positive perceptions of our clients’ businesses, key personnel and product or service offerings. Contact us if you’re seeking to generate authentic connections with your target audiences that lead to winning their respect, earning their trust and gaining their patronage.

The identities of the millions of brands in the global marketplace are as unique as the fingerprints of the billions of people in the world. No matter how similar two brands may be, each has a unique identity, or fingerprint, that makes it distinctive and one-of-a-kind. How do some brand managers strive to have their brands stand out in a crowded market and differentiate their product or service offerings from those of their competitors? While the answer to this involves a complex overview from creative messaging to budgeted output, it all comes down to strategic branding and branded content.

Branding, as defined by the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), is the process of creating and disseminating a brand name. It can be applied to an entire corporate identity as well as to individual product and service names. The process involves producing and communicating creative information about a business’s identity, reputation and what sets it apart from the competition in its specific industry or sector.

Branded content strives to establish professional and emotional connections with consumers and target audiences. It consists of creating content that engages, educates and entertains the consumer, which encourages brand awareness, recognition and trust. Personifying your business and driving connections through story-driven content is essential when building a memorable and reputable brand. Doing so draws people to your company and helps them distinguish your business, products or services from the rest.

Many people may recognize a brand based upon its logo or colors, but it is the content that truly communicates the personality and values of a brand, along with the quality of a product or service. Brainstorming branded content ideas offers the opportunity to define your brand in more detail than just a logo or name. Whether you are creating a tagline or slogan, blog post, newsletter, video, podcast, case study, or other marketing tool, every piece of content you publish reflects your brand. Therefore, while some feel it is easier said than done, it is important to keep your content consistent across all of your branding materials.

Well-written, consistent content can promote brand recognition, leading targeted customers or clients – whether business-to-business or business-to-consumer – to associate the content with your brand and the specific products or services your business offers. Effective branded content can inform, improve or reinforce consumer perception of your brand and, more purposefully, what it stands for. Furthermore, content consistency can enhance and grow your business by promoting your unique brand identity and making your brand become more recognizable and favorable to your target audience.

Here are five tips to writing branded content that can help you better grasp how to generate sales leads for your business and brand success.

Tip #1: Develop and uphold brand standards.

Writing branded content starts with developing brand standards, which are a set of guidelines on how your brand should be represented and communicated to your target audience as well as the general public. Your brand standards and guidelines should serve as a resource, both internally and externally, offering information and instructions on how to properly use all brand assets. From logos and typography to mission statements and messaging, it is important to align all aspects of your brand, so it comes across in a uniform manner to your targets, and, ultimately, so your brand identity, values and products or services are reflected accurately.

Many ask, “Do I need a brand standards guide?” The answer is a resounding, yes. Once your brand standards have been developed, you can and should utilize and refer to them when writing branded content for your business. By implementing your new brand standards, you can ensure the content being written is on-brand and properly emulates your brand identity. Since your business is built upon its brand identity, upholding your brand standards will allow you to present a consistent and cohesive brand to the public.

Tip #2: Communicate your brand story and key messages.

Your brand story and key messages can shape how consumers perceive and interact with your business. Taking the time to craft a creative, authentic brand story and communicate your key messages can influence, encourage and enable consumers to form a personal connection with your brand. Delivering a strong brand story and story-driven content can reinforce your brand identity, values and persona without making your target audience feel as though you are trying to “sell” them on your products or services. Rather, you will be offering real value and insight into your business, which motivates consumers to engage and connect with your content, brand and personnel.

By repeating your story and key messages across all forms of branded content, you will instill your brand identity in the minds of consumers every time they see your logo, visit your website, read your blog, view your advertisements, read your news, and receive your email campaigns. As a result, they will remember your brand and positively associate your content with the products or services you provide, giving your business the competitive advantage it needs to stand out and succeed.

Tip #3: Avoid jargon and focus on clarity.

Clarity is key when it comes to writing effective branded content. Messages can be obscured by jargon, slang and buzzwords, causing the content to be confusing and difficult to read or understand. The goal is to create straightforward and readable pieces of content that are well-written and have the consumer or your ideal client in mind. Your branded content should be catered to your target audience, and you should use natural language to communicate true value through individual thoughts or ideas.

