“…the level of engagement that the influencer has with their audience can play an essential part in influencer marketing…”
Online giving accounts for 7.2% of all charitable giving, though with over 1.5 million charities to choose from (as of 2015), it can seem difficult to know which ones you should donate to. However, with an influencer marketing strategy in place, a nonprofit organization can greatly benefit from doing so. From reaching a wider audience to creating the perfect action plan, here’s how influencer marketing can greatly benefit any charity out there.
The benefits of influencer marketing
While there are a number of benefits when it comes to influencer marketing in general when it comes to brands, products, and services, there are many that can also greatly benefit nonprofits that choose to do so as well. For instance, due to the sheer amount of charitable organizations out there, it’s important to increase reach and build authority as much as possible in order to maximize the donation potential. That said, with an influencer (depending on the size of their platform) a charity can effectively reach a wide number of people on different social media platforms, and educate them on a good cause. In fact, 78% of nonprofits report that social media is their top marketing channel, proving just how effective it can be when carried out right.
Maximizing reach with the right influencer
For charitable organizations that are looking to implement an influencer marketing strategy to maximize their reach via social media, it’s necessary to find the right influencer in order to reach the kind of audience that the organization might appeal to. For example, a fashion influencer would be the ideal type of influencer for a charity that advocates for the responsible and ethical sourcing of materials and labor by fashion companies. The influencer can talk about a myriad of things on the subject, and can use statistics — such as the 170 million children worldwide that work illegally in the industry as child laborers in order to get their point across. Because the audience is already interested in fashion, it’s more likely that they’ll also be interested in the cause — making it a logical bridge for the charity to make a greater impact and bring in more donations.
Many charities may feel as though the influencer with the largest platform is the best for the job. However, this simply isn’t true, as even a micro-influencer who doesn’t have millions of followers can effectively influence their audience to donate to a good cause. This is because the level of engagement that the influencer has with their audience can play an essential part in influencer marketing — proving quality over quantity to be an important aspect to consider. In addition to choosing the right influencer for the job, there are several different ways that he or she can carry out the task in order to make an impact.
Making an impact with influencer marketing
Creating an action plan can be imperative in order to effectively reach the audience and maximize donation potential, and can thankfully be done in a number of different ways which can be suited to the liking of both the organization and influencer. For instance, creating a marketing campaign in which the influencer sells an exclusive product can be a great option, as the influencer can let their audience know that a specific amount of the purchase will be donated to charity.
However, it’s also imperative that the campaign involves the influencer communicating the cause in a way that informs viewers, of which can be done via informational content, like an informative video, speech, or even by simply providing a link to donate. This can not only give the audience valuable information on the cause at hand, but can build trust with the viewer and leave a lasting impression, thus allowing for a true impact to be made.
Influencer marketing has been used as an effective form of marketing for many brands, though other organizations — especially nonprofits — can also reap the benefits of doing so. From reaching a wide and targeted audience to informing them of a good cause and simply getting the word out there, there are a number of ways that any charitable organization can benefit from an influencer marketing strategy.
Freelance contribution especially written for Find Your Influence by Karoline Cooke.