Influencer marketing is a form of marketing in which the marketer works with a social media influencer to promote their product or service. The concept of influencer marketing is that people are more likely to purchase a product if it has been recommended by someone they trust.
In this article, we will discuss how you can identify influencers for your campaigns and how you can use them to increase conversions for your products.
What is influencer marketing and why use it?
Influencer marketing is a form of social media marketing that involves identifying, researching, engaging and supporting individuals who create high-quality content on various platforms that your target audience is active on. These influencers then help to promote your brand or product through their channels in order to reach a larger audience than you would be able to organically.
One of the most successful examples of this approach was Beats by Dr Dre. On launching the product, the management team, who had years of experience and many contacts within the music industry, made sure to get photos of well known celebrities using Beats headphones.
Go do a Google image search of ‘beats headphones celebrities’ and you’ll see what I mean!
This helped to create a buzz around the product and ultimately led to Beats being one of the most successful headphones in history, with the company selling to Apple for a reported $3 BILLION.
Why did they take this approach? Well, there are many benefits associated with using influencer marketing as part of your wider digital marketing strategy.
Firstly, it can help you to build trust and credibility for your brand, as the endorsements come from credible sources. It can also be very cost-effective when done correctly and, finally, it allows you to tap into new audiences that may not have been exposed to your brand before.
In order for an influencer campaign to be successful, however, it is important that you take the time to identify suitable influencers ahead of time.
This includes considering things such as their engagement rate, relevance to your industry/product/service and whether they have a positive reputation online.
Once you have identified potential candidates, you should then reach out and try to establish a working relationship.
The benefits of using influencers for your marketing campaigns
An influencer campaign can take time and money to get started, so let’s dive in to the benefits you need to keep in mind when starting this project:
Increased brand awareness and reach: With the help of influential individuals, you can achieve a great deal more for your company in terms of visibility and exposure. This is because influencers will have a large following, who are more likely to be interested in what they have to say.
Build credibility and trust: When you work with an influencer, it is important that both parties feel confident in each other’s abilities. If the relationship feels professional and constructive from start to finish, it is much more likely to result in positive outcomes down the line.
Enrich your content strategy: Influencers often have a wealth of knowledge about particular topics, which they are able to share freely with their followers. By tapping into their expertise, you can create high-quality content that will truly impress your audience.
Win-win long-term partnerships: Collaborating with an influencer is never going to be hassle-free, but it is almost always worth it in the end! Not only will you reap financial rewards for featuring their work on your website or social media channels, but you may also establish valuable relationships that could last for years to come.
The negatives of influencers
Are there any negatives? Indeed, there are:
Choosing the Wrong Influencers: Not all influencers are created equal, and not all content is suited to be promoted using an influencer campaign. By mistake, you may end up promoting content that is poorly written or irrelevant to your target audience.
Overpaying Featured Influencers: Not all influencers are available at an affordable price, which means you may have to spend too much money on featured influencers instead of qualified professionals who can provide value to your brand.
Failing to Track Results: It’s important to track the performance of your influencer marketing campaigns so you can measure whether they’re successful. However, if you don’t track results diligently, it’s easy for campaigns to lose momentum and for you to spend more money than necessary.
Losing Influence over Time: Once you’ve chosen an influencer(s) and set up your campaign, it’s essential that you maintain control over the content being promoted in order to keep their influence fresh and relevant. If you neglect this step, eventually your chosen influencers will lose credibility with your target audience and their contributions will no longer be as valuable.
How to identify suitable influencers for your campaign?
Once you’ve decided to try influencer marketing, it’s time to dig in and come up with a plan. You have a product and you should know who your customer base are.
The first step is to define your target audience for the campaign and the objectives of your campaign. Are you looking for increased brand recognition? Are you launching a new product? Or are you trying to get people to sign up for a newsletter?
After you have identified your target audience, it is important to understand what they want and need from your brand. This will help you determine what type of campaign would be the most effective way to reach them.
Along with influencers, you might target them using traditional advertising methods such as print, or online marketing techniques like email campaigns or social media ads.
Once you have done this, you can start researching potential influencers who reach this audience and who align with the goals of your campaign.
To narrow down your search, look at factors such as the size of their following, engagement rate, content quality and relevance to your brand.
Not sure what I mean by engagement rate? Engagement rate is the percentage of a person’s social media posts that are liked, commented on, shared or retweeted. It’s an indication that followers/subscribers are watching and enjoying the content being made.
A great tool to use is https://socialblade.com/ which allows you to see statistics for creators on YouTube, Twitch, Twitter and Instagram.
Take your time and check out previous content created. Does it resonate with your plan? Does it have the right tone for your brand? For example, if an influencer swears a lot, they won’t be a good fit for products aimed at young children.
You can also use social listening tools to track mentions of your brand, competitors or industry keywords and see which influencers are talking about these topics already.
How to approach potential influencers?
Influencers can be approached by a lot of people, which is why it’s so important to be genuine and authentic in your communication, as people can see through insincerity very easily.
Try and establish a rapport with the influencer before you ask them to promote anything for you, but don’t take too long to get to the point. Personalize each message you send and quickly make it clear that you are interested in a collaboration, offering something that will be valuable to them in return for their participation in your campaign.
You don’t get something for nothing in this world. Be prepared to offer something in return for their promotion, such as co-promotion or providing access to exclusive content or products, or even a cash payment.
Be clear about what you want from the outset and make sure that the goals of both parties align.
Finally, be ready to negotiate – everyone likes to feel like they’re getting a good deal!
How is the influencer industry becoming more respected?
The influencer industry is becoming more respected, as companies are beginning to see the value in using social media to reach new audiences. In addition, the use of influencers allows companies to tap into a new form of marketing that can be very effective.
In fact, influencers can be a business in their own right and you may find they approach you with an offer.
I’ve real world experience of this. Many years ago, I approached a company called Miller Engineering to see if they’d like to provide me with one of their very expensive products in return for a video review.
It turned out they were already aware of me thanks to previous videos I’d made for a competitor and were keen to work with me.
The video was a huge hit and generated a lot of interest in the product. The company recently reached out, keen to work with me again, stating:
The review you did of our DS1 planetarium really helped us.
Chris, Miller Engineering
In return for a single product, the company got huge exposure. A very good marketing investment!
How can Ideal Customer Profiles Help Identify Influencers for Campaigns?
When it comes to identifying influencers for campaigns, the power of ideal customer profiles is unmatched. By understanding the demographics, behaviors, and preferences of your target audience, you can pinpoint the influencers who have the most impact on your ideal customers and tailor your campaigns accordingly.
Conclusion
Why bother with influencer marketing? Done correctly, it can be an extremely efficient and cost-effective way to reach your target market.
Secondly, because of the trust that is built between an influencer and their followers, this type of marketing can result in significantly higher conversion rates than more traditional forms of advertising.
Thirdly, by working with relevant influencers who align with your brand values, you can tap into a whole new audience that you may not have otherwise had access to.
And finally, influencer campaigns provide excellent opportunities for ongoing engagement and relationship building – both with the influencers themselves as well as their followers.
