7 Reasons Why You Should Be Using Influencer Marketing

Influencer marketing continues to be one of the most effective ways for brands to build trust online, connect with the right audience and drive measurable results. Whether it’s a well-known creator with millions of followers or a local voice with a small but loyal community, influencers can help deliver your message in ways that feel memorable and relatable.

An influencer can be a social media content creator, blogger, journalist, podcaster, industry expert or even a local public figure. Most commonly, influencers share content with followers across social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, TikTok, Snapchat, Pinterest and LinkedIn. They often partner with brands on sponsored videos and photo posts, product reviews and event promotions, in exchange for free products, perks or payment. These trusted voices operate across diverse niches and impact their followers’ purchasing decisions and lifestyle aspirations, making them a valuable channel through which brands can reach targeted audiences.

According to Sprout Social, the influencer marketing industry is projected to reach nearly $33 billion in 2025, and over 86% of U.S. marketers are expected to work with influencers this year. In a time when customers value authenticity and meaningful brand experiences, influencer marketing can be a smart investment for building your business.

Here are seven reasons why your marketing strategy should include influencer marketing.

1. Influencer marketing builds brand credibility and trust

Trust is the foundation of buying decisions. When someone hears about your brand from a person they already follow and respect, they’re more likely to pay attention and take action. Influencers often have deep connections with their audience, built over time through consistent, relatable content. Their followers typically share interests and values and aspire toward the lifestyles these online creators share.

This “friend-like” trust works whether you’re targeting a national audience or a small rural market. For many followers, if their favorite influencer uses a branded product or service, they’ll see it as a credible and worthwhile choice. This trust boosts brand awareness and can have a direct impact on sales. A 2024 Influencer Marketing Report by Sprout Social found that “influencer content drives almost half (49%) of consumers’ daily, weekly or monthly purchases” and “almost all (86%) of consumers make a purchase inspired by an influencer at least once per year.” Sponsored content shared by influencers is similar to a celebrity endorsement, but on a smaller, more personal level, making it more targeted and effective.

Influencers aren’t just for consumer-focused brands. Business-to-business brands are also increasingly developing long-term relationships with industry influencers, with Sprout Social reporting that “67% of B2B brands use influencer marketing to increase brand awareness, while 54% use it to increase credibility and trust.” B2B influencers are often viewed as industry experts and share business-related content through social platforms like LinkedIn and industry-specific online media channels, making them a strategic choice for spreading the word through their professional networks.

2. Influencer marketing strengthens your integrated marketing strategy

Influencer marketing works best when it’s part of an integrated marketing strategy, where your advertising, public relations, social media and content marketing all support each other. When someone hears your message in multiple places—like a Google ad, a magazine article and then from a trusted influencer—it reinforces brand recall and can be very powerful in converting that person into a customer.

Sponsored influencer content should always be aligned with the primary objectives of your marketing campaign and work well with other marketing channels, creating one cohesive message. This alignment amplifies your overall campaign, making each part stronger and more effective. 

3. Influencer marketing helps you reach niche audiences

Influencer marketing can be an effective method to reach niche markets where broader approaches can be inefficient or fall short. Identifying influencers whose niche directly relates to your products or services will uncover a segment of potential customers who are interested in a subject that directly relates to your brand. A strategic influencer marketing program allows you to reach those specific segments of your target audience with highly relevant content. This is why influencer marketing is particularly effective for brands in rural markets or specialized industries.

Whether you work with a mega-influencer with millions of followers or a collection of smaller micro-influencers (1,000-100,000 followers), you can reach an audience that’s already interested in what you offer. If you want to see how smaller influencers can make a big impact, check out our article on How Rural Brands Can Win With Micro-Influencers.

4. Influencer marketing can be cost-effective

Similar to public relations, there is some legwork required to do influencer marketing, but when done correctly, it can deliver returns that exponentially exceed the investment.

Terms and agreements between companies and influencers are continually developing. While high-profile mega-influencers charge hefty fees, many effective influencer partnerships can be built on smaller budgets. Micro- and nano-influencers often work for product exchanges, event tickets, service trials or smaller fees, still delivering strong engagement and content variety. 

Commonly used influencer classifications:

• Mega-influencers – celebrity status with 1,000,000+ followers
• Macro-influencers – 100,000 – 1,000,000 followers.
• Micro-influencers – 1,000 to 100,000 followers.
• Nano-influencers – less than 1,000 followers.

Influencer campaigns can be scaled to your budget, so you can work with multiple smaller creators instead of one big name, increasing reach and diversity while managing costs. Your brand, offerings, audiences and other considerations can help determine what influencers are appropriate.

5. Social media use keeps growing

Social media isn’t slowing down. The 2025 Benchmark Report published by Influencer Marketing Hub shares that, as of 2024, “social media has become the world’s largest advertising channel, surpassing paid search” and is expected to reach nearly $270 billion in global ad spend this year (compared to almost $250 billion in 2024).

Social media platforms are where influencer marketing thrives, offering multiple formats like short-form video, live streams, 24-hour stories and carousel image posts to connect with audiences. With the average person spending two hours and 24 minutes on social media per day (according to Exploding Topics), there is incredible potential for brands to reach users through influencer marketing.

6. Influencers are great content creators

Influencers know how to produce creative content that resonates with their followers, aligns with online trends and is built for optimal engagement in often-unpredictable social media algorithms. Partnering with them gives you access to high-quality, relatable photos, videos and posts that can be repurposed across your brand’s social channels, website or online ads. This kind of user-generated content can even outperform brand-created content because it feels more authentic to everyday social media users.

7. Influencer marketing expands your content distribution

Even the best marketing content needs the right distribution to be effective. Most likely, you are allocating resources to develop great content. If you’re not, this should be on your to-do list. Here’s an article about why you need to be creating great content.

Influencers can be great outlets for distributing the content you invest in to maximize your ROI. They bring built-in audiences and trusted communication channels. When they share your message, you’re not just reaching more people, you’re reaching them in a context where they’re more likely to engage.

How Callis helps brands succeed with influencer marketing

Influencer marketing, when done strategically, can build trust, connect your brand with the right audiences and strengthen your overall marketing program. Whether you work with a mega-influencer or a handful of smaller creators, the key is choosing the right partners and ensuring your campaigns align with your primary business objectives.

At Callis, we help brands of all sizes work with the right influencers for marketing campaigns that deliver effective results. We do the heavy lifting with our social media know-how and experience in influencer communications, so you can focus on running your business.

Our services include:

• Research and vetting: Identifying influencers whose audience, style and values align with your brand
  
• Outreach and negotiation: Coordinating contracts, deliverables and timelines
  
• Message alignment: Ensuring the influencer’s content supports your brand voice and goals
  
• Campaign coordination: Managing all moving parts for smooth execution
  
• Performance tracking: Measuring engagement, reach and ROI to inform future campaigns

Reach out to us today to learn more about how we can help your brand develop an influencer marketing strategy that’s aligned with your business goals and built to reach and resonate with the right people.

This article was previously published on January 17, 2019, and updated on August 12, 2025.

SOURCES

https://explodingtopics.com/blog/social-media-usage

https://influencermarketinghub.com/influencer-marketing-benchmark-report

https://sproutsocial.com/insights/influencer-marketing-statistics