What is influencer marketing?

Social media influencers are people/accounts with the ability to persuade consumers to purchase a product or service by recommending or promoting it on their accounts. Influencer marketing is a form of social media marketing that involves endorsements and product placements from social media influencers, and it is here to stay!

A few brands who have had success with influencer marketing are Tula, Supergoop, and Walmart. Influencers are constantly promoting these companies’ products on Instagram and TikTok, increasing their sales and brand awareness.

Influencer marketing is considered a partnership. The influencer is providing your brand with exposure in exchange for payment or in some cases, free products/services from your company. Influencers don’t just partner with other brands for the money, they do it because it’s a right fit for them. They are only going to bring things to their audience that they have experience with.

Should my marketing strategy include influencer marketing?

Influencer marketing is most beneficial for B2B (business-to-business) and B2C (business-to-consumer) marketing. It’s a great way to increase brand awareness, gain traction, and grow sales.

Is influencer marketing the right fit for your desired audience?

Every influencer has their own loyal audience they have built trust with. Their followers look to them to provide ideas, inspiration, recommendations, reviews, etc. When utilizing influencer marketing, you want to make sure the influencer has an audience that is a part of the target audience you have identified for your product or service. 

How do I find the right influencer to partner with my company?

DO. YOUR. HOMEWORK.

Before you decide to partner with a social media influencer, research their online presence to see if they are on-brand with your business. In order for it to be the right fit, you want them to represent the things your brand represents in terms of values, personality, mission, etc. Take notice of the other brands/companies the influencer is endorsing/promoting/partnering with.

It is important to note that it’s not always about finding the influencers with a huge following, it’s about working with influencers who have an established loyalty and trust with their audience (especially if you are in a niche marketing). 

  • Influencers with a large number of followers are going to be out of reach unless your company is a household name and you have a massive marketing budget. It is more realistic to partner with influencers that have around 10,000 followers, or less.
  • The number of followers an influencer has doesn’t always align with the size of their audience. Due to the algorithm of platforms like TikTok and Instagram, thousands of other users are most likely going to see their content even though they don’t follow them. It is more accurate to ask for an influencer’s social media platform insights or analytics. Insights show how many views, likes, shares, comments, and profile visits each post fosters.

How can I secure a long-standing partnership with an influencer?

When partnering with an influencer, it’s important to build a rapport with them.

The best way to create a lengthy relationship with the social media influencer your brand partners with is to interact with their accounts. Follow them and like and comment on their posts, and when the time is right, send them a DM (direct message). All of this interaction will help their social accounts’ insights and get your name in their heads. 

Another tactic to extend your relationship is to continue to send them free product/services and PR. A huge trend is to advertise unboxings and/or hauls, and influencers’ audiences trust them to only promote products/services that are credible.