What Is Influencer Marketing and How Can It Help Your Business?
Jan 26, 2022
A social media influencer is defined as someone who has a large group of loyal followers. Typically, influencers are viewed as experts within their industry or niche.
This can range from fashion and travel to baking and home decor. Within the realm of social media influencing, there are no limits.
Because of the trust they've built with their audiences, popular social media users have a significant amount of influence over them. Hence the name "influencer".
The question is, is influencer marketing right for your business? Can you generate more leads and make more sales by working with a social media influencer?
Keep reading for everything you need to know.
What Is Influencer Marketing?
You now know what an influencer is, but how does an affiliate or collaborative relationship work with your business?
Typically, a business reaches out to an influencer they believe would represent their brand well and pitches a collaboration deal. There are several ways to arrange an affiliation.
First, you can offer the influencer free products or services in exchange for one or multiple shoutouts on their profile. Second, you can pay them for a limited number of promotions. Finally, you can set up a recurring payment plan for 'x' amount of promotions or shoutouts per month, depending on your marketing budget.
What Are the Benefits of Influencer Marketing?
The idea behind influencer marketing is to use the social media influencer to get your product, services, and brand exposed to new audiences. Because they have so much credibility among their followers, an endorsement from them will encourage countless leads and potential sales.
If you're trying to establish your brand identity on social media, an influencer can expedite the process. They can present your business to their audience in a way that bolsters your message and improves your image. Not only can this result in higher sales numbers, but many of their followers will also start following you.
How Do You Choose the Right Influencer?
Creating an effective influencer marketing strategy comes down to choosing the right influencers. You need to find a social media influencer who's within or related to your industry/niche. For example, if you own an online clothing store for women, you wouldn't reach out to male bodybuilders on Instagram.
As a business, you can join websites to connect with influencers. These platforms allow you to look at their stats, such as:
- Number of followers
- Engagement statistics
- What other companies they've worked with
- Reviews from other companies
- And more
Keep in mind, the more influence a social media user has, the more expensive they will be (typically). Remember, the sheer number of followers they have may not be as important as their engagement rate. A high engagement rate shows a stronger level of commitment and connectedness from followers.
Looking to Step Up Your Digital Marketing Strategy?
As you can see, there are a lot of benefits to influencer marketing. Just make sure you take your time to find the right influencer for your brand. And if you're looking for more help, check out our services.
We provide branding, website design, digital marketing, and more lead generating services. Contact us today or book a free call. We'd love to work with you to take your marketing strategy to the next level.
