Influencer Marketing has been around for a while. We have grown up seeing celebrities endorsing products to micro-influencers building new brands. But as influencer marketing evolved, so have the tactics. As someone who has worked with several technology brands, I’ve seen influencer marketing for tech companies can produce great outcomes.
During my days with a B2B agency in 2013, I learned how technology companies build communities. Back in those days, social media was still evolving. Now, this tech giant had separate communities for developers, businesses, and students. Some of these communities also had city-wise chapters.
The end goal for them was to raise brand awareness and adoption of their products and services. . These communities would conduct meet-ups, fests, hackathons to influence the end-users. Interestingly these techniques were also followed by other businesses and the student communities.
They also had a dedicated community that focused on developers that featured experts from the field, who would share their experience with a specific technology via the speaking engagements organized. . Naturally, other technology companies had a similar engagement model.
The idea behind sharing this story was to show how influencer marketing has evolved over the years. Over the last few years, we have seen this technique being adopted by many industries like FMCG, Infrastructure, Fashion and Textile, Media and Entertainment, BFSI, Pharmaceuticals.
As per ClanConnect.ai, over 50% of marketers will increase influencer marketing spends in 2021. Nearly 39.13% of the CMOs have mentioned that they increase their influencer marketing spends in 2021.
50% of CMOs find Instagram the most effective platform for influencer campaigns, 23.91% prefer LinkedIn, and 15.22% identify YouTube as their go-to platform.
Now all these stats sound very lucrative, but if you lead marketing and going with the flow, this is the right time for the tech industry to implement the influencer tactic.
Influencer Marketing Trends for 2021
1. Micro and Nano influences will skyrocket in 2021
With technology companies taking a hit on their marketing budget due to COVID-19, we are certain to witness many technology brands partnering with micro and nano influencers across industries.
2. Gone are the days when all you had to do to promote a business was hold a product and take a selfie
Consumers today research using online channels and seek real-time feedback before they purchase or adopt a product/service. Many technology brands today partner with influencers to showcase their product.
The recent collaboration between Xiaomi and Biswa Kalyan Rath is a good example of how brands can work with influencers.
3. Instead of pictures, people are watching bite-sized video content
There isn’t much to say about this, so I’ll simply say TikTok. Did it sound familiar? In 2020, we all saw Facebook promoting Reels through Instagram, while Google released YouTube shorts to make their entry into bite-sized video content.
4. Going ahead, engagement rate will be an important metric, and simply having a large number of followers will not be enough
Given that we are expecting massive growth in Micro and Nano influencers in 2021, it is clear that a large follower base is not what firms or marketers are looking for. Instead, installations, adaptations, or sales statistics will be important.
5. In 2021, context supported by data will be the slogan for influencer activity
This year, data will be critical for influencers. Critical information such as which content has performed well, popular topics, and so on can assist influencers in better planning and understanding the customers.
4 Step Strategy to Establish Influencer Marketing for Tech Companies
1. Do not seek influencers outside your industry
Look for influencers within your industry. The tech or a developer community will connect with a techie or a developer than an outsider. It’s easier for an industry insider to instantly understand and catch the pulse, which can help you communicate and effectively address the pain points.
2. Identify and build homegrown influencers
Looking for an established influencer would mean you will have to work with an external agency if you do not have an in-house dedicated resource to work with the influencers, which means additional cost. Take a look within your organization. You have many seasoned, competent techies and engineers in your firm who may have also spoken at internal or external events. Use their vast knowledge, and some of them may even have an excellent social media network. Consider building a pool of homegrown influencers.
3. Build a nurturing plan
The Marketing team can act as an image consultant here and build a plan to identify influencers within the company and look at polishing these influencers’ social handles.
- Profile Picture
- Cover image
- Profile content
- Content to post
- Timeline of the post
4. Push Push Push
Nominate influencers for speaking opportunities at different company-owned or third-party events, articles via the PR system, and so on. This will improve their image as an influencer.
The four-step strategy outlined here will assist you in developing low-cost, high-effective influencer marketing for tech companies.
Conclusion
- With the changing paradigm of marketing, it is the best time to invest in influencer marketing tactic.
- If you do not have a big marketing budget, take time to think and optimize the approach to kick start with the influencer marketing tactic.
- Always have a plan B if your best bet doesn’t work, so make sure you are building a good backup.
