Motorcycle Influencer Marketing
Value of Influential People Marketing Your Product(s)
Motorcycle influencer marketing can deliver significant benefits in a short amount of time. First, a simple definition of an influencer is that they are recognized experts in a specific area/niche. Next, influencers’ marketing includes endorsements, reviews, and mentions.
Identifying True Influencers
One reason to utilize influencers for marketing is for their followers. Typically, influencers will have many followers on their social platforms. However, an influencer does not need a huge following to be an expert.
Note that many businesses’ social pages have tons of likes because they pay for them. Buying likes is a problem I’ll address later in an article. But when trying to find a influencer, don’t focus on the number of their followers.
People who follow a page often do this because of a cool picture or post. Or simply because they recognize a company’s or person’s name. But this does not mean they regularly, or even ever, visit that social media page. Most likely, that one like is just one of the dozens of Facebook business pages the person likes.
Now, you add that the average Facebook user likes about 330 personal profiles (friends, family, coworkers, etc.). This means that the average user’s news feed is packed with posts. Again, tons of likes aren’t of much value if people aren’t regularly visiting your page.
Social Managers Aren’t Always Influencers
Additionally, many social media managers have never ridden a motorcycle. And many do not know about biker products, the biker world, or motorcycle history. These marketers are often just people who work on social platforms.
However, working on a motorcycle Facebook page does not create experts in the niche. Note that having a social media page managed by non-riders is a huge problem! Their posts will reflect their lack of knowledge or riding, and this doesn’t look good to your target audience.
Sometimes, huge followings are built to appear legitimate. Essentially, it’s the “Jones effect.” As you know, this effect involves people following trends. The thinking can be, “Hey, if so many people like this company and their product, then it must be good.”
Social media influencers most often earn their followers by posting expert information over the years.
Biker Celebrities Aren’t Always Influencers
Biker celebrities are often not experts and aren’t influencers. They might have a large following on their motorcycle Instagram, Facebook, or other social platforms, but they usually lack expertise in a niche.
Just think of a custom builder or an actor from a biker movie. Let’s say they are holding a bottle of brake fluid. Does that make them experts in brakes or fluid dynamics? The answer is no.
Most bikers know the celebrity understands nothing about the product. What does the celebrity know? They know they are getting paid. Again, what matters with social media influencers is that they are recognized for their expertise in a niche.
Also, biker world influencers often have a broader reach than social media. Some also have guest writers on websites, biker blogs, and magazines. Plus, some influencers have a YouTube page. And, of course, the broader the reach of a recognized expert and true influencer, the better.
What value does the motorcycle influencer bring to the table? The simple answer is that it gives legitimacy to your products and brand. Yes, there might be some immediate buyers. But the branding value is huge. An influencer will help riders with the immediate name recognition of your business.
Finding Biker Influencers
Significantly, Revolution Marketing can help you know where to find influencers. And not just general influencers but ones for your specific motorcycle products.
Finally, over the last 19 years in the biker industry, we’ve learned who is influential in each niche. Contacting the right influencer can be huge for your motorcycle company. Not just for immediate sales but also for branding.