When searching for the types of goods or services you offer, people expect your company to put its best foot forward – explaining your value, detailing your competitive advantages and trying to convince individuals to do business with you.
Yep, marketers typically focus on the positives.
Consumers know this, so they seek out recommendations from people they trust (i.e., influencers) online:
- industry experts
- people or companies that have a unique relationship with your ideal customers and prospects
- celebrities, famous athletes and other public figures
This is precisely why influencer marketing is so powerful: Instead of you marketing to your target audience, influencers do it for you, using social media to promote your brand, products, and/or services.
But does this mean you need to get Kylie Jenner or Patrick Mahomes to start recommending your company? Absolutely not. Below, we share a few secrets to starting your first influencer campaign (no celebrities required).
More on influencer marketing:
Are You Looking Towards Influencers to Build Your Brand?
Here’s How to Build an Instagram Following
Establish clear goals.
Every decision you make about your influencer campaign – the platform you choose, the influencer(s) you partner with, the types of content they create – will be informed by your goals. Here are a few things you could try to achieve with an influencer marketing campaign:
- Increase awareness of your products or services
- Drive more targeted traffic to your website
- Increase sales
Whichever direction you go, your goal should have three components: the demographic you want to reach; what you want the influencer to help you achieve; and how the influencer will help you accomplish it. Spend some time clarifying your objectives, so that you can build the right campaign and measure your success.
Identify potential influencers.
The objective of influencer marketing is to target your ideal customers through someone else’s following. To identify a viable influencer for your organization, look for these characteristics:
- Well connected. They should maintain connections with media outlets (especially social media) and be active on the platform(s) your audience uses most.
- Large following. Obviously, someone with hundreds of thousands of followers is going to have a much larger “digital megaphone” than someone with a few dozen. What’s more, younger generations trust influencers with large social followings.
- Your audience’s attention. They should have a special relationship with your ideal audience’s demographics.
- Authenticity. Your customers and prospects must perceive an influencer as credible.
Need help identifying the right influencers? Tools like BuzzSumo and Heepsy can help you find and connect with influencers who are right for building your brand.
Establish connections with influencers.
Take the time to build relationships with potential influencers (it won’t happen overnight). Start by liking, commenting on and sharing their content. Share a few anecdotes about your company and the people you help. Be patient with the process. By engaging with influencers over time, they will hopefully notice your business, learn about what your brand stands for, and begin interacting with you
Once you establish a trusting relationship with an influencer, their followers will naturally be exposed to your products and services. As the influencer begins interacting with your company, allow them to retain creative control over the process. They’re popular with your audience for a reason (they’re doing something right!), so keep those interactions authentic by staying unobtrusive.
Is influencer marketing right for your business?
Influencers can have a huge impact on your target audience – and your bottom line. If you’d like to learn how, just ask BARQAR’s digital media experts! We’ll discuss your business and its goals, and then recommend the right solution to help you build your brand and sell more.
