3 benefits of influencer marketing [tips that will grow your brand's presence]

Influencer marketing is one of the best ways to get your brand in front of your target audience so you can increase your total revenue. Brands around the world are utilizing influencer marketing to access new customers and strengthen their online presence. In this blog post, we’ll cover what influencer marketing is and how you can benefit from this proven marketing strategy.

What is influencer marketing?

Influencer marketing is the use of individuals who have significant followings on social media to promote a brand. Influencers tend to have a specific following that trusts them for recommendations and insights. There are influencers for just about every industry you can think of from fitness to food.

Today’s brands partner with influencers to provide social proof that they can be trusted by their ideal audience. With influencer marketing, brands can speed up their sales cycles. The typical amount of time to takes to earn trust for a brand is reduced since consumers are more likely to listen to the insights of an influencer they’ve been following for some time.

3 real benefits of influencer marketing

There are quite a few impactful benefits of influencer marketing that keep many brands motivated to use this strategy. From greater brand exposure to more revenue opportunities, influencer marketing will continue to be effective for a long time. Let’s dive into these benefits of influencer marketing:

1. Access to new customers: Customer acquisition costs can be extremely high especially in industries that are selling services and products that can be expensive. Influencers can help you get in front customers who wouldn’t have heard of you otherwise. You’ll be able to multiply your overall brand presence without having to rely on just your own marketing channels.

2. Greater credibility: Influencers tend to be more relatable to the every day consumer than celebrities are. 92% of consumers trust an influencer more than a celebrity endorsement or a regular advertisement. Social media users feel more connected to influencers since they are able to follow them and their activities on a daily basis. There’s a greater sense of transparency and trust in influencer marketing that doesn’t happen with traditional advertisements.

3. More revenue opportunities: According to one source, 89% of brands who use influencer marketing say influencer marketing has an ROI that’s better or comparable to other channels. Influencers can be used to announce new deals and discounts. Influencers can also be reliable source of revenue through affiliate programs.

If you’ve read this far into this blog post on influencer marketing, you’re interested in improving your overall marketing strategy. It’s time to add influencer marketing to your marketing strategy if you haven’t already done so. After all, you’re missing out on better performing content that’ll drive more engagement for your brand. You’re also less likely to keep up or even outperform your competitors without influencer marketing.

Need help with influencer marketing for your brand?

You don’t have to feel like you’re alone in your efforts to improve your influencer marketing strategy! We’ve got your back and can help you move in a sustainable direction that helps you achieve your goals. We’ll help you formulate the right plan for your brand that’ll cover everything thing from identifying the right influencers to setting up strong partnerships.

Fill out the form below and we’ll get back to you quickly to help you get the results you deserve!

5 ways to improve your influencer marketing strategy

Influencer marketing is a proven way to increase your sales through strategic partnerships. With the right influencer marketing strategy in place, you can consistently strengthen your brand presence. You’ll be able to reach new customers and grow in ways you didn’t know were possible. Many brands are making as much as $5.78 ROI for every $1 spent on influencer marketing. It’s a productive marketing strategy that can be what your business needs to scale.

Before we go over influencer marketing best practices, let’s cover what influencer marketing is for those unfamiliar with the strategy.

What is influencer marketing?

If you don’t know what influencer marketing is, that’s ok. We’ve got you covered.

Influencer marketing is the use of individuals with social followings who can post content that will directly affect consumer behaviors. Brands will team up with these influencers to promote their products and services in order to increase revenue. As long as both the influencer and the brand have the same target audience, they’ll be more likely to get the results they want.

Step up your influencer marketing strategy with these tips

Now that you have a better idea of what influencer marketing is, let’s dive into some best practices. Keep in mind that these tips will help you improve your current strategy. Part of moving your brand in the right direction is the willingness to improve and test out new ideas.

1. Establish your brand and stick to it: If you haven’t created a clear and distinct style guide, now is the time to do so. You can’t expect the influencers you work with to have any idea of how your brand works if you haven’t figured out your branding. Having a clear branding guide makes it easy to collaborate with creators who can produce content you can repost.

