Not all influencers are celebrities, but they sure can pull in a sizeable crowd. Keep in mind that when there’s a crowd, there’s a sale.
What Is an Influencer?
You can think of them as a social media icon or a representative of a particular niche. They can affect the sale decisions of their followers. How do they influence people? They’ve become influential individuals because of their popularity, authority, or knowledge, as well as their skill, position, or relationship with the public.
Usually, influencers come in these main categories:
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Celebrities
The original influencers who can easily set up a trend.
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Industry experts and thought leaders
This group includes journalists and other professionals. They often hold authority over a topic.
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Bloggers or content creators
They are the most predominant type of influencers who use social media platforms.
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Micro-influencers
Having a limited amount of followers is not to be underestimated. Micro-influencers hold the most authentic and active relationships with their followers.
Now that you know what an influencer is, so let’s move on to the main topic.
What is influencer marketing Strategy?
You probably already have a rough idea of what influencer marketing is all about. Still, getting into detail helps you gain a better understanding of it.
Influencer marketing is a type of social media marketing that involves gaining endorsements from influencers.
In a way, you can see it as a form of testimonial advertising. The influencers play the role of the potential buyers themselves. With their charm and content, influencers build strong relationships with their followers. Of course, they can also convince followers to give your brand a try.
Influencer marketing is not something that occurs overnight. It takes time and patience both on the influencer’s and on your part. Despite that, influencer marketing remains to be something you should not pass up.
Why should your brand engage in influencer marketing Strategy?
Truth be told? It’s more than just the hype. There is an actual benefit in influencer marketing for your brand. In any case, Proweaver has prepared a few reasons why you must try influencer marketing.
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It helps build trust.
Sometimes, people have a hard time placing their trust in a brand, especially a fairly new one. However, when an influencer talks about your brand, everything changes.
Besides, why would you not work with influencers? Not only do they typically charge less, but they can also extend your reach to a greater audience.
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It encourages relevance.
Do you have a hard time connecting your brand with more prospects? An influencer can take care of that for you.
Finding the right one for your business isn’t that hard neither. In this modern age, there are many platforms you can use to get in touch with influencers, including Grin and Buzzsumo. With these, you can enjoy added perks when searching for influencers because:
- You can set filters and browse through different categories with ease.
- You can talk to influencers directly.
- You can begin campaigns with your preferred influencers.
- You can choose the type of payment method of your choice.
- You can keep track of all your influencers in one place.
- Most importantly, you can check how your influencer marketing campaign works.
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It extends credibility.
Building a relationship between your brand and potential clients takes a lot of time and patience on your part. But that can change when you have the help of influencers.
Social influencers don’t just pick any brand that offers a campaign. They spend time researching who to pick and who to support. After making a decision, influencers then create an entertaining and catchy story to keep their audience engaged.
Engaged followers keep a close eye on their favorite influencers. They remain loyal and trust any advice given by these influencers. So, what happens if a recognized influencer endorses your brand? It will quickly bridge the gap between you and your clients. It also gives rise to customer retention.
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It generates revenue.
It’s not rocket science. Influencers have higher engagement rates than ordinary people. Their photos, videos, and other forms of content have power and reach thousands to millions of people all over the world! Their influence gives them the ability to make a say in a crowd’s spending power.
Still, great content is not the only thing that hooks your audience. What convinces them to make a purchase is an effective call to action. Luckily, influencers have been known to be an expert in calling to action.
One of the most popular ways to drive conversion is by giving an influencer a discount code — one that they can easily add to their blogs, videos, and other content. A discount will not only give value to your audience, but it will also add new customers to your brand in a short period.
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It increases awareness.
You want your brand to be out there in the market, recognized. But when you’re new to the industry, from whom should you seek help? There are traditional marketing strategies you can try. But, they tend to take time and consume a whole lot of resources. What other options can you use then?
