Digital marketing is evolving constantly and unpredictably. While a few years ago, a well-built website was enough to attract customers, now, brands need to channel their efforts into social media platforms. And one of the most recent and interesting ways that companies have tackled this challenge was with the help of influencers.
These people have much more power than brands themselves. That’s because influencers are more than marketing tools. In fact, they are valuable partners that master the arts of persuasion and storytelling. Therefore, most companies can benefit from their skills and experience.
But are influencers the right choice for your brand, and how can they help boost your sales? Let’s find out!
Influencers 101
Generally speaking, influencers are public figures with vast knowledge, authority or reliability in one or multiple fields. They usually garner popularity through their posts on Instagram, YouTube, Facebook or other similar platforms and often build a solid and dedicated following.
Successful influencers are those who manage to form a strong relationship with their audience and have the ability to influence the group’s decision-making. For instance, you can find dozens of fashion influencers who people listen to for advice on what products to buy.
What’s interesting is that most of these influencers were themselves regular users who were passionate about the industry and managed to gain credibility through their original content and posts. As a result, influencers know exactly how to create efficient and relatable content for their audience and for the brands that they represent.
Can My Brand Benefit From Influencers?
As a subset of social media marketing, influencer marketing involves product placements, recommendations and endorsements in order to boost a specific product or business. This type of advertising is helpful because influencers considerably impact their audience’s opinion. And as long as their promotional content is relevant and engaging, influencer marketing can benefit anyone involved.
However, it’s wrong to assume that any internet personality would instantly agree to a partnership. As a matter of fact, most of them expect some sort of gain. That usually involves direct payment, free products or similar benefits. In other words, the goal of any partnership is to generate advantages for both the influencer and the company.
That’s why you need to choose the right influencers for your brand. As an example, if you sell tech products, partnering with a beauty influencer isn’t the best idea. After all, their audience follows their content for make-up or outfit tips, not for tech advice. Sure, they might be able to convince a few people that are also interested in your products. However, the content that they create will lead to more confusion for both of your audiences, potentially driving them away.
In contrast, if you own a cosmetics company, partnering or even creating a special product with a beauty influencer is on-brand for all parties. Using and promoting your cosmetics will feel natural and attract members of the influencer’s community, eventually converting them into customers. Hopefully, this collaboration will blossom and help create a strong relationship between consumers, the influencer and your brand.
Establishing Your Goals
Like with any other marketing strategy, your first mission is to figure out your goals. That way, you’ll be able to decide if the influencer is suitable for the job. So ask yourself: What am I trying to achieve? What am I investing in? What do I need to improve about my marketing?
For instance, if you want to boost your sales or promote your new products, working with an influencer is a great idea as long as you choose the right person and audience. Do you want to expand your following? Find an influencer with lots of experience in your company’s industry and ask them to endorse your brand.
Alternatively, you may be looking to increase your engagement. Then you can combine your existing campaigns with influencer marketing. For example, influencers can help get the word out about your social media contests. Just remember to require participants to follow your account or visit your website to boost your engagement further.
How Can I Use Influencer Marketing More Effectively?
Besides traditional partnerships, many other strategies can give results when relying on influencer marketing. For starters, you can create a referral program. Amazing for brands that revolve around word-of-mouth, referral programs can increase their customer base through the experiences of other happy customers.
You can further improve the effectiveness of this strategy by collaborating with an influencer. With their help, you’ll be able to gain access to even more potential clients. All you need to do is assign a code to your favourite influencer that gives customers a 15% discount on their first purchase when using the referral.
Sure, the influencer would want to gain something from this collaboration, whether it’s a free product or a commission from every order. However, that’s a small price to pay for the amount of exposure and customers that they’ll offer your business. Remember that with the aid of an online celebrity, word-of-mouth marketing can reach a wider audience and provide immediate results.
Another effective way to use influencer marketing is by organising influencer takeovers. During these events, you allow influencers to post and interact with your audience via your own social media account. This tactic will help improve your brand awareness while also boosting the celebrity’s popularity. Plus, it will give your business a more trendy and friendly attitude, which customers almost always prefer.
Related content:
Encouraging the Referrals You Need to Build a Solid Foundation
So, Should I Rely on Influencers for My Business?
There are a lot of factors you need to consider when it comes to deciding whether influencer marketing is the right choice for your business. However, most experts believe that in our day and age, influencers are vital for any company that wants to have a relevant online presence. And since most consumers use social media on a daily basis, this type of marketing can prove helpful in all industries, regardless of your target audience.
So, analyse your goals, understand your audience, and you’ll be able to effectively integrate influencers into your marketing strategies!
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