If you keep your messages clear and concise, consumers will gain a better understanding of what exactly you are communicating. Plus, the messages will come across as more powerful, effective and credible.

If your objective is to draw leads and prospects, the goal should include writing genuine content with unparalleled resources and insights from your company thought leaders. To achieve this, put your writing through a phased approach to evaluation and proofing. Given you have a meaningful and grammatical handle on the content, consider beginning with the quintessential outline that takes into account intended content that exudes value and interest, punctuated with well-researched words and phrases to grab the attention of your audience.

Writing engaging content customers can find online is part of the project. Then, it must draw them in within seconds and hold their attention long enough to appreciate what your brand has to say and offer. One without the other does not cut to the chase of results-oriented content.

Tip #4: Maintain a consistent brand voice.

As we touched on earlier in this blog post, brand consistency leads to brand recognition. Thus, maintaining a consistent brand voice and tone is crucial when writing branded content. It is essential to have an established, distinct voice because it makes your brand, products and services highly identifiable to your target audience and the public.

If you are still in the process of building your brand voice, asking yourself the following questions may help you establish it:

• How would you describe your brand in three words?
• How will you incorporate those traits into your brand messaging strategy?
• How will you communicate and deliver those messages to your target audience?

A consistent tone of voice creates a strong brand for your business and positions your company as a trustworthy resource in your field of expertise. If your voice is rooted in your unique brand identity, your content and messaging can grab attention, strengthen relationships and build affinity with your target audience over time. The more consistent your brand voice is, the more distinguishable and trusted your branded content will be in the eyes of consumers.

Tip #5: Optimize your content for SEO.

Search engine optimization (SEO) helps your target audience discover your content. We recommend optimizing branded content by including keywords and phrases that are unique and relevant to your brand. Doing so will help people find information about your business, products or services when they search online. By infusing your branded content with SEO, you can maximize the visibility of your brand and broaden your audience and reach.

When optimizing branded content, think about what your brand offers and how your products or services can provide solutions to the problems or challenges consumers or your wish list of clients may face. Then, consider the possible, practical words and phrases your target audience might enter into the search engines to find products or services such as yours. Be innovative with your SEO-focused content, and research and include key words and phrases your targets may search online when they are looking for ideas or solutions like the ones your business provides. As you plan your content, you can and should consistently target words and phrases with high search rankings and applicability to your area of expertise. In time, the result will yield content that is easier for your audience to locate.

Incorporating SEO into your content can not only increase search traffic and brand awareness, it can also create a positive brand experience for your potential customers or clients and compel them to make a purchase.

At Eberly & Collard Public Relations, we design brand-building programs and campaigns that include comprehensive solutions, strategies and standards; are client-customized; and offer returns-on-investment. Our branding team produces creative concepts that serve as baselines for yielding tangible results via marketplaces in which our clients are attempting to progress their business objectives. Contact us to learn more about our strategic branding services.

If you are a business owner or leader, chances are you have heard of public relations and media relations. These two terms are often thought of as the same thing and may even be used interchangeably. However, while public relations and media relations overlap in certain ways, they possess different meanings and involve different processes and strategies.

For businesses looking to launch a public relations and/or media relations program, it is important to first understand the difference between the two and the ways in which each can benefit your brand or business.

What is Public Relations?

According to the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), public relations is a strategic communication process that builds mutually beneficial relationships between businesses or organizations and their publics. At its core, it involves interfacing with a company’s key stakeholders and target audiences through various channels to shape the public perception of a business or brand. To do so, public relations specialists help businesses craft and share powerful brand stories and messages, conduct market research, identify industry trends, develop thought leadership, and plan and implement effective public relations campaigns.

In our professional experience, physical, in-person events are one of the most effective public relations strategies for businesses to increase visibility, share key messages, connect with target audiences, and attain new business. Plus, it provides the opportunity for you to place your company, products or professional services in the public eye and allow consumers to experience them in real-life, real-time environments. A public relations firm can help explore and secure opportunities for your brand or business to get involved in industry or consumer-based events. Whether it is a panel discussion, speaking engagement, book signing, sponsorship, business or product launch, private or public activity, etc., participating in events can promote your brand, product line or service offer, and, furthermore, position your company’s personnel as experts within your industry or field of practice.

