When it comes to marketing, there are various ways to make your business shine online. One of those ways is influencer marketing. It is all the rage and it works. Did you know that over 80% of marketers have a dedicated influencer marketing budget? This is probably because about 63% of shoppers are more likely to purchase a product if it’s recommended by a trusted social media influencer. Just saying.
Influencer marketing allows you to showcase your services or products to not one, two, or three people. But potentially thousands, and that is we will be talking about today.
What Is Influencer Marketing?
Before we begin, it’s important to understand what the term influencer marketing means. In short, influencer marketing involves using influencers to market your business. What is an influencer? An influencer is a person with a huge social media following on platforms like TikTok, Instagram, YouTube and Twitter. They can be categorised as follows:
- Nano-influencers (1,000 to 10,000 followers).
- Micro-influencers (10,000 to 100,000 followers).
- Mid-tier influencers (100,000 to 500,000 followers).
- Macro-influencers (500,000 to 1 million followers).
- Mega-influencers (More than 1 million followers).
Quickly imagine having an influencer with a large following using your product or singing your praises in a video. That is why influencer marketing packs a proverbial punch when it comes to boosting business awareness.
There are currently approximately 127 million influencers on social media worldwide with Instagram remaining the dominant platform. It has roughly 87% of influencers favouring it for brand collaborations. Remember, unlike celebrities, influencers are typically not actors. They are mere mortals like you and me. That is why they are considered more relatable than most celebs.
Types of Influencer Marketing Campaigns
When you decide to collab with an influencer, there are several ways they can help promote your business. They can either do it through sponsored posts or product reviews. Or they can do it via giveaways and affiliate marketing. Let’s explain.
Sponsored Posts: This is basically when an influencer creates a post featuring your product or mentioning your service. Like a mini ad almost.
Product Reviews: Having an influencer share a review of your product or service allows their viewers to learn more about it. For example, you are selling a hyaluronic acid night cream. An influencer can talk about how soft it feels, what the benefits of hyaluronic acid are, how amazing the packing is, etc. This helps entice their viewers to buy that fabulous night cream right then and there.
Giveaways: Who doesn’t like free stuff? Influencers host giveaways all the time to boost brand visibility and engagement. Their followers participate by liking, sharing, or tagging their friends. By doing so, your product or service (which is usually hee prize) gets seen by even MORE people.
Affiliate Marketing: This is very popular and seen often. Influencers share unique affiliate links or discount codes, earning a commission for every sale generated through their promotion. And the viewer gets to enjoy your product or services at a discounted rate. It’s a win-win.
Here’s What The Process Typically Looks Like
1. You Need To Find The Right Influencers
Getting your product or service seen by 100 trillion people means absolutely nothing if they are not your target audience. Think of it this way. If you are selling lipstick, going in the direction of using a sports car reviewer with a predominantly male following is probs not the way to go. Right? So, the first step is finding influencers whose audience aligns with your business’s target demographic.
2. Building Relationships
Next up is building a business relationship with your influencers. This could involve a direct message on social media, email outreach, or connecting through influencer marketing agencies. Remember, building a genuine relationship is key. They will be representing your business. Also, if they like you, their posts and reviews will feel more authentic.
3. Creating A Campaign
Now it’s time for business. You (or your marketing team) along with your chosen influencer will brainstorm and create campaigns that align with both your goals and the influencer’s content style. This could range from a simple product review to a fully-fledged multi-post campaign featuring videos, stories, and giveaways as mentioned earlier.
4. Measuring The Results
Finally, the campaign’s success is measured through metrics such as impressions, clicks, engagement (likes, shares, and comments), and conversions (e.g., sales, and sign-ups). Analytical tools help brands assess the return on investment (ROI) and refine future campaigns.
Why Is Influencer Marketing So Incredibly Effective?
Simply put, influencers often have strong relationships with their followers, who trust their opinions and recommendations. When an influencer genuinely endorses a product they’ve used and loved, their followers are more likely to trust and purchase it.
That’s why influencer marketing is so effective. It promotes your product or service to a broad audience in the same way friends share recommendations about great movies they’ve recently watched. It feels personal, relatable, and trustworthy.
By not making influencer marketing part of your marketing strategy, you could be losing out on a great opportunity to help your business reach new heights and make more sales. Need a hand with influencer marketing? Don’t be shy, give our team a shout!