Nowadays, fashion brands are utilising the power of influencer marketing to drive sales, widen their reach, and engage with customers. Besides, almost every day, a new influencer becomes famous, so there’s no reason why you shouldn’t grab the opportunity to partner with them.
As the world of social media becomes more popular, many individuals decide to try and become an influencer. However, just like in business or any other venture, some succeed while some don’t. Those who become successful influencers get to partner with businesses, including fashion brands.
In this article, we’ll explore the benefits of fashion brand and influencer partnerships.
1. The Rise of Social Media Influencers
Social media influencers serve as the mediator between fashion brands and their target customers. But why do fashion brands need to partner with influencers? Isn’t hiring a fashion eCommerce agency enough to help a brand become popular online? Here are some of the reasons why influencers matter:
Authenticity
Most of the time, reliable influencers build their audience through specific niches. Once their audience notices that their content is effective, they gain their trust and actively support them. So, if your fashion brand partners with an influencer with a similar niche, you can ensure its effectiveness and the authenticity of their reviews.
Engagement
Compared to traditional ways of advertising, influencer marketing offers a higher engagement rate, especially if you partner with an influencer with many followers.
Targeted Reach
As mentioned, influencers usually have a specific niche that has targeted followers. So, when looking for an influencer to partner with, ensure that their audience is the same demographic as your target customers. If not, the marketing strategy won’t work at all.
2. Types of Influencer Collaborations
The partnership between a fashion brand and an influencer varies depending on the brand’s marketing strategy. Here are some types of influencer collaborations you should consider:
Sponsored Posts
If you’re looking for organic-looking posts, influencers can feature your products in their videos. It is usually for a few minutes, like mentioning that they’re using it or something they recently bought.
Affiliate Marketing
No matter what type of content the influencers create, they can include unique links or discount codes directly from your brand. This method can drive your sales, while the influencer can get a commission from each purchase made from the links they provide.
Brand Ambassadors
Most of the time, brand ambassadors are celebrities, but influencers are now also hired to promote fashion brands consistently.
Fashion Shows & Events
Another form of influencer participation is to provide PR packages that the influencer can use during fashion shows and other fashion-related events.
3. The Impact of Influencer Marketing on Fashion Brands
Fashion influencers provide various benefits to the brands they’re working with. However, before partnering with an influencer, you should first know the type of influencer you need based on their follower count.
The five categories of influencers based on follower count include nano-influencers (500 to 10,000), micro-influencers (10,000 to 100,000), mid-tier influencers (100,000 to 500,000), macro-influencers (500,000 to 1 million), and mega-influencers (more than 1 million followers).
Although some think that nano-influencers are the least helpful type of influencers, their percentage tends to be higher than the influencers with higher follower counts. But how does influencer marketing impact fashion brands?
Increased Brand Awareness
Since influencers have their followers, your brand can instantly reach a wider audience once they post content that includes your products.
Boost in Sales
The relationship between an influencer and their followers is usually based on trust. So when an influencer promotes a product or brand, their followers can easily become curious about it and also try their products. So aside from the wide reach, there’s also the conversion.
Trendsetting Power
Influencers have the power to set the trend. When you partner with them, and they use your product to create a new style, their followers can easily pick up on it, and use your product the same way.
Enhanced Brand Image
Partnering with a reputable and credible influencer can help fashion brands gain the same popularity. Aside from the help of a fashion eCommerce agency, working with an influencer can also improve your brand image.
4. Finding the Right Influencer
Of course, one of the hardest challenges is finding the right influencer. As you know, there are many fashion influencers nowadays, and not everyone is reliable to take care of your brand. So, while looking for the ideal fashion influencer, here are the things you should consider:
Relevance
The style of the influencer should also align with the brand’s identity. For instance, if you’re brand is playful and quirky, you should find an influencer that has the same energy. On the other hand, if you’re aiming for a more sophisticated brand, then your partner influencer should also be the same.
Engagement Rate
Even if the follower count of the influencer is high, you should still check the engagement rate, including likes, shares, and comments.
Authenticity
If the influencer seems to be making genuine reviews, there’s a higher possibility that their followers will also try the products.
Past Collaborations
Another thing you should consider is the past collaboration of the influencer you’re planning to work with. If they didn’t have any problems throughout the partnership, they must’ve done a great job.
Final Thoughts
Influencer marketing is something fashion brands should try. It allows brands to connect with a wider audience and lets them become aware of what your brand can offer. However, before diving into influencer marketing, you should first be aware of its benefits.
