Influencer marketing is using popular people on social media to market a brand. Influencers have many followers who like and trust them. Their followers are possible new customers for a business. Businesses work with influencers to:
- Get more people to know their brand
- Drive more people to visit their website
- Sell more products
- Reach new audiences
Some common questions about influencer marketing are:
How do you find good influencers to work with? Look for influencers whose followers are similar to your target customers. Also, look for influencers who post about things related to your business.
How much do influencers cost? Rates vary a lot. Influencers with smaller followings often charge less than $100 per post. Famous influencers can charge over $10,000.
What results can you get? Possible results include more brand awareness, website visits, product sales, and reaching new areas.
How do you know it’s working? Track things like clicks, sales, and mentions to see your return on investment. Use codes to see sales.
Now, let’s learn more about what influencer marketing is, how to use it, and why it works well for businesses today.
What is influencer marketing?
Influencer marketing involves working with popular social media users to promote a brand. It relies on finding people who are influential within a specific topic or “niche.”
These social media influencers have many engaged followers who trust them. Partnering with relevant influencers lets brands reach those followers. It helps brands gain more awareness and sales.
Unlike traditional celebrity ads, influencer marketing aims to connect with potential customers authentically. Influencers are seen as experts in their niche. Their followers pay close attention to their recommendations.
Some influencer marketing examples are:
- Sponsored posts on the influencer’s social media
- Takeovers of a brand’s Instagram story
- Contests and giveaways
- Discount codes only shared by the influencer
- Product reviews and unboxing videos
- Having an influencer serve as a brand ambassador
- Content created together by the influencer and brand
The main goals are to use the influencer’s reputation and audience to:
- Increase brand awareness and interest
- Drive more traffic to the brand’s website
- Generate leads and sales
- Create buzz for new products or campaigns
Brands of all types and sizes have seen great results from influencer marketing. As social media continues to grow, influencer marketing is a way to connect with consumers in an authentic way that stands out.
Benefits of Influencer Marketing for Brands
Working with influencers provides many unique benefits for brands.
1. Expanded Reach & More Visibility
Influencers help brands reach new audiences, niche groups, and locations. Even influencers with smaller followings of 1000s expose a brand to many potential new customers. This expanded reach drives more awareness.
2. More Website Traffic & SEO
Influencer content like posts and videos can gain impressive organic reach on search engines and social media. This referral traffic can drive major website traffic for brands. Including links and hashtags boosts search optimization.
3. Credibility & Trust
Consumers today trust influencers more than traditional ads and celebrity endorsements. Partnering with relevant influencers allows brands to share their story through trusted voices.
4. Higher Engagement & Click Rates
The followers of influencers are very engaged and active. So, influencer content often sees higher engagement and lower cost per click compared to other digital marketing formats.
5. Lead Generation
Influencers can effectively generate leads through giveaways, codes, and calls to action. This makes it easy to collect contact information and drive traffic to lead capture forms.
6. More Sales & Revenue
Influencer marketing drives direct sales through tactics like affiliate links, discount codes, and product links. Studies show it also generates major earned media value for brands. For e-commerce brands, influencer content inspires consumers to shop for new products.
7. Brand Humanization
The right influencer partnerships allow brands to connect with consumers in an authentic, human way. Audiences get to know the real people behind the brand and start building an emotional connection.
8. Access to Micro-Influencers
Micro-influencers are regular social media users with small followings of 1000 to 100,000. They often have extremely high engagement and conversion potential at an affordable price.
How to Find the Right Influencers for Your Brand
Finding well-matched influencers is key to successful campaigns. Here are some tips:
1. Identify Your Goals and Target Audience
Before searching, outline your campaign goals and target demographics. This clarity will help find ideal influencer partners.
2. Research Within Your Niche
Look at the top content creators in your industry niche. Follow their content and engage to learn about their audiences.
3. Check Engagement Metrics
Assess engagement rates on potential influencers’ feeds rather than just their follower count. Metrics like likes, comments, and click-through rates show influence.
4. Evaluate Content Quality
Review the visual style, content, posting frequency, and quality of each influencer. Their content should align well with your brand.
5. Include Non-Obvious Options
Think outside the box. Consider influencers from related niches who may reach your target audience, too.
6. Use Influencer Marketing Platforms
Sites like Upfluence and Grin allow you to search for influencers using filters like location, demographics, engagement stats, and more.
7. Ask for Referrals
Your employees may follow or know potential influencers. Ask them for referrals to find vetted options.
8. Prioritize Genuine Fans
The best partners are influencers who genuinely like and talk about your brand, not just one-time partners. Let existing brand fans shine as ambassadors.
9. Run a Small Test Campaign First
Consider a small test campaign with a few micro-influencers before making big investments. This allows you to evaluate potential partners and measure performance.
10. Best Practices for Working with Influencers
Follow these tips for mutually rewarding influencer partnerships:
11. Be Clear About Expectations
Leave no ambiguity about your campaign goals, needed content, guidelines, and compensation. Use a thorough contract.
12. Respect Their Creative Freedom
The best content happens when influencers put their unique spin on campaigns. Avoid being too restrictive and let their talents shine.
13. Give Them Brand Assets
Provide influencers with assets like logos, product photos, brand guidelines, and ad copy to help them create great branded content.
Keep an Open Line of Communication
Check in regularly and respond promptly. Listen to their creative opinions. Mutual communication is key.
1. Highlight Their Work
Share the influencers’ posts on your social channels, website, email, etc. Help amplify their work to your audiences.
2. Be Flexible and Open-Minded
Influencers know their followers best. Keep an open mind if they suggest tweaking your campaign idea or angle to make the content more appealing.
3. Give Proper Credit
Always thank, tag, and mention creators properly. Share the partnership on your channels and in press releases, too. Showing appreciation matters.
4. Pay Fairly and Quickly
Make sure payment is in line with industry averages for the influencer’s following and the effort required. Avoid asking for free work. Pay on time per contract.
5. Analyze Performance
Use codes, links, and tags to monitor campaign impact. Apply lessons learned to improve future partnerships.
6. Types of Influencer Marketing Campaigns
The options are endless when partnering with influencers. Brainstorm creative ways they can add value to your marketing efforts. Some of the top influencer campaign ideas include:
Conclusion
Influencer marketing has become a hugely valuable strategy for brands in all industries to reach consumers in an authentic, engaging way. Identifying and partnering with the right influencers allows brands to rapidly expand their audience, increase visibility, generate leads and sales, and create brand buzz.
With so many creative options, there are infinite possibilities for successful influencer campaigns. Focus on selecting relevant influencers who genuinely know, like, and align with your brand. Develop thoughtful partnerships that allow these influencers the creative freedom to reach their followers in their voice. Approach collaborations as mutually beneficial relationships.
With strategic influencer partnerships, brands are able to effectively cut through the digital noise and make emotional connections with their target audience. Influencer marketing will continue to be a smart, viable strategy for companies and marketers focused on expanding their reach and accelerating their growth in the digital age.
