Influencer Marketing Tips

Intro

Influencer marketing uses influencers, such as celebrities, to push your product or service through a collaboration. Influencermarketinghub defines an influencer as being someone who "has the power to affect purchasing decisions because of his or her authority, knowledge, position, or relationship with his or her audience AND a following in a distinct niche, with whom he or she actively engages." You witness influencer marketing firsthand on most YouTube videos or Instagram posts. Partnering with an influencer is a great way to broaden your reach. Here are a few tips to help you get started with influencer marketing!

‍

1. Think about your Brand

What's your brand? Some brands work better with influencer marketing than others. Brands in the fashion and beauty sector already use influencer marketing successfully. Other types of brands that have proven success with influencer marketing are food and beverage, health and wellness, and consumer technology.

‍

2. Choose the right Influencer(s)

It's incredibly important that you take the time to find the right influencer to market your product. Try to find influencers who have the same vision as you. As soon as someone becomes an influencer for you they are an extension of your brand. They represent you. You want to make sure you don't make this decision in haste. One mess up can cost you dearly.

‍

3. Don't only go for Influencers with high follower counts

While it is true that influencers with high follower counts mean more potential views, it doesn't guarantee the right views. Popular influencers charge more. To make your money worthwhile, you want to work with influencers who have an audience that is most like your target market. Ensuring that the influencer you work with reaches your target market is all that matters, regardless of how large their following is.

‍

4. Don't be too controlling

Ads tend to get skipped. You shouldn't impose too many restrictions on what your influencers post. While you can create a contract to outline terms and conditions, allow the influencer to have some creative freedom on what they choose to post. They worked hard to build their following. Trust that they know how to best connect with their followers. It is obvious when an influencer is being too "salesy" or is not passionate about a product. You still have to pay them, so make it worthwhile.

‍

5. Track campaign success

You have to track the success of your influencer campaigns. You need to drop some influencers who are not bringing you the right results quickly and stick with the ones who are making you money. Use Google Analytics to check where your traffic is coming from. If it is due to an influencer (such as from their YouTube or Instagram page), you know they are doing their job.

‍

Conclusion

Influencer marketing increases your reach. It can help you connect and sell to an influencer's audience that aligns with your target market. Successful influencer marketing campaigns will greatly increase your brand awareness. You need to put in some effort at the start to find the right influencer and get them started. But once they're successful you can enjoy the fruits of your labor!

About the Author

Nikith Deo is the Digital Marketing intern for Sparrow Marketing. He is an incoming MS IMC student at Northwestern University.