Influencer Marketing beyond Social Media This article was originally featured in Issue 13 of Benchmark Magazine, Titans of Search. 

Myth: Influencers are only effective on social media
Reality: Influencer marketing has been around much longer than Social Media, and continues to be an effective form of marketing across multiple channels

An enticing individual that influences others to take a specific path, or engage in a behaviour they might not otherwise do – a siren, right? Or in the modern world, we might call them Influencers.

The sirens of Social Media, influencers, are individuals who have built a level of credibility in a specialised niche, earning a significant number of followers who they have sway or influence over, in regards to engaging in a behaviour, taking specific action, or making a purchase decision. Digital marketers collaborate with influencers who operate within their niche, and use their authentic and engaging relationship with their followers to promote their products or services and expand their reach.

Whilst partnering with Influencers to gain access to a mutual target audience on social channels can be beneficial on its own, can these social sirens use their influential powers beyond the familiar waters of Social Media?

Constructing a heroes strategy: redefining influencer marketing Whilst the term ‘Influencer Marketing’ may have become popular with the rise of Social Media, the concept of collaborating with influential people to promote your brand long predates this.

Digital marketers have been collaborating with bloggers, or have sought celebrity endorsements for decades before Social Media marketing was mainstream. Now, when we think about Influencers, our mind automatically turns to Social Media, however traditional influencer collaborations are far from ancient history.

Digital podcasts and webinars Including Influencers in digital content creation can be a good way to entice your target audience to explore your brand beyond Social Media channels, and direct additional traffic to your website.

Hosting a webinar, or podcast on your website and inviting an influencer to be a part of the discussion can be beneficial for your brands in several ways:

Promotion of your content across channels other than your own by asking the influencer to invite their followers Increasing the authority of your content by associating with a figure known to be a leader in your common niche Expanding your target audience for your digital content by encouraging the influencers followers to interact and engage Guest blogs, and website contributions Another way to drive Social Media traffic to your website through Influencer collaborations is by inviting them to write a guest blog, or contribute to website content. This type of collaboration can benefit your brand in a similar way to those mentioned above.

Real-time engagement at events Some influencers have become so well known that their status is akin to that of a ‘celebrity’.

As an example of this, in the 2023 series of the popular British reality TV show, I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here, Nella Rose, an online personality known for her lifestyle vlog on YouTube, joined the cast as a contestant.

Furthermore, in recent years internet personalities have been receiving invitations to some of the most A-list events on the social calendar – including the Met Gala, the Oscars, and the Grammys.

Inviting influencers to attend as a guest to your brand events, to engage real-time with your audience could have a profound effect. The presence of celebrity-like individuals can significantly enhance the visibility and credibility of your event, and their endorsement can lend an air of desirability to your brand.

As an additional benefit, influencers are skilled at creating engaging content that resonates with the audience you are trying to target. They are likely to generate engaging content leading up to, during, and after the event. This can generate a buzz or excitement, as they share their experiences with their followers across their social channels.

Product collaborations In recent years, brands have been collaborating with influencers to develop certain products or collections – much like they have with celebrities in the past. Some of the more popular Mega Influencer examples include:

Madison Fisher & SHEIN: Lifestyle and mum blogger, Madison Fisher, collaborated with fast fashion clothing brand SHEIN to create a stylish and affordable mum&me summer clothing collection.

Molly Mae & PrettyLittleThing: Molly Mae, fashion influencer and Love Island star, partnered with PrettyLittleThing to collaborate on a range of stylish clothing items suitable for a number of different occasions, and seasons.

Stacey Soloman & Primark: Mum influencer, and reality TV star Stacey Soloman teamed up with Primark to release a range of kids clothing and accessories, including matching sibling outfits for boys, girls, and babies.

Affiliate marketing A final way you could involve an influencer with promoting your products or services is through Affiliate Marketing. This is where you provide influencers with a link to a product or service of yours that they use in their daily lives, and if they promote the product on their platform they can share an affiliate link; they will then make a small commission against any conversions that are made through that link.

Navigating uncharted waters: how to approach influencer marketing for your brand So, you’re enticed by the sirens of Social Media? But what is the best way to navigate the waters of Influencer Marketing without going out of your depth?

Influencer categories There are several types of influencer categories.

Nano: below 10k followers Micro: between 10k to