Five reasons to use influencers as product developers
"In 2018, more and more brands will use influencers not only as product promoters, but also as product developers," Björn Wenzel, founder and CEO of the agency Lucky Shareman, is certain. He cites five reasons for this.
"Influencer marketing campaigns thus become more sustainable for brands. Influencers become testimonials who stand for the product they create and promote it authentically," says Wenzel. Lucky Shareman is an agency for influencer marketing from Hamburg and sees itself as a consulting and implementation partner for brands and agencies that want to realize individual influencer campaigns. Agency founder Björn Wenzel cites five reasons why he believes it is worthwhile for brands to involve influencers in the creation and manufacturing process of products.
1. influencers are specialists in their field
Influencers are not only interesting for brand marketing because of their presence and reputation in social networks. Above all, influencers are specialists in their fields, whether as food bloggers, gadget nerds or globetrotters. This makes them valuable advisors and creatives in product development.
2. influencers have their ear to the target group
The asset of influencers is their community. A high-quality influencer has a lively community with which he or she constantly exchanges ideas. Direct contact and immediate feedback from followers, the brands' target group, are valuable in a product development campaign to tailor the product to the target group.
3. credibility and radiating effect are particularly high
When influencers act not just as promoters of some product, but are creators of the product, the credibility of the campaign and the authenticity of the influencer is many times higher. The influencer's engagement also rubs off on his fans. The influencer's fans become fans of the brand.
4. influencers set buying impulses
When brands and influencers cooperate on a product campaign, strong buying impulses are generated among the target group, as various studies have shown. According to a survey by Faktenkontor, 21 percent of German Internet users have bought at least one product or service within twelve months because it was recommended by a YouTuber. 15 percent made purchase decisions based on recommendations from bloggers. And the trend is rising. Younger target groups under 30 are particularly receptive to product recommendations from influencers.
5. a long-term partnership results in a lot of content
Product development campaigns are designed for the long term. Influencer and brand can communicate the joint work over months - from the idea to the product, the creation process, the production to the launch of the product. The content created by the influencer can be used by the brand in a variety of ways. For example, image and video material can be used for performance campaigns in social media after the product launch.
