Who is an Influencer?
As defined by the dictionary, an influencer is someone who affects or changes the behaviour of others. The practice of influencer marketing is not new.
Influencer marketing is effective because people are influenced by friends and family members, and trust conversations with their friends and family for recommendations.
With the increase in popularity of social media, social media influencers have been in constant growth, and recent applications such as Instagram, YouTube, and Tik Tok have marked their exponential rise.
In the past, influencer marketing was reserved for celebrities and some dedicated bloggers. But it seems like social media influencers have saturated the market now.
Now let’s take a look at what Influencer Marketing is all about.
What is Influencer Marketing?
Influencer marketing is a type of marketing that uses influential people to convey your brand’s message effectively. We know that humans have this behavior of following the routines, habits, and behavior of the people they follow.
Influencer marketing is not new because, in the past, brands used celebrities to promote their brands, but that was only applied to the big brands, leaving smaller brands with no other option and limited to a small market, but social media influencers have turned the tides for the small brands and opened up even bigger markets.
It is a more effective method of marketing in which marketing agencies hire and pay influencers to spread the word on your behalf instead of marketing directly to consumers.
Some reasons to opt for Influencer Marketing:
High Return on Investment
Influencer marketing has a direct approach to the customer and therefore has a very high Return on Investment compared to traditional marketing methods.
Influencer marketing has been found to be a boon for many businesses. Most of the very popular brands such as H&M, Zara, Nykaa, and now the new age dating apps are using influencer marketing.
Influencers such as PewDiePie, Russ, Brad Traversy, and some Indian influencers have proved very helpful to businesses. Some of the notable Indian influencers include Zannat Zubair, Harsh Beniwal, Carryminati, and Bhuvan Bam.
Provides Authenticity to Brand
Influencer marketing is really beneficial when we are looking to create brand authenticity because influencers have really devoted followers, and when these followers are contacted directly and the brand is promoted or endorsed the authenticity of the brand is substantially increased.
Increases Awareness of the Brand
Quite often small businesses do really well, but they do not enjoy the same level of popularity as the big companies, and they cannot afford to hire celebrities to promote their stuff. This is why influencers work so well for them, and they are able to reach the masses thanks to the fact that they have significant followings.
Increases Engagement of the business with the general public
We very well know that this is the age of social media marketing, and the social media influencer is the face of this new era of marketing. Influencer marketing creates the buzz for the brand and increases engagement between the brand and the general public.
Now let’s find out how to do influencer marketing right.
Establishment of brand value
Successful marketing campaigns are known for significantly increasing the brand’s value and creating a sense of trust between the customer and the brand. To accomplish this, there are several marketing techniques businesses can use to get the desired brand value.
Influencer marketing is becoming the most effective avenue for businesses to conduct their marketing campaigns in an effort to increase brand value as the results are quick because they have a following and they can create a sense of trust among their loyal followers in no time.
Cost-Effective Form of Marketing
We have already discussed the various forms of marketing and how they are effective for spreading awareness and buzz about a product or a brand, but all those traditional methods come with a huge amount of cost, and most small businesses do not have the budget to access all of them.
Influencer marketing plays a very important role in solving this problem and as it covers a wide range of aspects of the marketing as well as being very cost-effective as there are a number of good influencers on every social media platform such as Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube, so the business can get an influencer on board with very little cost.
Here are some steps you can follow to do Influencer Marketing right.
(1) Set the Goal for your campaign
Influencer marketing campaigns should start with clear marketing goals which means that the Marketing Team and the Influencer should have a pretty good idea of what they want from the campaign, such as brand awareness, sales boost, or simply product engagement.
When the right and realistic goals for the campaign are set, it provides the motivation both parties need in order to achieve the desired results for the campaign.
It is extremely important for the influencer and the marketing team to have good communication so that good results are generated in the end.
(2) Do your Research Right
A marketing campaign cannot be delivered by a marketing agency without an adequate amount of research. Influencer marketing is no different.
In order to find the right influencers, the marketing team should have a thorough understanding of the target audience.
So, do good research before proceeding and sort out a list of all influencers who fit with your brand well.
(3) Choose the right one for your business
Today there are many influencers out there to serve your purpose, so now it’s up to you to make a conscious decision based upon the previous research.
Follow these important steps to choose the right influencer for your business.
Step 1:
Make sure they have a good number of followers, so they can reach an adequate number of people.
Step 2:
Check whether your target audience is following the influencer so that the influencer can deliver his message directly to them.
Step 3:
Ensure that the content of the influencer is both organic and engaging at the same time so that the message sent by the brand through him is received positively by his audience.
Step 4:
By utilising software platforms such as Buzzsumo and Followerwonk, you can find out these facts and guide yourself toward the right decision.
(3) Be clear about your strategy
By knowing what you are trying to achieve before you even start, it will be easier to choose the right form for your content.
Whether it be a video message, an Instagram reel, or a blog post, just make sure the purpose is clear and what you actually want to accomplish.
Give influencers a clear outline of your campaign and ask them to follow it accordingly and blend your strategies with theirs so that you can achieve the desired outcome.
(4) Know your Target Audience
Influencers and marketing teams should be very well aware of the fact that who is their target audience.
Research on the target audience includes everything such as their age group, the area in which they reside, their purchasing power, and what they actually are interested in.
(5) Comply with FTC regulations
Before starting an influencer marketing campaign, businesses must follow certain rules.
The FTC has agreed that posting a “#ad” in most cases demonstrates the influencer has been compensated.
Influencers must mention in video content that they have been approached by a brand about testing a product or service.
Properly following these FTC regulations can help create a positive image for the brand.
How to get an Influencer on board in 4 easy steps?
Get their attention passively
It would be a good idea to passively capture their attention without even contacting them directly in order to give them a brief idea about the brand’s value and offerings so that this would insert a sense of trust about your brand in their minds and it would be very fruitful to work accordingly with the influencer to launch a successful campaign.
Let them know your brand value
If the influencer had an understanding of the brand value, that would be really great for your business, and great for the influencer too as it would foster a sense of respect for the brands in his heart, which will increase his professionalism while handling your marketing campaigns.
Let them believe in your brand
For businesses who are launching influencer marketing campaigns, the influencer should believe in the brand they are representing, as their attitude towards the campaign can be influenced by the image of the brand in their minds.
Retweet their post and Signup their newsletters
To get the influencer’s attention passively, we can follow some of tried and tested methods such as Retweeting their posts, signing up for their newsletters, and several other social media hacks so that they have an idea of your brand.
Conclusion
Influencer marketing is here to stay, and it’s an alternative to traditional marketing options. Social media continues to grow and influence marketing cannot be ignored. Businesses should leverage it to reach a large number of their target audience.
