Marketers have been paying millions to have the face of movie stars and high-profile VIPs. Having the face of such high-profile individuals attached to the brand brings a good image, trust, and eventually higher sales. And we shift from traditional marketing to the digital world, this concept is still in trend. But instead of high-paid celebrities, the use of social influencers with remarkable followers in social media is popular for marketing.
As consumers prefer ratings, testimonials, and reviews before making a decision, the use of social influencers is a wise trick. Followers trust the saying of their favorite Twitter personalities, Instagram model, and Twitter stars. But we must consider the high market rate of influencers and analyze if the expenses are worth the value. Let’s dive deep into the state of influencer marketing, and how it can be an important part of your inbound marketing strategy.
Why is Influencer Marketing a good idea?
In today’s digital world, Influencer Marketers is the fast-growing customer acquisition method. As all major brands are increasing their marketing budget to influence marketing, the industry is to hit $10 billion by 2020. More than three fourth of teens trust social influencers over traditional celebrities and more than 86% of women consider the advice of Social Media for purchasing. Though this data might not always work, it proves that the Influencer Marketing is a good idea. Such campaigns earn $6.50 for each dollar spent. The effect of social influence is mostly seen in the fashion and travel world. But other home-based products and factory products can also be sold effectively by using social media influencers.
Design your own Influencer Marketing Strategy
Utilizing an inbound marketing approach for influencer marketing can drive cultivate qualified audiences through brand awareness and brand presence. So how do you tie these two together?
Here are a few ways to get started:
1. Have a social influencer share your product information on their social account.
2. Have an influencer write blogs about the business.
3. Ask an influencer to create a guest blog post for their personal website and the link back to your website.
4. Ask an influencer to answer useful questions and reply to comments regarding your products. An influencer can make difference through a single comment or statement.
Qualifying Potential Influencers
As the number of influencers grows, choosing the right one for your brand is a challenge. A good influencer can boost your brand image on social media while the wrong one can destroy it completely. Before you approach the potential influencer for your company, make sure they are the best fit you can find.
Relevance: The influencer should reach (have followers) that are relevant to your business or the market segment you are targeting. For eg, an influencer who has gained her followers through yoga posts might not be the best fit for the technology industry and vice versa.
Reach: Always estimate the number of people that can be reached through that particular influencer’s follower base.
Resonance: It’s not just about the number, the extend of engagement of followers and the influencer can also be highly valuable. So, you should also check the number of shares, likes, and comment as well.
Conclusion
Right picked influencer will be the next major step of your marketing strategies. Make sure you spent the budget on a relatable profile that can get you the right customers.