The world has evolved and been revolutionised in so many ways, but technology and social media platforms are still the front runners when it comes to influencing and making a change. Popularly known as influencer marketing in marketing terms, and usually is part of the social media marketing strategy. Online presence and efficacy are now seen as a symbol of status and credibility, and without them, you may well never get your brand, ideas, or voice off the ground.
Like with all big things, for those ideas and projects to achieve success, you need to have a plan. You want to create a strategy to get the ball rolling and then allow it to gain momentum independently as you edit and tweak content or methods as necessary along the way.
If you know what you want and already have some idea about the main objective of the concept, the next thing you need to do is find the right influencer to begin your influencer marketing campaign.
Who Is An Influencer?
To influence someone or something is to make a product or idea seem appealing to others and to produce an effect from that. When you are influencing or being influenced by your environment, you are changing the character, development, or behaviours of people, and this creates a movement.
An influencer on social media platforms, as we know, is considered someone who is well-versed in their particular field and who recommends products or other things to promote their popularity and, in turn, increase sales for that brand or product.
What is Influencer Marketing?
In combination with finding the right influencer, you will need a concept of influencing, a marketing strategy that the influencer becomes a part of as someone who is essentially endorsing the item on your behalf. In the past, influencers were mainly actors or actresses, celebrities, and well-known TV figures, but today, if someone has a large following on their social media accounts, they have the ‘power’ to promote to their followers or specific industry niche.
It is a great way to reach a target audience through particular influencers and their social media groups and also a more cost-effective way of reaching a much larger demographic.
Influencer Marketing Strategy
Now that you understand that using an influencer and their platforms is a quick and effective means of promoting your idea and brand, you need to have a well-thought-out strategy before jumping in with both feet. Let’s break down the process into a few simple steps. This is great for you if you are a beginner and would help lay the foundation for what could be the next best thing on the market and in the digital world.
Finding Your Influencers
Research is going to be your friend. In the beginning, finding the influencer that resonates with you and your brand will have a big impact. Think about whether you are looking for top-level socialites with 100,000s of followers or you are looking to start smaller with micro-influencers who are in the 20,000 -30,000 range of followers – this will help you determine or narrow down your expected budget.
If you aren’t sure ‘who is who,’ take a moment to scan the social media profiles in your industry to find out who is being mentioned and which names keep popping up. You want to activate your social listening to find the most influential voices.
Also, if you want to take things into your hands and be your brand’s influencer on social media, you can follow these simple tips to become a successful influencer.
Strategy Performance
Now that you have your collection of influencers, you need to start implementing your plan. Don’t think you can just sit back and leave the influencers to do everything – this particular strategy is about careful monitoring and ensuring they are reaching the target audience the way you want them to. The campaign performance will tell you whether to stick with these influencers or change course. They should be promoting and recommending your product with posts, reels, and even stories across their platforms.
Diversify And Back Up
You may not think it important, but being active on various social media platforms not only gives you added exposure but prevents you from becoming completely deleted should that platform suddenly decides to shut down. Use extra influencer accounts in case one gets hacked or closed – this way, you can stay in contact.
Stay True To Yourself
It is easy to get influenced by other marketing campaigns and strategies you admire, and often people fall into the trap of trying to mimic their concepts. The problem is what works for them may not be what works for you or even suit you. Stick to what you believe in and how you want yourself to be seen. What you want is to become your brand.
Being Interactive
People appreciate being valued, and when it comes to followers, you want them to know and feel that you appreciate their interests. It does not necessarily mean you need to reply to all comments and suggestions, but being involved from time to time shows you have is more than just a marketing strategy. The little guy and the big followers are equally important, and both play a role in your success. Be responsive.
Patience
A last but important point is to remember to be patient. Success and mass influence do not happen overnight (although we wish they would sometimes). Like with all good things, time is your best friend. When you take a moment to sit back and build up your social reach, you will instil trust in the community you are trying to reach. They begin to trust your product, and it becomes a digital relationship where everyone wins.
To Conclude
Yes, you want to build your brand and increase brand awareness, and yes, you want social engagement and to improve conversations. However, if you want to shine a light on a good cause or idea, a long-term influencer partnership should be your aim.
The concept of influencer marketing has more depth than many people would give it credit for, considering it to be simply a boosted product campaign. But what you need to understand from the get-go is that influencers are your brand ambassadors, not your employees, and opting for quality is far more effective than going for quantity. You need to listen to your audience and show them they are being heard, and this is effective in the fact that people begin to actively seek out your brand or product.
Your aim should be to reach the right people rather than the most people, and this is where many brands fall short in realising this. But working with an experienced digital marketing consultant will ensure your influencer marketing strategy is never a miss. With their understanding of the industry, they can guarantee you only work with influencers that would elevate your brand and give you the ROI you are looking for.
