Winter 2019 - Inside Outdoor Magazine

Inside Outdoor | WINTER 2019 26 posts, however, stemmed from fraudu- lent accounts. Now, Instagram is ramping up its ef- forts to identify users who skirt around their strict guidelines. Instagram has promised to start preventing inauthen- tic — or paid — likes, comments and follows. The company is using machine learning tools to identify and eliminate nefarious activity. Naturally, Instagram’s influencer community is spooked about this. Likes, comments and follows are the currency of Instagram. Influencers require actual influence to generate advertising dollars from brands, which is why many take the easy way out by paying to enhance their presence. At this point, we’re still waiting to see how far Instagram will go in its mission to limit fraudulent activity. As of right now, there are still plenty of services available offering cheap ac- cess to large numbers of followers. And with more than one billion global users, it’s hard to envision Instagram putting a stop to the practice entirely. It’s possible that the crackdown could be more of a scare tactic than any- thing, but this remains to be seen. A Bigger Issue In the meantime, there’s yet an- other growing problem that brand influ- encers and marketers have to contend with: Waning consumer interest in pro- motional content. Bazaarvoice, for instance, polled more than 4,000 consumers across Europe and found that 62 percent feel influencer content takes advantage of impressionable audiences by being too materialistic and misrepresent- ing real life. Germans are especially sensitive to influencer content, as 32 percent believe that influencers do not promote ethical behavior. Carmichael Lynch, meanwhile, found that more than a third of women said they think influencers are dishonest when con- tent is sponsored. Questions of integrity aside, many consumers are also flat out tired of see- ing promotional content in their news feeds. Bazaarvoice, for instance, found that 47 percent of respondents were tired of seeing repetitive content; and 23 percent have noticed declining quality. Ultimately, creating content that is consistent, compelling and creative is hard work. It’s difficult to stand out, es- pecially in the outdoor industry, which tends to be an echo chamber on social media. And while it’s tough to create im- pactful content in-house, it can be even harder working with an influencer be- cause it typically requires surrendering a certain amount of creative control to an individual or an agency. For this reason, influencer marketing is almost always used as a supplementary strategy. Getting Started Despite these concerns, influ- encer marketing remains a relatively low risk for brands. It’s also a natu- ral fit for the outdoor industry, and it can be incredibly effective when it’s done right which is why so many companies are looking to get their products into the hands of influential athletes, activists, gearheads and fashion trendsetters. Seven in 10 millennial consumers, after all, are influenced by the recommendations of their peers. The influencer marketing strategy you choose will largely depend on the size and scope of your budget and campaign. Some brands choose to work with agencies for a streamlined approach, while others choose to in- dependently discover and work with brand influencers. Working with an agency is typically more expensive but will take the heavy lifting out of finding talent, tracking per- formance and providing fair compen- sation. Plus, it comes with access to experts who can help form campaigns and communicate with influencers. Here are some tips to consider if you decide to form your own influencer marketing strategy: Choose carefully: An influencer can be literally anyone who has an au- dience and a voice. It can be a celebri- ty, or a non-celebrity. An influencer can be any age and from any demographic. Before you reach out to an in- fluencer, make sure that person is someone that you trust and want to represent your company, as he or she will become a direct extension of your brand. Your marketing team should also take a hard look at the individual’s content and audience, and their performance over time. Make sure that the person consis- tently posts interesting, engaging Buyer’s Side What are your greatest challenges with influencer programs? (Retail executives, check all that apply) Ability to assess value/ROI 57% Quality – ability to engage with right influencers 50% Cost 47% Determining percentage of marketing budget vs other marketing efforts 33% Source: Retail Touchpoints What are the biggest benefits of using influencers? (Retail executives, check all that apply) Sales/Revenue increases 58% Customer acquisition 53% Social content increase 50% Site traffic increase 40% Email list growth 33% Customer retention increase 23% CLV improvement 18% Loyalty program membership increase 15% Source: Retail Touchpoints