When considering the role of influencers in digital marketing strategies, sometimes it’s tough to decide if a celebrity or a digital media influencer would be the best choice.
There are benefits and drawbacks to each option, so experts here at ULS can help you decide.
Digital media has developed beyond a novel phenomenon into a way of life. Digital media influencers have grown alongside these mediums and know them best. However, celebrities who have gained fame from other outlets have managed to build followings on these platforms as well due to audience interest in their personal lives. When it comes to your brand’s digital marketing strategy, deciding between using celebrities or digital media influencers to promote your brand can be tricky. Luckily, ULS has the inside scoop on reasons one might for better for your brand.
Deciding Factors for Using Influencers Vs. Celebrities For Digital Media Marketing
Major factors that define the role of influencers in marketing strategies can be distilled to four key cornerstones that can help determine what fits your brand needs as your business grows.
Quality of Content
Both celebrities and digital media influencers are capable of delivering content that speaks to their respective audiences. Celebrities likely have a representative or even a whole team dedicated to helping craft sponsored posts whereas digital media influencers have been posting ad-integrated and sponsored posts for most of their career given that they have had the chance to do trial and error to find what works for their audiences.
The Difference:
The quality of the content can vary for several reasons depending on if a celebrity is running their own account or is using help from a marketing team. Celebrities likely don’t have the same hashtag and keyword focus as a dedicated influencer with a niche audience that they have cultivated. The content for a celebrity is likely very celebrity-centered whereas digital media influencers have found a specific interest to encourage among viewers and followers that grew over time and relatability. Gauging celebrity commitment and interest in relation to a dedicated digital media influencer trust is an important element to ensure you make the right choice.
Popularity
It’s no question that celebrities are likely more “popular” than a digital media influencer. The easy test is to mention a celebrity and an influencer’s name to someone you know and notice which one they recognize. Celebrities have certainly mastered branding, as even their name is known with an accompanying slate of projects related to their name. Influencers have essentially done the same thing in reverse. Influencers aren’t known for who they are so much as the content they produce and the frequency of their posts online. What does this mean for your strategy?
The Difference:
Considering celebrities as “normal people” is almost a laughable phenomenon. In fact, tabloid magazines like to show the random human things celebrities do almost like it’s hard to imagine that they are “just like us.” This mystique can add a layer of exclusivity to products benefiting off of a digital marketing strategy with a celebrity at the helm, but digital media influencers most directly are normal people on social media. One of the keys to their audience development is relating to the normal-ness of human life and sharing thoughtful insights (or funny ideas) about life and lifestyle. Your brand strategy, then, hinges on how you want your brand to be perceived in relation to the person promoting it.
Audience Engagement
Digital media influencers exist based on engagement savvy whereas celebrities have social media as yet another outlet to express themselves for what already made them popular. Influencers built trust with their audiences directly via social media, and celebrities usually have done something else to create status and audiences. The carryover of audience reach for products is more reliable with influencers with smaller yet trusted audiences rather than celebrities that amass audiences based on content they create within other mediums.
The Difference:
A celebrity can post and instantly receive thousands of likes simply because the post came from their account. Fans are eager to see what their favorite celebrity is up to, and the reaction reflects that interest. However, the engagement basically benefits the celebrity and may not translate to audience growth for the brand involved. Digital media influencers, on the other hand, have thoughtfully crafted and curated their content to develop the audience they have, so likes and interest shown on their pages would be directly beneficial. Influencers understand the value of reach and audience growth as well as how tenuous the trust they have built could be with the wrong brand partnerships.
Price Point
Celebrity status and awareness usually comes with a luxury price tag. In regards to digital marketing, more money does not necessarily equate more reach or audience awareness of your brand. Also, most start-ups and smaller businesses can get better results for their investment in digital media influencers that truly believe in the brand and are happy to help foster its growth.
The Difference
While market spend on influencer marketing only appears to be climbing, the way these dollars are spent differs from placing all of your marketing eggs in one celebrity basket. When you take a look at your marketing budget, consider how many digital media influencers can be used for the lump-sum a celebrity would require to even consider your brand. Where a celebrity can give an endorsement, influencers give trust, confidence, and a partnership where content can be as unique as the relationship between brand/product, and influencer.
Which Works Best for Your Brand?
Thanks to ULS, you don’t have to worry about if you’re choosing the right influencers to promote your brand. USA Link System offers specialized support in finding the right people within your niche market to grow your audience organically with your target demographic.
Crafting quality content sounds fun until you realize how time-consuming it can be just to struggle with the video sitting at 0 views on TikTok! The experts here at ULS are social media mavens who know the struggle and create content that gets views and helps you keep your peace of mind. Reach out to us today to see how we can best assist you!
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