Social persuasion

In 2022, influencer marketing was worth a whopping $16.4 billion, according to Werner Geyser, founder of Influencer Marketing Hub.

Influencer marketing is a hybrid of old and new marketing tools, he explains.

“It takes the idea of celebrity endorsement and places it into a modern-day content-driven marketing campaign. The main differentiator in the case of influencer marketing is that the results of the campaign are collaborations between brands and influencers,” he writes in the Influencer Marketing Guide for 2023.

Influencers, Geyser explains, have the power to affect the purchasing decisions of others because of his or her authority, knowledge, position, or relationship with their audience. They also have a following in a distinct niche, with whom they actively engage.

“Influencer marketing isn’t just about finding someone with an audience and offering them money or exposure so they can say good things about you. That’s what viral celebrities are for,” Geyser says. “Influencers are people who’ve spent time building their own brand and cultivating their audience; they will be naturally protective of their reputation and the people who trust them. They’re people who have the patience and focus to succeed in social media, one organic follower at a time — people like this aren’t interested in doing influencer marketing solely for the money.”

Building your brand through influencer marketing takes patience.

“It’s the same kind of slow-and-steady approach as social media and content marketing, where your campaign isn’t about directly selling your wares. Instead, it’s about demonstrating your authority, credibility and thought leadership within your industry.”

For more insights, read the entire report here: bit.ly/report-influencers.

Influencer marketing has emerged as a powerful tool in the green industry. To find out more, we caught up with Katie Dubow, president at Garden Media Group.

Greenhouse Management: What is influencer marketing?

Katie Dubow: Influencer Marketing is a marketing strategy that involves partnering with people who have a large reach to your target audience to promote a brand, product, or idea. These people could have a smaller following, i.e. micro influencers, or a larger following but use blogs and social media platforms such as Instagram, TikTok and YouTube from which to broadcast their content.

GM: How does it work?

KD: Here are a few general steps to establishing a partnership with an influencer:

• Identify the target audience and goals of the partnership (i.e. sales, web visits, follows).
• Research which influencers would best align with your brand’s message and goals.
• Make a connection and discuss terms and compensation. Keep in mind that influencer marketing is mostly pay-to-play – you get what you pay for. What kind of content do you want to see? Instagram reels, static posts on Instagram and Facebook, an entire YouTube video?
• Monitor the content being posted and share to your own platforms.
• Measure the results.

GM: Is it only for big brands? If not, how can smaller businesses get involved?

KD: Any business can take advantage of influencer marketing. Smaller businesses and start-ups may find more benefit in partnering with micro-influencers. These are influencers who are on a smaller scale but still have an engaged audience and make quality content to promote your brand. Some micro-influencers will take product in exchange for posts. And if you form a relationship with someone as they grow, your brands could grow together.

GM: How has influencer marketing grown in the last five years?

KD: In the last five years, influencer marketing has become a major source of foot traffic and sales for many businesses. With the more recent surge of TikTok, influencer marketing has become even more of a go-to option for many businesses, resulting in millions of views on a 1-minute video to result in click-throughs and sales. I have also seen it evolve into a product exchange to a full business model for many folks. Respect that this is their main source of income.

Additionally, I have also seen longer term partnerships become the norm. It’s easier for the creator to not have to be constantly searching for new partners and it’s better for the brand as repeat views to the influencer’s audience has a bigger impact.

Authenticity has also been a big change in the past five, really one year. Consumers are on to the influencers touting brands or products they haven’t even tried. One way to combat that is the longer-term partnerships. Another is to ensure you choose influencers who have actually tried your products, and those that clearly don’t work with dozens of brands.

More and more green influencers are popping up, too. Using the Instagram suggest-to-follow tool, we find a lot of new people. Once you follow one, it suggests four additional. Keep going that way until you’ve followed 50 new garden influencers.

Finally, I have seen more non-compete clauses pop up in discussions with influencers. As we branch out to new people, many of them have been “in talks” or worked with another plant brand and aren’t able to also work with our clients. So it’s getting more competitive out there, too.

GM: How is it being used in the green industry now?

KD: The green industry has taken full advantage of influencer marketing, including using those micro level influencers for brand promotion. Sending plants, tools and products, promoting courses and events, and sponsoring community and private gardens are all ways that businesses are using influencers to bring more attention to their brands, among other ways.