Influencer marketing on social media channels is a big deal. Social media is where consumers turn to get their news, to find out information about brands, brand satisfaction and the best deals. They are on the platforms, they know that they can search for people they trust on those platforms and they value the information shared.
Influence marketing isn’t only used on YouTube, you find it on Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram and Facebook. People want opinions, they want advice and guidance, many also want to be in on the action when it’s hot. Consumers don’t want impersonal ads in mags, they want information from someone they know and admire. Influencer marketing is a fantastic way of increasing traffic to your website, increasing conversions and spreading brand awareness. Here’s how you can use it for your business to compliment your digital marketing strategy.
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Know your audience
Build the marketing campaign around your consumers rather than your business. Work out what they would like to know, who they admire and where they are. Check to see the type of content they enjoy; would they prefer a few blog posts or YouTube videos? How about Instagram stories? You must know your audience before you do anything else.
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Finding the Right Influencer
The more famous the influencer is, the bigger their fees will be. Don’t feel like you must aim for the most recognised influencer, there are plenty of smaller influencers out there with very loyal fans. Work out the influencers you audience appreciate and trust and start working through their channels to find a good match. Then think about what areas you want to strengthen with the campaign. If you want traffic you may benefit most from quality blog posts. If you want to build social media audiences pick someone with a great social media following.
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Respect the Influencers
Ask for their ideas, discuss your goals and find out ways to work together that are mutually beneficial. You can’t expect influencers to work for peanuts, it takes a lot of hard work to write content, take and edit photographs, film and edit videos and that’s before the promotion work begins. Ask for their fees and don’t ask influencers to break any rules. One the content has been created do your bit, push the content, share it, be proud of it, thank your influencer publicly and support them. Building a strong relationship could be useful for future campaigns but it also shows other influencers and the audience how great you are.
Influencer marketing is an excellent addition to any digital marketing strategy. Use alongside SEO and PPC and start seeing the benefits. Check out our wonderful clients, ProtectaPet and get some ideas on what is achievable.