Influencer marketing makes a great choice for small businesses and startup companies. With the help of an influencer, you can easily advertise your new services and products to the world. You can reach niche markets and various demographics. With one single post, video, or blog, more people will come to know what your brand has to offer.
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It provides added content.
Do you often feel at a loss when it comes to creating content? That’s understandable. Making content is like creating a custom web design; it takes a lot of time, effort, and resources.
But, influencer marketing can help you deal with that. From then on, the responsibility of creating good content will no longer lie on you alone because influencers are always in search of good content — those with enough quality that can keep their followers engaged. With that, you can easily work with them towards a common goal.
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It secures niche markets.
Brands need to get new audiences. However, this remains easier said than done. If you want your tactics to work, you will first need to know who your audience is. The idea is to reach the audience that is extremely interested in your offerings. But how are you supposed to do that?
Influencer marketing has the answer. You have full power over your marketing tactics. You can decide whether your campaign will be as niche or as broad as possible. To be honest? It’s one of the best benefits you get when collaborating with an influencer.
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It boosts SEO.
All websites want to be on the top of the search results list. But, it’s not easy to get a high rank. There’s a lot of factors to consider, and domain authority (DA) is one of them.
But, how do you improve your domain authority then? A great way to do that is by building backlinks from sites that have high DAs of their own. Do you know which websites mostly have increased domain authority? From influencers.
Influencers can give you strong backlinks. These will direct more inbound traffic to your site. Most of all, it will give your SEO a much-needed boost as well
. But of course, influencers will be more inclined to work with you when you use a custom web design. It shows that your website will serve as a pleasant surprise for their followers (and not bring a bad experience).
Influencer marketing has been successful for many years. Because of that, many businesses and companies even allot a specific budget for it. However, you still have to consider the results of this marketing strategy. They typically don’t occur overnight. But, having the right influencer and campaign will be a game-changer for your brand.
Does influencer marketing strategy come with any pitfalls?
A coin always has two sides — both the good and the bad. Influencer marketing is no exception to this rule. Still, the bad of influencer marketing isn’t all THAT dreadful. We have come up with a couple of strategies that should help you counter them. Mistakes you should avoid in influencer marketing include:
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Prioritizing the number of followers over the quality of posts
Numbers don’t always matter. Sure, it helps for an influencer to have a steady online reputation. But the quality of their content should always remain your top priority. Remember, some businesses sell fake followers to influencers (all for a small amount of money). Make sure to be wary of those when selecting an influencer for your brand.
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Forgetting the proper brand fit
It’s good to go with popular influencers. They seem to have the biggest reach in the market, after all. But the question is, do their field of expertise fit in your brand? Check your influencer’s audience. Are they the demographic you seek? If so, then you’re on the right path.
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Limiting the use of social media platforms
Sure, your social media efforts are most effective on one platform. But, you should not focus on that alone. It will leave you out of reach from other interested parties, ones who follow your influencer. Instead, spread out your tactics. Consult your influencer for the dynamic of their followers. That information should help you plan a better plan of action.
Influencer marketing may be new to you, but it is taking flight. It can greatly benefit you. Of course, as long as you take time and consider your approach to this marketing strategy. Make it a habit to check in the metrics. Analyze the best influencers for your needs. With a proper plan of action, you can avoid pitfalls easily.
What’s the verdict on influencer marketing?
Is it worth the investment? Definitely. Yes, there are a couple of drawbacks here and there. But over time, those are nothing but minor inconveniences. Looking from the big picture, the pros that come with influencer marketing are great. By far, they outweigh the cons that come with it.
Besides, your competitors are already doing it, earning more revenue and exposure because of influencer marketing. Soon, they are going to get ahead of you if you don’t join the influencer marketing industry.
If your answer is a firm “No,” then it’s time for you to try influencer marketing for yourself.
Do you have other concerns about influencer marketing?
We tried our best to cover this wide scope as much as possible. But, of course, it’s impossible to tackle all related issues in one blog post. In case you have other queries about the topic, speak with one of our representatives. Our contact details are all available down below.
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