PR Topics Due- September 11, 2021

1.  How Instagram Influencers Have Changed the PR Industry
An Instagram influencer is a person who has built a reputation on their knowledge of a specific topic. Instagram Influencers have become an important part of an overall marketing strategy. By collaborating with authentic influencers, brands build awareness and trust among their target audience. Influencers will make regular posts about that topic on Instagram and generate large followings of engaged people who pay close attention to their views. Followers feel as if they are friends with influencers on Instagram, so it works by making it easier to measure the results from click-throughs from influencer’s posts. Influencer marketing is beneficial because of the high level of trust that IG influencers have built up with their following. In contrast to traditional advertising platforms, influencers are considered trustworthy, and the products they promote across their channels are deemed genuine as well.
Here are some key reasons Instagram Influencers are changing the face of PR. 

Adding a voice to your brand
Owing to their online reputation, influencers provide the opportunity for fresh content and targeted audience growth to a campaign. Furthermore, partnering with an influencer helps you to reap the rewards of positive branding, increased customer engagement and brand awareness of an unknown product, service, or idea.
The success of Instagram influencers has encouraged companies to increase their marketing budget specifically for influencer partnerships. Those in PR have to re-evaluate how to best engage with their audiences since consumers mandate authenticity.

Audience engagement
People who know your brand extensively are going to be the best advocators. This allows potential consumers to engage with your brand as if discovered through a friend. In essence, people will rely on friends or strangers for their buying decisions over other forms of marketing.

Control over the brand
Public Relations professionals are some of the more prominent agents entrusted with the responsibility of maintaining the public image and reputation of the business.PR agencies, as a part of traditional marketing, would invite journalists, editors and bloggers to events and press conferences to elicit word about the brand. The publicists then waited the publicists then waited for brands to print publications then generate news around their brand to reach potential customers. With the introduction of influencer marketing, specifically Instagram Influencers, companies regained the power they hold over their brand. This allows brands to choose the social media platform that would be relevant for their product and the influencer.

Control over the Content
Digital advertising channels permit corporations to promote their brands independently. By creating a blog or a brand that has a following, or a social media buzz, companies may have an impact as thought leaders. A targeted content plan helps in birthing the most acceptable image of the brand by fulfilling the needs of the target customer and creating a mutual relationship.

Cross-channel marketing
Companies are leaving no stone unturned to capture the highest possible benefit of social media influencers. One of the ways they do this is by engaging in a combination of marketing channels to broaden customer reach in their own industry and work with other influencers as well. A fashion influencer working with restaurants, a homemaker blogger working with beauty brands are ways in which businesses can collaborate to interact with a new group of audience and grow brand awareness.
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Budget-Friendly
Participating in Influencer marketing doesn't disrupt the promotional financial plan of the organizations. According to a study by Tomoson, Influencer marketing is the most cost-effective online customer acquisition method, along with email marketing. Both the marketing techniques rely building connections for success. Though building trust is a slow and time taking task, however, it is confirmed to have a deep and penetrating long term effect.
 
Consumers Are Wary of Paid Advertisements
People will always think paid advertising are sceptical. Consumers do not want to see advertisements but rather they want personal conversations from brands. This brings about influencer marketing.
Different from paid advertising, Instagram Influencers can connect with the consumer base, earning credibility and trust. Since influencers have a reputation to maintain, most social influencers promote only the product they have tested and are satisfied by its performance.