The power of influencer marketing for malls

By Cindy Laufs, founder and CEO at Hustle Media

In today’s increasingly competitive marketing arena, where we are all vying for the same audience’s attention, more than traditional marketing strategies is needed to drive brand awareness and foot traffic for malls. The impressive rise of influencer marketing has opened another avenue for mall marketers to get their brand in front of shoppers. 

Influencers possess the power to sway consumer behaviour and have become an essential asset for businesses looking to make their mark in the competitive mall industry. Let’s explore the significant benefits of working with influencers and how they can drive your mall’s success by generating brand awareness and increasing foot traffic: 

Expanding reach and targeted audiences
Influencers have substantial followings across various social media platforms, allowing malls to extend their reach beyond their existing customer base. By partnering with influencers whose target audience aligns with the mall’s demographic, you can tap into a vast pool of potential customers who may not have been aware of your brand previously. The influencers’ ability to curate engaging content allows them to authentically introduce their audience to the mall, generating curiosity and interest in what it has to offer.

Authentic content creation 
One of the key advantages of influencer marketing is the creation of authentic content. Authentic content not only helps establish credibility but also adds a human touch, making it more appealing and relatable to potential visitors. Influencers are experts in producing engaging and relatable content that resonates with their followers. By collaborating with influencers, malls can leverage their creative skills and expertise to craft content that showcases the mall’s unique features, events, promotions and overall shopping experience.

Social proof and trust
Influencers are known for building trust and credibility with their followers. Their recommendations and endorsements carry weight, as their audience perceives them as trusted sources of information. By partnering with influencers, malls can leverage this social proof to build trust and encourage their followers to visit the mall. Influencers can create engaging content such as product reviews, behind-the-scenes glimpses or vlogs that highlight the mall’s offerings. Such content reinforces the notion that visiting the mall is a worthwhile experience, thereby driving foot traffic.

Tracking and measuring results
Influencer marketing offers measurable results, allowing malls to assess the effectiveness of their campaigns. By utilising tracking links, discount codes or unique hashtags, malls can directly attribute foot traffic or purchases to specific influencer collaborations. This data-driven approach provides valuable insights into the success of each partnership, enabling malls to refine their strategies and optimise future campaigns.

Stats worth considering

– Reviews influence 94% of consumers in discovering a local retailer 

– Influencers contribute +57% higher brand exposure 

– 71% of consumers trust #ads and #opinions from influencers

– 85% of consumers trust User Generated Content more than brand content 

– 90% of consumers regularly read ratings and reviews before deciding on a product or service, both for online (83%) and offline purchases (60%). 

Influencer marketing has emerged as a powerful tool for driving brand awareness and foot traffic for malls. The ability of influencers to expand reach, create authentic content, build trust and engage with their followers offers unparalleled opportunities for malls to connect with their target audience. By harnessing the influence and creative prowess of these digital personalities, malls can cultivate a loyal customer base, increase foot traffic and ultimately propel their success in a competitive retail landscape.