Influencer Marketing: Off-Page Optimization Technique

Off-Page Optimization

Off- page optimization consists of all the actions a company takes outside of their own website to improve search engine results. Examples of off- page optimization techniques include content marketing, link building, social media, influencer marketing, and blogging. “Off-page SEO is tremendously valuable because it tells search engines that your website is important to others on the web. Every link that you receive acts as an endorsement from another source that your website is quality” (WebFX, 2022). Influencer marketing is a successful technique that has begun to take over social media. Brands like HelloFresh have capitalized on influencer marketing while brands like Zara still haven’t found ways to incorporate it into their marketing strategy. This blog will discuss the importance of influencer marketing, examples of brands that use it, and what to avoid with this off page technique. 

 

About Influencer Marketing

Influencer marketing is when brands use celebrities or individuals with a high number of followers to promote a product. Brands will select these influencers based on their target audience and who they want to reach out to. “Influencer marketing works because of the high amount of trust that social influencers have built up with their following, and recommendations from them serve as a form of social proof to your brand’s potential customers” (Chen, 2020). 

Example of Influencer Marketing

HelloFresh is a meal kit delivery service that focuses most of their marketing on influencers. HelloFresh provides customers with all the ingredients to cook healthy meals, along with a step-by-step instruction manual that’s super easy to follow. “By using social media influencers, Hello Fresh is able to gain the attention of audiences that they may not be able to reach on their own. The influencers that Hello Fresh works with showcase their product in an incredibly authentic way. The creators often tie personal stories or lifestyles into the collaborations, which adds a more personal element to their partnerships” (Julius, 2017). Influencers that have worked with HelloFresh include Jessie James Decker, Emilie Hebert, and Audrina Patridge. HelloFresh influencers vary and often show a promo code customers can use to get a discount on their first order. Along with promo codes, hashtags like #hellofreshpartner and #freshfriends are used. HelloFresh has been very successful with this strategy and continues to find influencers to promote their meal kit. 

 

Zara

One of the companies I’ve been researching this semester is Zara. Zara is a fast fashion retailer known for their affordable and trendy clothing. Zara currently doesn’t use influencer marketing, but they do have a lot of customers constantly posting clothing hauls on TikTok. I believe if Zara incorporated influencer marketing into their marketing strategy, they would see a jump in sales and brand exposure. A lot of people don’t even know Zara exists, if Zara focused on selecting appropriate influencers for their audience, it could be super beneficial in the future. Zara could do this by getting creative with brand deals on their Instagram page. Right now, it’s strictly products on models and not much variation. According to the Digital Marketing Institute, “70% of teens trust influencers more than traditional celebrities” (Digital Marketing Institute, 2021). 

 

Expected Benefit

Influencer marketing allows brands to reach larger audiences and expand positioning in the market. A lot of social media users have influencers they feel like they can trust, if they see those influencers post about a specific brand or product they use, it is more likely they will be interested in the brand as well. According to Jacinda Santora from Influencer Marketing Hub, “The market grew from $1.7 billion in 2016 to $9.7 billion in 2020. In 2021, it soared to $1.8 billion, indicating steady growth. This year, the market is projected to expand to a whopping $16.4 billion industry” (Santora, 2022). It is no question that this off- page optimization strategy is booming and will continue to be a popular technique for brands in the future of social media marketing. 

According to Influencer Marketing Agency, 10 benefits of influencer marketing:

1.     Improve brand awareness

2.     Provide vast visibility and reach

3.     Help your brand build trust and show authority

4.     Effortlessly reach your target audience and drive purchasing decisions

5.     Connect your brand to millennial and Gen Z consumers

6.     Provide long- term benefits

7.     Relationships

8.     Set trends

9.     Drive conversions

10.  Great for lead generation

 

(Influencer Marketing Agency, 2021).

 

What to Avoid

To see success with influencer marketing, it’s important for brands to set goals and understand who their target audience is, and which influencers can provide the best audience for them. Also, choosing an appropriate compensation model for influencers. “The right compensation model can get you a long way with your influencer marketing campaign. But choosing one that doesn’t fit your budget and goals could result in huge losses” (Barker, 2022). Some brands run into the issue of influencers that are too staged with products which makes it look less genuine. An influencer marketing fail was when Scott Disick posted for a workout tea shake company and directly copied and pasted the email from the company on the caption of the photo. This is a failure because it doesn’t feel genuine from Scott Disick and is obvious, he’s only doing this for the money, not because he loves the brand. 

Conclusion

Overall, influencer marketing is an off- page optimization technique that can help companies grow tremendously. "Influencer marketing related companies grew by 26% worldwide in 2021" (Santora, 2022). This technique probably isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. Brands can see success through this strategy by setting goals, creating appropriate compensation plans, and keeping posts as genuine and real as possible through influencers. HelloFresh is a brand that has followed these guidelines and experienced amazing success through this strategy while Boo Tea Shake experienced a failure when Scott Disick posted the email directly onto his Instagram caption. Zara is a successful brand that has yet to incorporate influencer marketing into their strategy. I believe if Zara focused on influencer marketing on their Instagram page, they would see a lot more brand exposure and overall success on social media.

 

 

References

 

Barker, S. (2022). 5 Influencer Marketing Mistakes You Shouldn’t Waste Your Money On. https://shanebarker.com/blog/influencer-marketing-campaign-mistakes/

Chen. J. (2020). What is Influencer Marketing: How to develop your strategy? Sprout Social. https://sproutsocial.com/insights/influencer-marketing/

 

Global Marketing Institute. (2021). 20 Surprising Influencer Marketing Statistics. https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/blog/20-influencer-marketing-statistics-that-will-surprise-you

 

Julius. (2017). Taking a Look at Hello Fresh’s Influencer Strategy. Medium. https://medium.com/juliusworks/taking-alook-at-hello-freshs-influencer-strategy-35151b96d184

 

Santora, J. (2022). Key Influencer Marketing Statistics You Need to Know for 2022. Influencer Marketing Hub. https://influencermarketinghub.com/influencer-marketing-statistics/

 

WebFX. (2022). What is Off-Page SEO? WebFX. https://www.webfx.com/seo/glossary/what-is-off-page-seo/