However, due to the coronavirus pandemic, most in-person events have been cancelled or postponed until further notice. In the meantime, many businesses have transformed their physical events into digital experiences using online technologies. Virtual events, such as webinars, virtual trade shows, online conferences, and virtual product launches and tours, have become the norm for the time being.

In-person events will eventually return. But, until then, businesses should leverage virtual events and digital opportunities to stay involved, connected and engaged with existing and potential partners, investors, philanthropists, partisans, customers, and clients.

Public relations can involve any number of supplemental strategies and tactics to influence or persuade key contacts to evoke or evolve their ways of thinking, become loyal to a brand, support a cause, make purchasing decisions, or switch from one allegiance to another. How, when and with whom to go about executing public relations campaigns that generate positive results and minimize risks, is a matter of creative and clever planning. An appraisal of intended cause and effect with a seasoned public relations specialist is a wise and preliminary component at the onset.

There are several advantages of public relations. When performed properly, it can build and maintain a positive image and reputation for your brand, generate business leads and sales, and establish a strong online presence, allowing you to further interface and engage with your target audiences. You can learn more about why public relations is essential for businesses in our blog post written May 22nd.

What is Media Relations?

Media relations is an aspect of public relations. At Eberly & Collard Public Relations, we define media relations as a professional activity that generates mutually beneficial associations between public relations specialists or publicists and editors, reporters, journalists, industry or public bloggers and influencers, and other members of the media, with a strategic goal of reaching audiences through newsworthy messages and stories of public or industry interest.

According to the PRSA, the function includes seeking publicity for a business or organization and responding to requests and questions from journalists on behalf of the business or organization. Maintaining up-to-date media lists and a strong knowledge of media audience interests are necessities when it comes to media relations success.

When compared to public relations, which uses multiple channels to communicate key messages, media relations is different in that it only uses one, albeit wide, channel of communication, being the press. Companies use media relations in an effort to secure coverage of their brand’s story, and other business or organizational messages, in the news; this can achieve desirable distribution among and cognizance on the parts of targets. Public relations comprises developing key messages and communicating them to or with stakeholders, such as employees, customers, communities, shareholders, and others in order to build relationships and trust.

Media relations requires managing relationships with relevant and appropriate print, online and broadcast media outlets, and strategically communicating your company’s compelling and newsworthy messages, stories, case-studies, and prudent information. This, in turn, motivates media members to share your company news and content with their readers, listeners, viewers, and followers, providing your brand an opportunity to reach and gain exposure to a larger and often highly coveted audience.

Earned media (or publicity) is a media relations essential. It is achieved or secured editorial content regarding the news, activities, thought leadership, etc. of a business or organization that is published by editors, reporters, journalists, and other members of the media as well as industry or public bloggers and influencers. Simply put, earned media refers to the media coverage you earn through effective media relations and outreach. In a previous blog post, we defined and discussed earned media, and included 5 tips to earn media coverage for your business or brand.

Incorporating a results-oriented media relations strategy into your overall public relations plan can bring many benefits to your business. Doing so builds brand awareness and increases credibility and trust among your publics and target audiences. Enlightening members of the media about your business news focuses upon sound media relations, such that magazine editors, television network or program producers, journalists, and others are compelled to report or comminate it to their audiences. This is one of the most effectual means to gaining third-party endorsements and positive reviews for your business, products or services, which influences and increases the positive behavior and purchasing decisions of existing and potential customers or clients.

Whether you are just getting started with public relations and media relations or have been implementing them for years, understanding the difference between the two and the ways in which each can benefit your brand or business is essential in order to reach challenging business goals.

From business-to-business (B2B) to business-to-consumer (B2C) brands, the Eberly & Collard Public Relations team prides itself in developing, executing and managing strategic public relations and media relations programs that help our clients achieve measurable results toward their communication, sales and marketing objectives. Please contact us if you are interested in learning more about our creative and comprehensive public relations and media relations services.