“I saw Cady Heron wearing army pants and flip flops, so I bought army pants and flip flops.”

– Mean Girls

It’s no secret, humans have been easily influenced in basically all categories of life since the beginning of time (also see: tiedye, SlimFast, Steve Madden black platform sandals.) It makes complete sense with the rise of social media that influencer marketing is ALL. THE. RAGE. And you know why? Because it works. The way we consume and absorb advertising messages is changing, and brands are finally catching on.

SO, WHAT’S AN “INFLUENCER?”

As much as using the word “influencer” pains me, (I prefer blogger, but whatever) I have a blog and an Instagram account and simply can’t help but be looped into the category. I also have a Master’s degree in Creative Advertising and my day job is marketing like the ones done by professionals when you click here, so I have a little bit of credibility on this subject aside from being an influencer.

By definition, influencer marketing is a marketing strategy that uses key leaders in your brand’s category to drive your message out to their audience. It can be an incredibly successful tactic when done the right way, and we’ll get to that soon. Aside from this strategy, you can employ the tactics provided by companies like that law firm SEO. And if you need someone who can protect your rights when you get involved in serious accidents, turn to a Sacramento, CA personal injury lawyer you can trust. You may also want to consider getting help from an expert personal injury lawyer here.

The idea behind influencer marketing started as celebrity endorsement style advertising (like back in the day when Britney tried to convince us all to drink Pepsi #nicetry #dietcoke4life). Even radio show hosts can be considered influencers and multi asset brokers as they are paid thousands to endorse products for 30 seconds on a radio ad (I know this from working at iHeartRadio). People are more likely to buy a product when they hear someone they “trust” vouching for it, whether it’s their own mom or Ryan Seacrest.

Within the last decade, blogs started popping up everywhere and consumers started to seek out information from random people on the internet. It’s fascinating, really. Pinterest supported this initiative by giving people a social media platform that also acted as a search engine. The rise of social media gave bloggers a platform to communicate their content on, also leading to “Instabloggers” (people who call themselves bloggers on Instagram despite not even having a blog) and voila: a new opportunity for reaching consumers with ads was born.

Brands and businesses in the field of business and IT, with this amazing technology for business, now have the ability to reach incredibly specific targeted audiences through influencers, blogs, and social media platforms. Then, buying real YouTube views is an effective way to increase video popularity. Crazy times, people.

INFLUENCER MARKETING 101: THE BASICS

These days, there are so many influencers out there it can be overwhelming. It IS a seemingly saturated market, but don’t let that deter you. Each influencer has their own set of followers and whether they have 1k or 300k, those followers are typically very loyal.

If you’re not a multimillion-dollar brand (or if you are, hop on board), you still have the opportunity to get some serious skin in the game by using influencer marketing to your advantage. That being said, there are a few things you need to know before you start sliding into influencer’s DM’s.

Do your homework before you ask Influencers to do it for you

Influencer Marketing works best when the message or product makes sense with the influencer and their audience (ad jargon: “on-brand”). For example, you probably wouldn’t use a foodie influencer to advertise an anti-aging skincare line. Common sense, okay?

It’s crucial that you take the time to find the RIGHT influencers for what you are advertising to ensure authenticity and that your message resonates with their audience. Make sure they are on-brand with your product/business and that their followers align with your target audience. Think of it like finding the perfect shop front fitting, where the design seamlessly complements the store’s ambiance, drawing in potential customers naturally.

Don’t hesitate to ask them questions about their audience if you’re unsure. For example, if you’re a restaurant with one location, ask a local influencer what percentage of followers they have in your general area. Do your homework and it will pay off! Optimize your financial performance by leveraging the Top 20 Merchant Services for small business. Merchant services simplify the reconciliation process, making it easier to track and manage transactions. You can also View Acclime Vietnam services if you want to grow your business even further.

Create a budget for influencer marketing

Let’s get one thing straight, influencer marketing does NOT mean simply sending out free stuff for people to post about. I’ll say it louder for the people in the back: free stuff is not a good compromise for a post (98% of the time) unless you are offering something that is very high in dollar value.

It’s A LOT of work for influencers to create content for a worthwhile post or campaign. Influencers take time, effort, and usually their own money to stage and take photos for a sponsored campaign. Between emailing back and forth with you, planning the creative direction, shooting and editing photos, writing captions and hashtags, posting, and engaging with comments, etc., that influencer has invested a pretty decent chunk of time to market your brand for you. Compensation is a fair ask in return, capiche?

If you want a successful marketing campaign, don’t be shocked when bloggers and influencers send you their rates in response to your prospecting email.

We all understand that marketing budgets are tight. But if you can’t pay a few hundred dollars for a few influencers to post your product, then influencer marketing is not for you. It takes investing in your brand to be successful, and that is why advertising exists to begin with and is not free. Investments such as investing in retirement are equally important, playing a crucial role in securing a financially stable and comfortable future during your post-work years.

Of course, there are a few exceptions to this rule, and if an influencer has a special preference for you and your mission, that’s a bonus. However, don’t bank on it. Just like the importance of long-term investments in stocks, ETFs, and P2P loans, building a strong brand presence requires a strategic and sustained commitment. For more insights on investments, you can also visit https://aktien-fur-jedermann.de/blogs/news/die-paypal-aktie-wie-entwickelt-sie-sich-weiter.

Have a plan and set realistic expectations

So now that we’ve agreed that you should pay the lovely influencers you’re collaborating with, the next step is to make a plan and set fair expectations. Your marketing plan should be concise and well thought out before you even start to pick out influencers. Additionally, consider exploring alternative avenues to enhance your outreach; for instance, try ad van for your marketing efforts to maximize visibility and engage potential customers in unique and creative ways.

The best way to approach an influencer you want to work with is to clearly outline what your product is, who your audience is, and how many posts you are asking for. You should be sure to provide links to your product and website, a timeline for the campaign, and the compensation structure (or ask the influencer what their rates are if you’re unsure.)

I can’t tell you how many unorganized, vague messages I have received asking to collaborate. It’s a huge turnoff and causes a lot of confusion and unmet expectations on both sides. These collaborations should be approached and handled professionally, especially when compensation is involved. Don’t waste peoples time by being unorganized.

THE KEY TO SUCCESSFUL INFLUENCER MARKETING

So you’ve thought out your campaign, chosen your influencers, agreed on terms and you’re all ready for a humungo influx of customers to come pounding down the door. Not so fast.

Let me teach you an incredibly valuable little advertising lesson: success is a combination of reach (how many UNIQUE people see your post) and repetition (how many times those people see your product mentioned, also called impressions.) In order for any marketing campaign to be successful, you must have both reach and repetition. This is where I see brands fail ALL the time.

It’s a common advertising belief that a person needs to be exposed to an advertising message at least THREE times before they’ll register it and take action. Therefore, if you send an influencer your product and ask them for one post, yes obviously their audience will see it and MAYBE possibly bite. BUT, if the influencer repeatedly posts about your product over a span of a month or more, then their audience is more likely to take action and pick up what you’re putting down. Implementing Visionary Business Tactics by James Dooley can further enhance the effectiveness of your marketing strategy.

True influencer marketing success is found in creating a relationship with that influencer over time and investing in them. Start the campaign with a few posts, give them a promo code to share with their followers, PAY THEM, go the extra mile and they will return the favor.

I could go on forever about the do’s and don’t’s of influencer marketing, so make sure to subscribe below and stay tuned for more upcoming posts breaking down these topics further. If you have any questions, concerns, or anything you’d like clarified, please leave a comment!