Is Social Influencer Marketing Right for Your Business?
Image Credit: PhillyVoice
Social influencer marketing has become popular as brands look for more personalized relationships with their target consumers. Influencers hold the attention and most importantly, the trust of their followers, so they are able to have an impact on consumer behaviors in a “word of mouth” kind of way. Here, we share what a social influencer is, why social influencer marketing works and how you can start working with one in order to further your brand’s success.
What is a Social Influencer?
An influencer is a person who has gained an online presence with a large and active following. This person is typically a blogger or vlogger (video blogger) who specializes in a specific niche, from makeup to DIY home decorating, and is very social media savvy. These self-marketers have worked to gain their audience through research, content sharing and stylized social media posts. In fact, their content may live only on social, whether that be Instagram and Snapchat or YouTube.
How to Work with Influencers
Brands work with influencers in order to promote their name, a specific product or new initiative or launch. This usually begins with the brand opening a line of communication with the influencer and requesting help with a certain promotion. When you communicate with the influencer, be respectful and specific. Tell them why you want to work with them, the project that you have in mind and, whether you’d like to send them a product for review or work with them on a lengthy campaign, it’s important to know what your budget is prior to reaching out.
Social influencer marketing can be costly, depending on whom you work with and the size of following that they bring with them. Plan to spend anywhere from a couple hundred to a few thousand dollars per social post. It’s a broad range, but it really does depend on the person and following.
How to Choose an Influencer
Once you know you have the budget for it, start researching whom you’re going to reach out to. You can determine this by thinking of which audience you want to connect with. Single out an influencer’s audience that is a good match for your own, or perhaps it’s a totally new group that you are wanting to target. You will need to go through extensive online research in order to single out those who hold the same values and objectives as your brand!
Next, look at influencer engagement. Does the influencer you have chosen engage with their community of followers? Do they like, comment and reply back? You want to work with someone who spends the time to interact with consumers, as this is a core brand value for any successful business.
Social Influencer Success
Of course, the true test of social influencer marketing is the return on your investment. What are your parameters? Are you looking for sales growth, to boost your social media following or send customers to your website? For a measurement that doesn’t necessarily have hard numbers attached to it like the sale of a product would, for instance, know what that thing is worth to you. Apply a dollar figure to it. Use your analytics tools to track and report on the outcome. It’s a learning process for sure, but here’s some good news to leave you with: Smart Insights says, “Over 80 percent of marketers who had undertaken campaigns collaborating with social media influencers found them effective for driving both engagement and awareness.” Nice!
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