The most powerful form of marketing on the planet is word-of-mouth. Your best friend tells you to try out a new product, so you buy it, love it, tell another friend, and the cycle continues.
Influencer marketing takes word-of-mouth to the next level. Instead of your best friend telling you about a product, it is now your favorite celebrity or blogger offering you advice — and people tend to trust them. It’s for this reason that implementing a robust influencer marketing strategy is worth your while.
Why influencer marketing?
Here’s what’s beautiful about influencers — they are everywhere. In fact, some are already following and posting about your brand — use that to your advantage. An influencer can boost your follower count, lead prospects to a sale, give away your product, or anything else you can think of. The limit is up to the creativity of your influencer and you.
Pro Tips
Trust your influencer:
The truth of the matter is if an individual has grown their social media page and is on your radar as an influencer, they know what they are doing. Let them take the reins on the campaign. They know their audience better than you do. Setting ground rules is A-okay (i.e., no cussing, body shaming), but then trust the influencer to do their job. It matters to them just as much as it matters to you. Without happy clients, they will lose their business.
Work with them again:
If you have taken the time to build a relationship with an influencer, and their campaign goes well, keep in contact. Ask them to work with you again in three to six months (or whatever your budget allows) and run another campaign.
Micro-influencers work:
Big influencers can come with a hefty fee, charging up to $100,000 for one post. But, arguably, micro-influencers (under 30,000 followers) may be more impactful. First, micro-influencers are looking to grow their accounts, so it is much easier to cut a deal with them. You can offer your product for free, a shoutout on your page, or even a small monetary amount.
Second, they are simply trusted more. According to AdWeek, Instagram users with under 30,000 followers have a 60 percent higher engagement rate than larger influencers.
This could be because people with fewer followers are generally being followed by friends and other people they know personally. They also tend to be more active commenting back and engaging with their audience than someone with millions of followers.
Social media is always changing. One way to stay ahead of the curve is simply to try. Try to implement Stories in your strategy, try live video, or try influencer marketing. See what works, then make that a permanent part of your marketing mix.
Jana Dennison is the owner of Zettist, a marketing agency that aims to make your brand stand out. You can contact Jana at jana@zettist.com.
