Marketing is the process of getting people interested in the goods and services being sold. Great marketing leads to increased sales. Marketing and sales both impact lead generation and revenue but both must be managed separately for them to function as intended. Marketing for a business is usually done with a long-term plan in mind whereas sales tend to be based on short-term periods. One area of marketing that tends to overlap with sales is influencer marketing. A social media influencer is someone who has built a loyal following through their online content creation. An influencer could be a blogger, celebrity, industry expert, thought leader, and a social media personality. Generating sales with influencer marketing has become one of the most successful marketing techniques online.
Read on to find out why your brand needs to use a social influencer.
Brand Awareness
The world has become increasingly digital, and word-of-mouth marketing by social media influencers will help build brand awareness because they already have a large built-in audience that respects their opinion and style. The influencer will also assist your brand by bringing the human aspect into play. Consumers prefer to buy from people they know and trust rather than a faceless brand. Depending on the product, an influencer can assist with different types of brand awareness campaigns.
A few examples of ways to boost your brand's awareness through an influencer:
Giveaways & Contests: each platform will need to have a contest that is appropriate to the audience of that platform
Referral Program: sharing a promo code for a discount on your brand’s product. This can also be used as an affiliate marketing code within a blog
Influencer Takeover: one of your brand’s social media pages for a day or set amount of time
Tutorials: If your brand’s product requires directions on how to use it, this would be a great opportunity for a how-to video made by the influencer.
Guest Blogging: the influencer will contribute to your blog and share the blog link/backlink on their social media channels
Partner on a Webinar Video Series: This is an inbound marketing approach where you can meet up with the influencer regularly to discuss your product and the market in which it is. Usually, a thought leader or industry expert should be used for this type of marketing with an influencer.
Increase Sales
The overall goal for any company is to increase sales and make a profit. Influencer marketing is accessible and measurable when used in social media. To see a lift in sales, different strategies must be put in place to ensure that your brand is successful. Marketing can take away from profits when used incorrectly, and a carefully executed plan needs to be put in place when using an influencer. When a company thoughtfully plans out its sponsored content, the ROI is comparable or better than other marketing channels. Measuring individual influencers is an important first step when figuring out your ROI.
The metrics that need to be carefully watched are the following:
Total Impressions, which are the number of times your content is displayed. That would mean the content was delivered to someone’s feed and the post has been seen.
Average engagement rate
Conversions to Customers-total number of conversions that came from social media.
Number of clicks to the landing page on your website
Bounce Rate-if your social media bounce rate is lower than it was, then you are targeting the correct audience.
Find an Influencer and Watch Your Brand Grow
Now that you have decided to use Social Influencers to market your product, the next step is finding the appropriate person who will represent your brand. It can be difficult to find influencers if your brand is new and emerging for the first time. To watch your brand grow, you need to be seen on many channels, which will cause your audience and engagements to expand. Once you have decided on who you want to represent your brand, it is best to reach out to them in a non-aggressive way. The best way to reach out is through email or instant messenger. Once the influencer has agreed to represent your brand it is common for a contract to be drawn up between your company and the influencer. This will ensure that your product is being promoted appropriately and that the influencer receives their agreed-upon payment.
A few ways to easily find an influencer who will be the best fit for your brand’s image are the following:
Knowing who your competition is and who they are using. Check your competitor’s social media profiles and look at who has tagged them. You may find their influencers within those posts. If the competition’s influencer is not exclusive to their brand, it may be a good opportunity for your brand to use the same person.
Use Google and other search engines to find influencers that reflect your brand/product. Be sure to look at their personal social media pages and websites when narrowing down your list. They should look professional yet produce organic material. You can set up a Google Alert for industry-related terms, and you will see who is writing about the topics within your niche.
Join an online chat forum that the target influencer participates in. You can find these groups within Reddit, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook.
Hashtag searches are a way to find the influencer's posts. Look at the posts and find out which brands have collaborated with them.
If you feel you still need to fine-tune your search influencer tools or databases. These database websites have search features that will assist you in finding a person within your niche. They also make it easier for contacting the influencer by providing their social profiles, website, and sometimes their email address for contact.
Once you have hired your chosen social media influencer, you will need to continue to track your metrics within your social media accounts and your website. Sign up on brigidmassey.com/contact to receive the Guide to Measuring Social Media Analytics.
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