Traditional marketing messages are often like a voice that comes out of nowhere. They’re faceless, nameless and often devoid of true personality. We might remember the messages, but we don’t really know who’s talking to us other than a nebulous brand or a staged spokesperson. This often results in a lack of persuasion. We hear what the brand is saying, but we don’t act on the message like we would if a friend, neighbor or even an acquaintance told us the same thing.
Enter the influencer. While we might know that the influencer is staging photos, acting out a scenario and filtering out all the bad things that go along with a travel experience, many of us relate much more closely to the reality of the influencer’s experience than a faceless brand. I believe this is the same reason why reality television has become so popular. While we know that reality TV isn’t entirely real, the immediacy and in-the-moment candor captivate us.
So it is with influencers. We “know” the person behind the message. We’ve followed their travels, seen their face and know their likes and dislikes. This can build trust, empathy and a narrative, and we often gladly follow along on their travels. While we might know it’s not all real, we’re entranced by the story, and we often end up trusting their voices much more than a manicured brand message. Because of this trust, influencers’ advice about buying decisions is likely to be much more powerful than traditional marketing media.
Choosing the right influencer for any campaign can be a balancing act, as not all influencers are equal. There are different types, including macroinfluencers, microinfluencers and nanoinfluencers. In our own travel influencer study, we found that nanoinfluencers best mimic the word-of-mouth effect of trusted recommendations from family or friends. Macroinfluencers have the widest reach and mirror most closely the celebrity endorsement. And microinfluencers split the difference, offering a more affordable partnership with travel brands and a more connected audience than macroinfluencers. Make sure you select influencers with the right audience and the right voice for your brand.
Journalist Or Vendor?
One of the complications for travel destinations that work with influencers is defining their relationship. On one hand, you can look at influencers like journalists — they’re often comped at the best hotels and the finest eateries in your destination (and often paid as well) in exchange for creating compelling content. But a relationship between a destination and most reputable travel publications comes with the understanding that the destination doesn’t control the content. Stories can be positive, neutral or even negative. While you do your best to manicure the experience so that the best side of the destination shows, there’s no guarantee that the story will reflect what a destination ultimately wants to showcase. There are benefits to this. With this freedom, journalists can create compelling and honest stories that are often much more trusted and persuasive than a brand message.
On the other hand, you can consider influencers as vendors, and vendors — whether copywriters or photographers — are typically tightly managed. Their work is subject to approval, revision or editing by the destination. The upside to this is complete control. The downside is the loss of the unbridled creativity and authenticity that we’ve come to expect from the best social media influencers.
I recommend that destinations and influencers agree on clear expectations before engaging in a full relationship. Understand that more freedom will often elicit more real, engaging and creative moments, and more control can guarantee message uniformity and alignment. Choose carefully, or balance the two, as you consider what’s right for your destination.
Think Beyond Social
Influencers are usually coveted for their social media followings. But thinking only about social media when the equivalent of a top-tier photography, talent, video and content agency comes to town is shortchanging yourself. Influencers can have an impact far beyond the flicker of a series of Instagram stories or posts. You have the chance as a destination to retell that story in other unique and compelling ways. Their content can live on in blog posts, web content and email newsletters and make a broad impact on your audience. Negotiate these details beforehand so you don’t miss out on the opportunity to take some of the most captivating destination content and make sure your full audience sees it.
Effective influencer marketing depends largely on candid and genuine relationships between influencers and brands. Successful brands make sure they carefully choose influencers with the right audience and the right voice. They invest enough time to make sure the influencer understands the goals and the preferred messaging of a campaign. The brands that put time and care into the development of influencer campaigns will likely find that it’s an effective way to reach today’s audiences.
