A few decades back, influencer marketing was only limited to celebrities. However, with the advent of social media sites and platforms, social media influencers are all the rage among consumers. This is because influencers, as the name sounds, have the power to influence people in their purchasing decisions. And with tens of thousands of followers, influencers can be a great tool for brands and businesses to promote and market their products and services.
This is why one of the best marketing methods in our current times is influencer marketing. Thus, if you still aren’t sure of how influencer marketing works, this blog is for you.
In this blog, I shall provide a guide on influencer marketing that covers all the essential topics of this relatively new marketing practice. So read on to find out more.
What is influencer marketing?
An influencer is a person who has the power to influence others. In the sense of influencer marketing, that person can collaborate with a brand or a business to promote goods and services. Originally, celebrity endorsements were the form of influencer marketing.
However, with the advent of social media content creators and their huge number of followers, these people can offer more value to different brands. This is because they have engaged and dedicated followers on different social media channels and can help brands reach many people at once.
Thus, an influencer is a person who can wield his/her influence on social media. According to a major insight by The Shelf, around 65% of brands engage in influencer marketing these days. Also, an eMarketer study found that people are more likely to buy products if they are pushed by someone they know and trust.
Influencer marketing works because consumers put a high amount of trust in certain social media content creators, and recommendations from these individuals serve as proof that the brand has the potential to solve customer problems. Thus, influencer marketing can open endless possibilities for brands to connect with different consumers, amplify their offerings, and build more organic relationships with consumers.
Moving on, let’s look at the type of social media influencers that can work with your brand.
Types of influencers of today
Not all influencers might have millions of followers like the Kardashian family. However, they are just as equally effective in promoting brands and products. Although there is no strict cut-off size for the number of followers an influencer can have, certain types of influencers are based on their following and popularity.
- Nano influencers – These are individuals who have 10,000 followers or less.
- Micro-influencers– They have followers ranging from 10,000 to 100,000.
- Macro–influencers – Their followers range from 100,000 to 1 million.
- Mega–influencers – These influencers have followers of over a million.
Moving on, let’s look at some of the advantages of influencer marketing.
Advantages of influencer marketing
The primary beauty of influencer marketing is that the audience is already present. Thus, all brands need to do is convince influencers to promote goods and services that align with the values of different influencers.
Below are some of the benefits of using influencer marketing.
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Help to build trust
Influencers are people who have already built relationships with people. Their fans trust them and have faith in their decisions. Thus, when you promote your brand through them, you will gain the attention of their followers, who will start believing in your brands and products.
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Improve brand awareness
Influencers can help your brand to expand and grow. People will notice your brand, your brand’s story, you as an owner, and the incredible solutions you offer. The key here is to offer valuable contents that can add to the influencer’s social media presence and promote your brand simultaneously.
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Helps to enrich your content strategy
If you have run out of marketing ideas or strategies, you can use influencer marketing to develop new and exciting marketing methods. This works well when you have no new content ideas to publish or have hit a plateau with your marketing efforts. For example, the brand Nestle can create its own Nestle case study SWOT analysis. However, only when they connect with an influencer will they can effectively understand their content strategy.
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Reaches your target audience
One of the best benefits of influencer marketing is reaching your target audience. When you connect with relevant influencers, you can reach social media users who are already interested in your niche.
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Helps to build winning partnerships
When you engage and connect with an influencer, you get to start a powerful relationship, which is a win-win for both parties. You never know where these connections can take you. For example, live events, joint ventures and other opportunities.
Now that you know the benefits of influencer marketing let’s look at how you can create an influencer marketing strategy.
How to create an influencer marketing strategy?
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Determine your goals
First, you should determine your key goals. This helps you set your marketing priorities. Are you looking to increase your sales? Do you want to increase your overall reach? Think about how influencer marketing can fit into your marketing strategies.
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Know who you want to influence
A great influencer marketing strategy is all about using the right tools to reach the right audience. And the first step is defining your audience for your campaign. Next, you should develop your audience persona and understand who you are trying to reach. Once you have decided on this, you can create a list of matching influencers who fit your marketing goals.
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Carry out your research
Try to research into the way your potential influencers are posting their content. Check how often they are sharing sponsored content from companies. Look for organic and non-paid content that helps to keep their followers interested. Also, decide what you want your influencer to post. If you ask for too many posts in a short period, it might be hard for the influencer to accept, even if you offer a hefty paycheck.
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Reach out privately
Start reaching out to your influencer slowly. You can start by liking their posts, commenting on them and appreciating their work. When you are ready to build a relationship with them, start by sending a personal message. Don’t send a mass or generic email. Although it can take longer to send personal messages, you will have more collaboration chances. This will also improve your chances of striking a deal with your influencer.
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Measure your results
It is important to measure your results once you have started your campaign with your influencer. You can begin by checking UTM parameters. You can also offer personalised discount codes to them, which they can send to their followers to use. In this way, you can measure the number of purchases that were made through your influencer.
Final thoughts
Influencer marketing is a great way to build your brand and reach out to a large number of potential customers. However, it would be best if you were careful to build a relationship where both parties benefit and win from mutual collaboration.
