Find out how influencers can boost your social media marketing.

From celebrity endorsements to model collaborations, prominent people have influenced the way we view brands and make purchases for decades…long before social media dominated nearly every aspect of our lives.

Over the last few years, companies worldwide have started realizing the value of social media as a marketing tool. While the key to a successful social media strategy is to post valuable content regularly, there are other ways you, as a business, can boost your following and engagement. Influencer marketing has become an established form of online marketing in recent years and is utilized by many companies to foster a good reputation and build trust for their brands.

What is Influencer Marketing?

To understand what influencer marketing is, we must first define what an influencer is. Influencers are social media users who have built a reputation based on their expertise in certain fields. They post relevant content regularly and have developed a following of people that sincerely trust their opinions and reviews.

Influencer marketing is the collaboration of a company with a social media influencer to endorse products or services. These collaborations are sought out by many brands as influencers have the power to influence trends, garner trust and encourage people to purchase and use the products they recommend. Depending on the audience size of the influencer, a collaboration could result in your brand’s exposure to a huge new audience who you otherwise may not have reached.

When you consider the numbers below, it makes sense why influencer marketing has become such a popular tactic among businesses:

• Approximately 40% of people reported that they purchased a product online because they saw it used by an influencer on YouTube, Instagram, or Twitter.
• 71% of influencers believe that their honest and authentic voice is what keeps their audience engaged.
• A recent study found that influencer marketing yields a $6.50 ROI for every $1 spent.
• 51% of marketers believe that they acquire a higher quality of customers (customers who spend more money and steer more family and friends towards their products/services) through influencer marketing,

It’s clear that influencer marketing can be an extremely successful marketing tactic for most business. So, how can you capitalize on it?

Working with Influencers

The first step in working with an influencer is finding the right one for your brand. With over 500,000 active influencers on Instagram alone, the potential for finding a perfect fit is high. This also means doing a lot of research.

When searching for an influencer you would like to collaborate with, we recommend looking for the following:

1. Relevant content: Make sure their expertise is relevant to your product/service and their audience aligns with your target market.
2. Number of followers: While a larger following could mean greater exposure, a smaller following can be more beneficial since the influencer’s content is targeted at a niche group. It’s been observed that engagement rates are usually higher for micro-influencers who have between 5,000 to 25,000 followers so make sure you determine whether you’re interested in a micro or macro-influencer.
3. Follower engagement: Take a look at how people are interacting with this influencer and whether the relationship between the influencer and his/her following is a good one. Look out for plenty of views, likes, comments, and shares.

Once you have identified the influencers you are interested in working with, you should reach out to them privately with a personalized message. A generic DM or email will not fly. Influencers have put a lot of time and effort into gaining the trust of their followers. By sending a personal and professional message with plenty of details, the influencer is much more likely to research who you are and decide if you are a company they want to collaborate with.

Types of Campaigns

Before you start working with an influencer, its important to understand exactly what kind of campaigns you would like them to take part in. Perhaps the two most popular influencer campaigns include:

1. Discount codes and affiliate marketing
   Affiliate marketing involves influencers promoting a product sale and getting commission for each product sold. Influencers receive their own affiliate links so it’s easy to track the results of their campaign.

2. Contests and giveaways
   These types of campaigns are amazing for boosting brand awareness and increasing followers, leads and web traffic. They are often accompanied with parameters that ensure you are reaching both your current customers and potential new customers, such as:

• Tagging friends.
• Following the account.
• Sharing the content.
• Signing up for a newsletter.

Slow and steady wins the race

Influencer marketing is not going to get you quick results. The purpose of this marketing technique is to develop a reputation and credibility for your brand over time. Having a strong social media presence is the marketing goal of many companies but it takes time, patience, and perseverance.

 Feel free to reach out to us with any questions you may have!