80% of marketers claim that influencer marketing is as effective as other marketing channels. 71% of marketers claim the quality of traffic from influencer marketing is superior to other sources. 49% of consumers rely on influencer endorsements when making buying decisions. What are you waiting for? It's time to check out influencer marketing.
What is an influencer?
An influencer is someone who:
- has cultivated an online audience of like-minded people
- has authority, knowledge, position, and/or relationship with this online audience
- has developed a reputation for being an expert in their field
- has the patience and focus to succeed in social media
- has a successful blog, hosts online discussions and/or creates and posts engaging videos/photos
- shares opinions, ideas, tips, and advice relating to their specialty
- can be anyone from anywhere
- has the power to affect the purchasing decisions of others
What is influencer marketing?
Influencer marketing is when a brand/company collaborates with an online influencer to market one or more of its products or services. The influencer helps improve brand recognition and awareness by providing genuine and authentic information, feedback and recommendations regarding the product/service.
How do I find an appropriate influencer?
- Do a Google search for articles in your field. Does a particular author's name appear regularly?
- Look at industry-specific blog sites. Is there someone who frequently writes guest posts?
- Search social media platforms using relevant hashtags/buzzwords. Who appears most frequently?
- Use your professional and personal network to obtain referrals.
- Look for people with a strong support base whose audience is similar to your customers/clients. Make sure they have highly engaged followers.
- Once you have acquired the names of several influential people in your field, begin the influencer outreach process.
If this feels too complicated and/or time-consuming, use an influencer platform and/or consult with an influencer marketing agency. Platforms and agencies are created to help businesses streamline their influencer selection process.
How do I undertake the influencer outreach process?
- Follow and/or friend influencers on social media platforms
- Reply to Introductory emails
- Respond to questions the influencer asks
- Link to the influencers' posts
- Interact with them
- Share their material
- Comment on and/or like their photos, videos, blog posts, and other content
- Write guest posts
- Give free samples to the influencer
- Provide products for the influencer to give away to their followers
- Run a competition for the influencers
- Pay for sponsored posts
Interact with the influencer, then approach them to work with you to promote your brand. Explain how your product can benefit their audience. Ask them to lend their name, expertise, and authority towards promoting your product to their followers.
Successful influencer marketing creates a win/win/win situation; good for you, good for the influencer and good for the audience. What are you waiting for? It's time to try influencer marketing!
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