Influencer marketing is one of the new forms of advertising and is becoming more and more popular as well as criticism. More and more companies, especially from the fashion and product industries, are making use of this trend and you can already find some success stories. But can this model also be exciting for medium-sized companies or IT companies? Does it make sense for cool Youtubers or hip Instagramers to promote your company?

what is influencer marketing?

In influencer marketing, bloggers or youtubers, i.e. high-reach opinion makers, are used to strengthen a company or product through an article or targeted contribution. So it is primarily about using the trust of the influencer to send a brand message. Usually, companies pay a sum of money for this or the influencer receives the company’s products for free.
An influencer can be someone who runs a blog, Instagram or Youtube channel. Not every influencer makes sense for your company. For example, a Youtuber for cosmetics is probably not the first choice for an IT company or sporting goods manufacturer. Especially in B2B, influencers can also be book authors or keynote speakers. Companies also ask me regularly. For example, I often receive copies of books or requests for guest articles.
My tip: you can too turn your own employees into influencers

Examples of influencer marketing

Many companies now use so-called influencers. For example, Neckermann relies on BibisBeautyPalace, which has more than 4 million followers on YouTube. The influencer debated Neckermann’s offers in her videos and achieved more than 155,000 likes on Facebook for the company.
Levis also regularly uses influencers on Instagram and Snapchat. These post against free products, photos with the products (jeans, shirts, …) of the brand. After fans then ask: Where did the influencer get these great jeans from, the link is posted. In this way, the brand avoids negative criticism due to too much advertising or the abuse of the influencer. Adidas itself often makes use of celebrities or sports stars who visibly wear the Adidas brand.
Tip: I’ll be happy to help you Marketing for your company

Conclusion: influencer marketing for IT and medium-sized companies

The question now remains whether this type of marketing can also be worthwhile for an IT service provider or medium-sized company in the B2B area. To the extent that it is currently being done in the examples, I don’t think that’s particularly useful. However, I noticed something:
In fact, medium-sized companies have been doing influencer marketing for a long time. For example, companies report in large newspapers about guest articles from successful projects or have well-known book authors write about practical examples in their companies. The fact is that customers of B2B companies usually read books and newspapers and attend conferences. So it could target the following influencer marketing:

  • Guest articles in newspapers
  • Practical examples in books
  • Mention of keynote speakers

Last but not least, the tip is to approach this type of marketing very carefully, as it is always a battle for credibility. Under no circumstances should it be too flashy, populist or even too utopian. Otherwise, as in many examples, it can have the opposite effect. Nevertheless, the use of such influencers can be a good building block in a company’s marketing mix. You can also read other articles that can also help you with your marketing.
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Author

I blog about the influence of digitalization on our working world. For this purpose, I provide content from science in a practical way and show helpful tips from my everyday professional life. I am an executive in an SME and I wrote my doctoral thesis at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg at the Chair of IT Management.

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