Influencers: For Every Age

When digital advertising is becoming more challenged, the concept of “being influenced” can play a huge role in engagement, but more importantly, conversions for D2C products. Influencers as content creators can help you reach a wider net of potential customers, especially on platforms such as TikTok. Their content can be more authentic, and therefore consumers place a greater level of trust their opinions, much in the same way testimonials were used in infomercials.

Influencer marketing is beneficial for all age groups, not just Gen Z. The success rates of older influencers are on the rise, and proving effective for brand awareness and direct conversions on all platforms. There are plenty of Grandma influencers on TikTok and Instagram with large followings in the boomer and senior market. Their followers are as passionate as younger generations and are influential within categories such as home improvement, health and wellness, beauty, anti-aging and more.

Influencer marketing, in general, is so effective because of its ability to enhance the word-of-mouth aspect for a product. People build online relationships of sorts with these creators, and seeing an authentic user experience from an influencer makes consumers 30% more likely to make a purchase. This can be particularly useful within older target groups, as they are more likely to take the recommendation from someone they can relate to.

The explicit benefits of utilizing influencers are that it:

1. Pushes conversions.
2. Increases brand reach and awareness to find high potential customers you might not have been able to get without their followers.
3. Builds credibility and trust within your audience, as it establishes a certain level of familiarity through that person and to the brand.
4. Boosts SEO and drives purchase intent.
5. If you find the right influencer, you can get inexpensive content created to keep refreshing creative for your ads, which can fatigue more quickly, especially on TikTok.

Reaching out to influencers can be tricky, but you may be able to message them directly through email,  sometimes through a link on their bio, DM them on platforms that allow for it, or utilize third-party apps. TikTok has a new area which allows pre-approved companies to reach out directly to content creators. This is a new feature which no other social channel provides yet. Third party Apps like GRIN allow you to refine your search for the perfect influencer for your brand, choosing their audience size, engagement stats, demographic, and even geographic location. But they can also be pricey with hefty monthly fees. So if you can do the research yourself, you can conserve those funds and have enough to pay the influencer.

You can negotiate a fee per video with an influencer and/or give them commission for sales using specific hashtags and promo codes to track conversions.

Using influencer marketing for D2C brands is all about utilizing the right influencers followed by your target audience and cutting the right deal to maximize ROI.  Micro influencers (those with less than 10,000 followers) can sometimes be more effective than those with millions of followers, so don’t base your strategy on selecting those with mega followers. They are often unaffordable and may not make sense for your business.

But, if you plan accordingly, understand the potential, and work to create an effective influencer marketing strategy, influencers of any age can bring real results! As in any type of marketing, testing, testing, and more testing can lead you to the promised land. So, whether your target is 18 or 80, influencers can help lift that boat.