It is no surprise that influencer marketing has grown in the age of digital marketing and some might even argue it has become mainstream. However, many businesses have yet to try it, despite its proven effectiveness. Here we outline what influencer marketing is in detail and look at ways through which you can leverage it to help grow your business.

What is Influencer Marketing?

To begin, let’s grasp the idea of influencer marketing. Put simply, it is when businesses leverage the popularity and status of an individual or organization to boost brand awareness, drive traffic and increase conversions. It is a partnership in which an influencer agrees to expose the brand's content, product, or service to their audience in exchange for a payment. Selecting the right influencers gives your brand the chance to stand out in front of a target audience in a natural and meaningful way.

There are many reasons influencer marketing is a strong tactic to grow your brand, but these are among the most relevant ones:

• Better trust and credibility – influencers that have built a trustworthy relationship with their followers likely have considerable influence on them.
• Greater reach – influencers have a higher reach than the average user. It could be a great opportunity to generate brand exposure and build a meaningful relationship with the community.
• Higher SEO ranking – it has been proven that social media interactions could, indirectly or directly, enhance SEO signals. It can lead to additional organic traffic and backlinks that increase SEO.
• Targeted traffic – visitors coming through to your website are most likely actively searching for products or services that you offer. They have been redirected to your page for a purpose.
• Strong ROI – according to a study done by Shopify, 89% of marketers say that ROI on influencer marketing is comparable or better than other marketing channels.

Similar to influencer marketing, businesses also form partnerships with brand ambassadors. The terms “influencer” and “brand ambassador” get used interchangeably, however there are several key differences between the two. Brand ambassadors are also experts at sharing your brand with others. However, they don’t need to have a large social following or status. As long as they are committed to spreading the word about your brand, they can be a partner, customer or even an employee.

The Power of Partnerships

Many online sportsbook and casino operators have already taken this approach to help grow their brand’s exposure. WynnBET recently partnered with American actor, filmmaker, and producer Ben Affleck and NBA All-Star, media personality and entrepreneur Shaquille O’Neal as their new brand ambassadors. Through these partnerships, the brand's app was featured on advertising campaigns across TV, digital and print and the additional exposure skyrocketed their success.

In addition, this August, Caesars Sportsbook announced that Trey Wingo, former co-host of ESPN, SportsCenter and NFL Live joined their team as a brand ambassador. With Trey’s combination of sports experience, knowledge, and insight, the brand was able to continue expanding its sports media footprint within the industry.

Forming partnerships with sports personalities is beneficial for brand exposure as well, as oftentimes they will wear branded apparel from their sponsor. From a social media context, the opportunities for growth are endless. Hosting giveaways and contests to win sporting event tickets, signed apparel, or the chance to experience a once in a lifetime opportunity, such as meeting their favorite athlete, are all great initiatives to drive growth and engagement.

Forming partnerships with brand ambassadors such as athletes or celebrities will give you a competitive edge and upper hand in the industry. The added exposure and engagement generated from the brand ambassadors will ensure your brand stays in consumers’ minds and truly impact its’ success.