Awareness is the ultimate goal of influencer marketing, however the usage of these influencer needs to directly align with a particular strategy and scale of the business  driven on a macro level through mega influencers (Kim Kardashian) or on a micro level with nano influencers (John Smith from the local soccer club).

As Georgia Rickard from Co-Founder of The Travel Bootcamp says “Influence sits clearly between marketing and PR as its own point along a consumer’s path to purchase. When the relationship between an influencer and their audience is leveraged correctly, it can be a powerful means not just for branded messaging - used to raise awareness - but also to convert.”

It is also important to understand the power of this channel is not just around awareness but also from a user generate content or UGC perspective. As long as the content very clearly aligns with the businesses content pillars - at Ovolo Hotels our content pillars are. Fashion, Art, Music & Entrepreneurship (F.A.M.E) – and is inspirational, imaginative, or entertaining, this is also another key benefit. This is particularly true for those businesses which do not have big budgets, it allows a level of frequency and consumer targeting in their marketplaces which has not been previously afforded to them.

The key to success also lies in forging authentic partnerships with influencers who have a genuinely appropriate alignment and have an authentic affinity with the brand. Modern consumers are far too savvy to suffer messaging that lacks integrity - a bit of forethought, in other words, goes a long way.

It is important to understand the awareness and UGC benefits of such activity, particularly for small to medium size businesses, and ensuing the right influencers are utilised which align with the brand and the strategic direction of the campaign or business for the ultimate success -influencer marketing has its place within the modern marketing mix and can also be a successful channel in it own right if executed correctly