One of the very mainstream and rapidly growing marketing technique is influencer marketing. Not only is it progressing very swiftly but is also highly criticized. There will always be some people who will set a trend and people who will jump on that trend. Those who does not accept a change will be either be left behind or will be creating a trend of their own.
In the fast-growing world of trendsetters, influencer marketing stands out the most. But what influencer marketing really is?
Influencer marketing can be simplified as product or service endorsement through people who have a large audience and have a potential to bring leads and eventually convert them into sales. These people don’t necessarily have to be celebrities but can be anyone with a voice and some influence. The best medium used for influencer marketing is social media platforms, because it makes reaching a big number of audiences without the need to be physically present.
A business using influencer marketing sometimes create their own influencers too. For example; Rare beauty- a cosmetic venture of singer/actress Selena Gomez despite her own following, encourages her team to use their own social platforms to promote the products and share authentic experiences.
In Influencer Marketing Same As Content Marketing?
Since content marketing is the most economical way to increase brand exposure therefore, it should not come as a surprise that the use of content marketing has been rising rapidly over the past few years. Firms do not go to others to market their products through content, it usually and in-house process and the responsibility for success is entirely their own.
Influencer marketing is comparatively a new concept and still in development however, is related to content marketing. Brands would be paying these influencers to market their products through their content ideas. Still want to know why you should use influencer marketing? Then keep on reading.
Defining Your Target Audience and Identifying the right influencer:
One main issue that a business face when using a social media platform is whom to target. Many of you must be aware of Facebook Pixel, it is a highly useful tool when operating an online business. With the help of pixel, you can have a close look of your audience and their preferences. Once you have the idea of what type of person falls in your target audience, choosing the right influencer can be easy. Businesses must select those influencers that resonates most with your brand image and whose own audience covers your target audience.
Back in 2018, when The Kardashian clan were trending for their body types, all the sisters, especially Kim and Kylie were seen promoting waist trainers on their Instagram. This is a prime example of influencer marketing. The brand chose them as influencers because the Kardashian-Jenner clan had millions of female populations looking up to them for body goals which covered the entire target audience of that brand.
Choose the Right Social Media Platform
The most critical aspect of marketing strategy is ‘return on investment’ (ROI). And statistics over the years have proved that, influencer marketing, if done correctly can generate as much as 11 times the ROI than traditional marketing methods.
Another important question asked when choosing the right influencer is what social platforms will best suit the requirement.
Social platforms like TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and snapchat all work well for the same purpose but also have different kind of repercussions. Like Facebook can be very good for knowing your target audience but it’s difficult to get reach organically. Instagram is that social platform that people use the most and are always active on it and show behaviour of frequent buyers but if the influencer is not chosen correctly, the strategy can go wrong. YouTube is great too but, have many restrictions about the kind of content you upload there. Snapchat is helpful for already present audience.
Hence, Whatever influencer you choose for your business, must also check which platform do they have their most following at and if it’s even relevant to your business.
You can try ‘Shout Cart’ to get on board with the suitable influencers for endorsement in the best rates.
How to Engage in Influencer Outreach
Up till now we were discussing why you should use influencer marketing, now let’s discuss how to use influencer marketing.
Outreaching influencers is one solution. Relationship development, link building, and content promotion are all benefited by this strategy. Additionally, it improves your company’s understanding of the emerging trends and allows it to trade value with market leaders.
- Find Your Purpose
Influencers are busy people who get a lot of inquiries every week. Wasting other people’s time in vain will lead you getting rejected also don’t let the cost put your marketing goals on hold. Some influential people are open to promoting your material for no cost. This advertising can be done in a variety of ways, such by sending tweets, making video content, or even wearing the merchandise.
Therefore, it’s crucial to establish specific campaign goals. Also, one pro tip for influencer marketing; Don’t lie to the person or conceal your actual intentions. - Develop Relationships
How you find your influencers has some bearing on how you handle your relationships with them. You will have a higher success expectation if you formally agree to work together. Additionally, certain platforms and agencies have capabilities that make managing these influencers easy.
Cost is a key element in this. The more money you spend on finding and working with influencers, the more power you’ll. Your influencers will have more power in the relationship if you have approached them organically.
Influencers are aware of the kind of material that resonate with their audience. By attempting to impose your content on them, you will not gain much. Giving your influencers a creative freedom and working with them to develop content will help you get greater results. - Build A Strategy
Act smartly when approaching these influencers and plan out your interactions. Add a personal touch in your conversation but be straightforward. When agreed to work together, formulate another strategy that will benefit both the parties. - Select Your Tools
There are several tools available online that can help you with outreaching these influencers. Like mentioned above ‘Shout cart’ is one very useful tool or ‘Huner.io’ or ‘buzzsumo’ etc.
Conclusion:
Every brand faces difficulty in today’s digital world; connecting with consumers. By providing their audiences and the power over the content, influencers can help the brands in overcoming that difficulty. Influencers cannot, however, ensure engagement. Therefore, businesses must not lose the focus from their content marketing efforts towards the target audience.
