Influencers are a major part of connecting with your customers in today’s market. Influencers are respected bloggers/journalists/foodies, or whatever the descriptor for their particular industry may be. Potential customers look to these people before making the decision to purchase a product. Using an influencer’s equity to help market your business or product can be crucial in getting customers to take the next step and make a purchase from your business. These four tips will teach you how to get the influencers of social media working for you.
-
Co-Create Content and Customize Campaigns
Influencers are respected by their followers, people follow influencers because they are professionals in their industry. Using stock images or campaign material will not impress influencers and their followers. Businesses must work with their chosen influencer and create content that would flow naturally with other content they post.
Customize the marketing campaign to align with influencers. Define the brands challenge, outline campaign objectives and the audience at the beginning of the campaign. You want to make sure your campaign goals worded in a way that influencers would naturally say to their audience. You don’t want to be putting words in the mouths of your influencers, as potential consumers will see through the campaign. Allowing influencers to be themselves with a bit of guidance from your brand works best.
-
Give your Influencers something they Value
Influencers become influencers in their field because they are passionate about their topic. When planning on compensation for the individual think about what would resonate most with them. Giving them a unique industry experience, such as store credit or a factory tour to see how products are made. Of course this won’t work with all influencers, some will prefer to be paid for their efforts. It’s important that you don’t underestimate the value that a great experience can have.
-
Set Realistic Goals
At the beginning of your influencer marketing campaign you need to define your objectives. You must pinpoint the goals that you wish to achieve from working with an influencer. Goals can be generating brand awareness, increasing e-commerce sales or increasing your business’ social media engagement. No matter which goal you choose it needs to be well defined. Influencer marketing is a combination of data-driven ROI and intangible social awareness.
-
Identify your Influencer
Real influence doesn’t start online, and it doesn’t start offline. Influencers are able to bridge between the social media world and the real world. Choosing someone who aligns well with your brand’s values and has influence both online and offline to help with your influencer marketing campaign is difficult, but ultimately worth the time. These people are capable of inspiring their followers to take action, and if utilized correctly can benefit your business.
IED Web Marketing specializes in SEO, and social media marketing. We can help generate new sales leads, and then convert those leads into sales. Have you found your social media influencer?
Based on the article: http://www.inc.com/young-entrepreneur-council/influencer-marketing-2-0-how-to-leverage-social-influence-to-drive-real-world-ac.html