Influencer marketing has been around as long as social networks, and online networking has existed.
The concept of influencer marketing is much the same as that of traditional PR. However, influencer marketing today is much easier to use and can significantly impact smaller businesses. At the most basic level, influencer marketing is simply a form of internet marketing that uses endorsements by influential people on social media who have a large following. They are considered experts in their chosen niche and have a devoted social following.
Businesses have a fantastic opportunity today to take advantage of this type of marketing. For example, let’s say you have a company that sells hiking boots. You want to promote your brand using Instagram and Facebook to drive customers to your website to make a purchase. If you were to use influencer marketing techniques, you would first identify an influencer with an established fan base in the hiking sports niche. Next, let’s say you find an influencer that focuses on sharing content around outdoor activities. You’d want to take advantage of their followers since they would be the ones most likely purchasing your product. Either the influencer would create content of your product to share, or you would provide the images and copy for the influencer to use. The idea is to spread the word about your brand and the products or services that you’re offering in the hopes of attracting new customers. Having an influencer blast your message to thousands of engaged followers will garner massive exposure.
Additionally, a popular way to use influencer marketing, which many marketers and companies have found success with, is to become one yourself. Becoming an influential voice within a community, whether on social media, in a blog, or within your industry, is very powerful. It is the ideal tool for both small business owners and large companies. While it can be a time-consuming process to become an influencer, the results are astounding. By being an active member within a community focused on a common interest, you’ll be able to draw in passionate customers.
A successful influencer marketing strategy helps build authority, increase brand awareness, and connect with a targeted audience. In addition, it results in traffic to a website and contributes to sales of a brand’s products and services. There are several advantages of influencer marketing, but it can sometimes be complex and confusing to put together all the pieces to launch and implement.
How To Develop Your Strategy.
If you need help putting together an influencer marketing strategy, Just Go Viral has several helpful resources. Here are some tips to keep in mind as you develop an influencer marketing strategy:
1. Influencer marketing is one of the simplest ways to engage with potential customers. It’s essential to choose carefully the kind of product or services you wish to promote through an influencer. You want to make sure that the influencer you choose has a proven track record in your niche. Consider mixing several channels like sponsored blog posts, YouTube videos, podcasts, and social media. The more you can do to integrate your promotional content into several high-quality networks, the better off you will be in your efforts to build an engaging influencer marketing strategy.
Choose your influencers carefully. You want to pick someone familiar with your industry. As your social media influencer, their aim should be to help you achieve your goals, whether through more traffic to your website or increased post engagement. By choosing to work with an influencer, you are not creating a cookie-cutter promotional marketing system. Instead, you select an individual who can help you define and achieve your goals through a well-planned and thought-out campaign. Each influencer will have a unique set of skills to help you achieve your desired goals.
Ensure you have specific benchmarks and goals in mind for what a successful influencer marketing strategy would look like. This will guide all aspects of your influencer marketing campaigns. You should clearly define what your goals are at each stage in the campaign. For example, do you want to increase sales, dramatically improve customer satisfaction, provide an outlet for viral marketing, or encourage participation from your audience? Once you know your goals, you can look at your different options to achieve those goals. Some strategies are easier than others, depending on your goals and the strength of your brand.
One of the most critical aspects of an influencer marketing strategy is reaching the right target audience. Many companies fail to achieve their goals because they fail to identify their target audience. When selecting the right platform and influencer, you should choose one that allows you to connect with your audience quickly and effectively. This will help you to develop an engaging content marketing campaign that reaches the right people at the right time. This is done by evaluating your competition and seeing what they are doing on social media. Take notice of how they interact with their customers online and find ways to stand apart from them.
The benefit of influencer marketing over traditional content marketing is that influencers have a broad reach with a large fan base. Their messages are instantly visible across the internet. The great thing about influencers is that they have something valuable to say to thousands of listeners. They get to promote themselves as someone who is highly influential in their niche. It adds to the credibility of both the marketer and the brand they are endorsing. Developing a strategy around influencer marketing will lead to greater success.