2. Don’t just focus on large followings: Just because an influencer has 100k followers doesn’t mean the influencer is a great fit for your brand. Pay attention to engagement rates. Scroll through the comments they receive to see who is commenting. You don’t want to work with someone who pays for bots to like and comment on their posts. Sometimes a micro-influencer with 3k-5k followers may be the best for your brand.

3. Clarify deadlines and expectations: One of the ways to prevent frustrating collaborations is to discuss the details and stick to your agreements. Set clear deadlines and review the expectations with the influencers you’re working. Get everything in writing and follow up with the influencers as it gets closer to the deadlines of when you’re expecting posts to go live etc.

4. Invest in your best influencers: Do you have influencers who are generating better results for your business than others? Find ways to incentivize them. It’s in your best interest to keep them on your team. There are a few different ways you can invest in your relationship with them like giving them a percentage of sales they generate and giving them access to special events/products/services.

5. Play the long game: The results you’re wanting won’t happen in an instant. Everything from finding influencers to planning campaigns takes time. Be patient as you work through your influencer marketing strategy and establish new partnerships. Playing the long game requires the right mindset but it’s worth the hard work.

The 5 tips above are all doable and will help you get the results you need to grow your business. Put influencer marketing to work for you and use these tips to increase brand awareness and sales. It’s up to you to reap the rewards that come from this marketing strategy.

What are the next steps in improving your influencer marketing strategy?

The right influencers for you have spent time building their own brand and working on only endorsing brands their audience relates to. With that in mind, do your research before pitching. You’ll want to be prepared as you reach to them to develop new partnerships. Have your details worked out and ready then get to work!

Got questions about influencer marketing and how you can use it for your business? Let us know by filling out the form below!

Our Answers to Common Questions About Influencer Marketing

As social media usage continues to grow, the importance and value of influencer marketing increases. Businesses are beginning to look into influencer marketing as a way to build brand awareness and multiply revenue. We consistently receive a handful of similar questions regarding influencer marketing. This blog post is focused on answering those frequently asked questions.

Influencers help you gain access to new communities who may be interested in your brand.

Q: How do I find influencers to work with?

A: One effective way to find influencers to work with is to check out the top posts for the hashtags specific to your industry. If your hashtag is #cooking, check out the top posts with the hashtag #cooking. The same goes for other topics. You’ll be able to see influencers who regularly produce quality content that fits in your niche. This link explains how Instagram Hashtag Following works.

Influencer marketing is an effective way to increase attendance at events.

Q: How do I know if it’s a good influencer to work with?

To know if an influencer will help you gain a positive ROI (return-on-investment), it’s important to figure out the engagement an influencer receives. Instagram engagement is a combination of likes and comments. Use this Instagram calculator to figure out the engagement rate of an influencer you’re interested in. Influencers who have an engagement rate of more than 8% are often good to work with. Remember that engagement rate is more important than total followers. It’s always a good idea to work with influencers have an engagement rate in the double digits and also do a great job of responding to comments and direct messages.

Choose to work with influencers who have great engagement rates.

Q: Do I have to pay influencers?

A: You don’t always have to pay an influencer when you team up. Some influencers are only looking for free product. Other influencers will give you a shoutout if you give them products or services that are equal to a specific monetary value that makes them feel like it’s worth their time.

Influencer marketing can provide a better ROI than traditional and digital advertising.

Q: How do I get influencers to agree to work with me?

A: Influencers want to work with brands who fit their values and help them provide authentic content for their followers. Don’t reach out to influencers just because they have 100,000 followers or 10,000,000 followers. Make sure the influencers you want to work with have similar values and you’re able to help them with their goals. When pitching influencers, explain as simply as possible how your brand will help them and provide value for their followers.

Clarify expectations and always deliver as promised when working with influencers.

Q: What do I do if they agree to work with me?

A: Congratulations! You got an influencer to say yes to working with you! Be sure to nail down expectations and strive to be as transparent as possible. Communicate with the influencer what he/she can expect to receive from you. If you’re shipping product, send them the tracking information. If they’re coming to your business for an experience, plan out the details of their time with you. Set yourself up for success.