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Everyone is talking about influencers, the new generation of Internet celebrities who can grow a brand from nothing. They intrigue the public because they have the power to drive ten times the ROI of a traditional marketing campaign. Brands have paid around $1 billion in 2018 for influencer campaigns because they understood that it’s the moment to take advantage of the latest marketing strategy. Using celebrities to promote products and brands is not a new marketing strategy, businesses are using it since 1940. But until a few years ago, companies collaborated with actors, singers and models to reach audiences.
Do you know what influencer marketing is?
Word-of-mouth has always been a powerful way to attract clients, and influencer marketing is taking advantage of this strategy better. Social media is more popular than ever, and anyone who has a strong following can influence opinions. You can use their established influence in your advantage to advertise your services and products.
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Studies show that hiring an influencer to advertise your products is more effective than joining forces with a celebrity because people better relate to influencers. If you are running a business you will find easier to get in touch with a local influencer than with a national star, and it will prove more effective for your business because it will help you reach the right people.
A great number of online personalities use Instagram to share content. You send them some products, they test them, and create content to engage audiences.
Here is how to make the most of your collaboration with an Instagram influencer.
You can reach a broad public
Different people have different versions for the same story, and influencer marketing helps you offer the public different perspectives on your products. Influencers are successful on Instagram because they are focusing on a specific niche. When you are searching for an influencer, you should focus on the audience you would want to hear your story. It’s quite effective to use different angles to tell a single story, it will attract more listeners.
For example, in 2017 Mercedes Benz decided to collaborate with influencers to promote the GLS sport utility car. They collaborated with two very different online personalities, “Loki the Wolfdog” and chef Chris Coombs. Loki’s Instagram page addresses a public interested in travelling, outdoors passionate people, people who love outdoor sports. Chef Coombs is targeting a different public, people who love foods and are interested in finding more about cuisine.
Because the marketing efforts came from two very different sources, Mercedes managed to gather more than 170 million impressions for a single product.
Micro-influencers are more successful in reaching larger audiences
Sometimes working with a famous influencer is as expensive as working with a superstar. If you don’t have the budget to hire a famous online personality you can collaborate with micro-influencers because they will cost you less and will get the same result.
The success of your influencer marketing campaign is directly proportional to the engagement the influencers generate. Micro-influencers are more successful in engaging people than famous influencers are, even if they have a lower following. Small businesses have great advantages if they collaborate with them because they benefit from testimonial advertising, one of the most popular forms of advertising.
Promote your products in multiple mediums
You can improve your ROI through a successful influencer marketing campaign. A great number of influencers have accounts on more than one platforms, usually they have followers on Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and even Pinterest. So one post on Twitter, let’s say, can act as a portal for promoting your company in multiple mediums.
You can inspire from the marketing campaign Gillette designed for Gillette Venus. They collaborated with Instagram personalities who also have a high following on YouTube to promote their razors. The posts had a single role, to drive traffic to a video of Gillette Venus. All the posts used the hashtag #choosetosmooth and the promotional video Gillette created reached around 47,000 Internet users.
When looking for someone to promote your products, you should conduct a background check to find out more about the persons who will advertise your company. People will associate their name with your brand so it’s vital their image to suit your company’s values.
Online content can go viral
The main goal all influencer marketing campaigns have is to boost engagement and to convince people to make a purchase. By encouraging influencers to create unique content about your products, you have greater chances to reach new audiences. In order for your campaign to be successful, you have to create a message that can be transformed into a captivating hashtag. For boosting your campaign engagement, you can ask users to review the products, share their experience, and include the # you designed in their content.
Frank Body, an Australian skin care products provider created this type of campaign. They have collaborated with numerous influencers that were asked to try their coffee scrub products and offer feedback on their social media accounts. All the posts included the hashtag #letsbefrank and it encouraged people to share their experience using the # to allow the company to track their feedback.
An effective strategy to boost your reach is to encourage people to try your products, tag you in the posts, post their review on social media and get a reward for the most creative piece of content. If you transform your marketing campaign in a competition, you have even greater chances to improve your ROI and grow your engagement.
How can you find an influencer?
Market research can help you find the right influencer for your business. Your clients will point you in the right direction. Their social media activity offers information about their preferences and people they follow. Once you know these details, you should look for an influencer who targets a public similar to yours.
Hire the person only if their values align with yours. Doing research will help you find someone who will create relevant content for your customers.
It’s no longer a secret that influencer marketing is beneficial for businesses.
