Ever since the exponential growth of social media, Influencer Marketing has transformed the marketing realm of global brands and businesses. In this social-media-driven world, the influencer marketing campaign has become the most impactful way for brands and business entities to reach more people and target audiences. Social media influencers have drastically transformed the overall marketing game. Influencer marketings are the present and the future of marketing strategies.
A survey conducted by Mediakix observes that 89% of marketers believe that influencer marketing drives better ROI than traditional and age-old marketing strategies. In addition, Influencer Marketing Hub conducted a study and examined that over the last few years, Google searches for the phrase ‘influencer marketing” have risen by 1500%- a huge number. What do these statistics mean? Influencer Marketing campaigns top the priority list of brands and businesses across the globe.
The social media sphere is filled with numerous platforms. Among them, TikTok and Instagram have been considered the most effective platforms to design and execute an influencer marketing campaign. Social media platforms are being regularly updated and enhanced to suit content creators and brands. Updated algorithms and technical advancements are giving considerable leverage to influencers and businesses. Consider this. Mediakix observes in another independent study that Instagram is the most robust and effective medium for Influencer Marketing, followed by YouTube and Facebook.
Additional research shows that 39% of Instagram accounts that are regularly active belong to influencers. Among them, approximately 81% of them have a follower count that ranges from 10,000-15,000. With each passing year, the number of people who register themselves on any social media platform is drastically increasing. While 5.7% of India’s population possessed an Instagram account in January 2020, the number rose to 12.7% by June 2021.
What do these numbers suggest? An increased number of social media followers means that brands will be more inclined to use influencer marketing for promotional content and to attain significant brand reach. However, brands must execute a precisely designed influencer marketing campaign to attain the desired results. If you are a brand who is yet to implement an influencer campaign, what can help you to make it successful?
A careful study of influencer campaigns by top-tier brands will provide adequate insights. Here is a brief study of the BMW influencer campaign and how it strengthens the fact that Car Or automobile brands need influencer marketing.
The Bmw Influencer Campaign
The main objective of the BMW influencer campaign was to reach a new demographic, which included the young and digitally- driven modern young adults aged between 18-26. The BMW influencer marketing campaign wanted to appeal to both young men and women who are passionate about securing a luxurious future. However, to that, the brand had to come out of its usual comfort zone.
BMW wanted to reach a younger audience, and hence it went the extra mile and enhanced its promotional strategies. What did the brand do? It stepped into the enormous world named TikTok. What type of content did the brand choose? BMW influencer marketing campaign was designed around a dance challenge that helped them reach a wide arrow of their target audiences.
BMW influencer marketing campaign involved collaborations with famous TikTokers like @falcopunch and @skyandtami, and the campaign was named #THE1challenge. The dance challenge involved influencers asking their followers to choreograph their dance steps inside or around the BMW 1 series car.
How was this type of content effective? BMW’s target audience consisted of millennials and Gen-Z. They were people who spent a lot of time on their screens and social media. Also, most of them own high-end smartphones, which is a clear indication of purchasing power. Hence, the dance challenge was the perfect influencer marketing strategy for BMW.
What was the result of the campaign? The campaign got over a million likes, 7400 comments, and more than 7 million views on TikTok. The BMW influencer marketing campaign was a huge success.
Key Takeaways From The BMW Influencer Marketing Campaign
The key point of focus in the BMW influencer marketing campaign is the identification of their target audience. The brand knew where to find its audiences, on which social media platform they spend most of their time, and what type of content interests them and perfectly blends with the vibe of the platform. That led the brand to team up with the correct influencers.
If the primary objective of your influencer campaign is similar to that of BMW, namely, to reach a new demographic, what can you do? You will have to come out of your comfort zone. Change your marketing techniques and strategies to suit the interests of your desired demographic. BMW did that and hence jumped into the world of TikTok.
Analyze about which social platforms your target audience uses the most and design the influencer marketing campaign based on that. Every social media platform has a different algorithm and is dominated by a different type of content. Also, every platform has different trends. Hence, leverage the platform that your target audience uses the most.
Collaborate with both popular influencers and micro and nano influencers for maximum reach and engagement. While well-known top-tier influencers have a large reach and similar audiences as your brand, micro-influencers will help you to reach newer sections of the audience. Your influencer marketing campaign can gain maximum views and engagement when you collaborate with the perfect set of influencers.
Every platform is different in terms of features, factors that drive engagement, looks, and more. Hence, design your campaign and sponsored content to match the aesthetics and features of the platform in which you will execute your campaign. The BMW influencer marketing campaign perfectly did that. Since TikTok is widely famous for challenges which often involved music and dance, BMW leveraged that to execute its campaign.
Why Are Car Brands Inclined Towards Influencer Marketing?
Car brands or the automobile industry are employing influencer marketing strategies for the following reasons:
- To Drive Brand Awareness
The automobile industry is highly competitive. Hence, every car brand has to ensure that it is always ahead in the game. The metrics and standards are higher for luxury car brands like BMW. Hence, car brands have to keep reaching more and more people and driving their brand awareness. Influencer Marketing is an excellent strategy that will help car brands to enhance their online presence. Influencer campaigns and brand endorsements can reach a wider audience and drive brand awareness of the automobile business.
- For Precise Targeting
A car company can reach the target audience when it creates curiosity and awareness about car models that suit the audience’s budget, lifestyle, and technical preferences. To do so, car brands have to partner with influencers who are the same audience base as their target audience. Hence, influencers are the perfect medium for car brands to reach the target audience.
- For Creative Content Strategy
Brochures, TV advertisements, and celebrity endorsements belong to the past. Social media applications like TikTok and Instagram provide abundant technical features and resources to create and present innovative content. Car brands can provide visuals of their car models, give a demo video of how the car runs, and provide information about their offering through long and short-format videos, reels, and pictures. After all, unique and innovative content appeals to audiences!
- Impact On The GenZ
A study conducted by Gen Video observes that 33% of GenZ kids and young adults make decisions based on the recommendations and suggestions of social media influencers. If car brands want to make an early impression on today’s generation and earn its trust, influencer marketing is a perfect way. That is why several car brands are collaborating with influencers.
Conclusion
Influencer marketing has a plethora of benefits to offer to the automobile industry and several other businesses from different sectors. Hence, the question isn’t about the effectiveness of influencer marketing campaigns. Rather, it is about how and to what extent this new form of marketing can be leveraged and made more creative and exciting. The digital world is transforming at a humongous pace. Hence, car brands aren’t wasting time in having their voice heard through age-old marketing techniques. They are relying on the robust and effective new-age marketing technique called influencer marketing.