Unless you’re in the midst of an extended digital detox, you’ve heard about the rise of influencer marketing. But is this marketing method the right fit for your business? Get to know the perks of partnering with an engaging figure in your industry and find out how your brand could benefit from influencer marketing.
Expand Your Target Audience
When your business dives into influencer marketing, consider aiming for a big win: better brand awareness. To increase your reach effectively, take care to collaborate with the right influencers. Look for social media stars with a long list of followers who match your brand’s buyer persona.
Don’t focus entirely on numbers, though. Search for influencers who create eye-catching content. Seek out social media figures who excel at engaging their audiences. Collaborate with industry figures who truly care about your brand and really want to help you expand your audience.
Get Your Followers Talking
Struggling to build buzz around your brand? Want to encourage fans to talk about your new product line? Influencer marketing can help. After all, this strategy centers on starting a dialog, so it’s a great way to get your followers talking.
To maximize the outcome from this buzz, don’t leave the details to chance. Instead, craft a coherent strategy with each influencer. Decide whether you want to promote a specific brand benefit, reveal a new product, or share educational content. Then work with each influencer to decide how to spark the conversation.
Don’t leave all the work to your influencers, though. Share the love. Incorporate influencer-created content into your brand’s social media strategy to invite your followers to join the conversation.
Drive Sales Online and In-Store
Not every influencer marketing campaign focuses on expanding brand awareness or increasing audience size. With this type of digital marketing strategy, your business can also drive sales both online and in-store.
To convert new prospects into paying customers, consider creating a unique offer for each influencer campaign. From coupon codes designed for each influencer to giveaways geared toward each influencer’s audience, the right special can easily encourage purchases.
Once you’ve earned new customers, welcome them to the fold. Invite them to follow your brand on social media or subscribe to your list so you can turn them into lifelong fans.
Build Trust Through Word of Mouth
Before you ask new customers to make a purchase, you have to cultivate trust. Although your brand can certainly toot its own horn on social media or via online ads, word-of mouth marketing tends to be much more effective. Over 90 percent of consumers trust suggestions from friends and family over ads and content from brands they don’t know.
While influencers may not be personal friends of their many followers, they can still do word-of-mouth marketing successfully. After all, top influencers don’t appear overnight. Instead, they establish authority gradually and grow a dedicated following slowly. Over time, they earn the trust of their followers, allowing them to promote brands they love with authenticity. When you partner with influencers, you can tap into this word-of-mouth potential, gaining the conviction of new customers quickly.
Grow Your Brand Without Breaking Your Budget
Social advertising and pay-per-click campaigns have the potential to help your brand grow. But if you have a tight marketing budget, these strategies might not fit.
Fortunately, influencer marketing can help your brand grow without pushing past the limits of what you want to spend. These campaigns come in all shapes and sizes, so it’s easy to find one that works with your budget while offering impressive return on investment (ROI).
Before committing to a partnership, however, make sure you understand what you’ll get in return. First, place a value on the results you expect, from increased brand awareness to more followers to increased sales. Then confirm that the typical outcomes your preferred influencers produce align with your expectations.
Start Long-Lasting Relationships
To get even better ROI from your influencer marketing campaigns, don’t approach them as one-time business deals. Instead, think about long-term goals as you forge partnerships, and look at them through a long-lasting relationship lens.
By focusing on genuine relationships, you’ll reinforce the authenticity and trust that you’ve cultivated. Ultimately, you’ll stay top-of-mind among influencers and increase the chances that your collaborators will spread the word about your brand naturally — even outside of paid campaigns.
Ready to find out how partnering with influencers can work for your business? Schedule a quick call with us to start shaping an effective digital marketing strategy.
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