The Role of Influencer Marketing in Driving eCommerce Sales

It’s official: eCommerce influencer marketing is here to stay. Why? We guess it’s because it’s done a pretty good job. (expected to be worth $21.1 billion this year) Yes, some of us are still fond of the good, old ways – email, display ads, paid media, and organic search; however, this stellar strategy has proven to be one of the fastest-evolving and most essential channels for driving acquisition.

Let’s face it: online business is a risk. (edge-of-your-seat uncertainty; Hitchcockian suspense of a distinct kind) At this point, the ones who proudly say, “No, I got this,” and give leveraging influencer marketing a hard pass will probably regret it. – and sooner than later. Online business owners know the ever-shifting animal we call the “internet”; the largest virtual gladiator arena our earthly planes have ever seen. Ride or die. Sell or pack your virtual bags. What’s it going to be? That is all you need to know about the role of influencer marketing in driving eCommerce sales.

Defining eCommerce Influencer Marketing

So, what is influencer marketing? It’s the new word-of-mouth strategy that works brilliantly and almost effortlessly. In modern-day terms, it’s what we could define as the practice of collaborating with well-established social media personalities of influence, i.e., influencers. In what ways does a collaboration of this format help online businesses? Influencers hold the key to the kingdom. They own the metaverse. “Hail, digital Ceasar!” What are they good at? They can help any business owner differentiate their store from competitors; they can directly contribute to growing your online brand and presence within a blink of an eye. Overnight praise and worship. – It’s true. They are allowed; the reins are in their hands. Influencer marketing aims to utilize their social media “following” pool and gain an instant audience for your product.

So, for example, if you’re a startup clothing brand, a sensible marketing strategy would be to find a compatible fashion influencer (the one that suits your “style niche”) across various social media platforms and engage them in testing your product. Their job is to spread the word and attract the audience the brand is targeting. People follow influencers whose interests match their own – as a source of identification, inspiration, and “trending” guidance. We can go as far as to say – influencers are modern-day preachers. Their ability to amass an audience is a digital miracle of biblical proportions.

Front row

Influencer marketing can get you places; it enables you to generate sales and ensure a loyal (and, above all, relevant) audience. Online store owners experience uncertainty daily. With an ever-changing online market, no one is exempt from extinction. – like we said, a modern-day gladiator arena. The survival of the fittest. 24/7,  365. As we’ve witnessed brand giants collapsing, it’s safe to say. Nobody’s safe – especially the underdogs. Today, any business without a well-thought-out futureproof strategy is inherently diagnosed with the “set-up-to-fail syndrome.” And it’s that easy. It can happen overnight. Poof. Gone. Everything you’ve worked for. Owners are perpetually overconsumed by many burning decisions and immediate actions to be taken – because the overtone of “tick-tock, tick-tock” makes its presence known without mercy. The end might be approaching.

Stocking, putting the right products on the market, selling – uncertainty rides high, and it’s only a fraction of what a successful, small online business entails. Then we have SEO, accounting (the boring stuff, yes), shipping costs – and last but not least – digital marketing. It’s a lot for human shoulders to carry. – and that’s precisely the role of influencer marketing in driving eCommerce sales – they can help you turn your target audience into customers quicker.

Micro-influencers enjoy great power

So, this is the thing; eCommerce stores have a thing called “budget,” so partnering up with moguls may be a farfetched idea – just a tad bit, as it could cost hundreds of thousands of dollars – and most online stores don’t have the financial means to bring the intended partnership into life. – And that’s okay. That’s why digital gods gave us micro-influencers. Let’s not let the prefix fool us – micro is more than good when it comes to driving eCommerce sales, and more than affordable. They might be micro, but they sure pack big. What’s the catch? – Unlike most celebrities, smaller influencers enjoy a much more refined audience niche, meaning your brand may benefit even more from teaming up with them, as their business is exactly what your business needs – finding the perfect clientele. It’s a match.

People trust influencers

What’s the key takeaway from this type of marketing? – Trust, of course. How do we know that? We have studies that prove that 92% (what?! – yes.) of digital consumers trust influencers over – guess who? Celebrities. Why? Because they’re human beings, their existence is tangible, and their lives are relatable. And nothing sells better than a successful projection. Additionally, they are authentic, unlike celebrities whose realm of existence is far from accessible to the average mortal. People don’t trust celebrities. They trust people like you and me. The role of an influencer is to engage the audience through authenticity, and they do so by offering a sense of real connection between the consumer and the brand. They are what we’d call – a vessel, and people trust their judgment infallibly.

Finally

Influencers increase traffic, credibility, and exposure. What does it take to rank #1 on Google? – Having a partnership with an influencer – among other things. Why are they so successful? – Because they are experts. Real professionals. (yet, many of us still sigh with disbelief) Sighs or no sighs, they know what they’re doing; and they can reach diverse audiences and acquire better customers because of their quality content. Additionally, their work ethic is without compromise; their followers are in absolute sync with their niche – whatever it may be – comedy, fitness, health, fashion. On top of that, they understand the high demand. – and so they deliver accordingly. The role of influencer marketing in driving eCommerce sales is pretty straightforward (and simultaneously exquisitely interesting): they are the pulse feelers of the consumer world, thus, making them the best customer whisperers out there in the big, digital universe.