Influencer marketing has quickly become one of the most popular forms of online marketing. It's also one of the easiest to get started with, requiring only a bit of time and some creativity on your part. There are so many potential uses for social networking in business, that it can be overwhelming to figure out just where to start. Fortunately, influencer marketing provides an easy-to-use process that takes even the most novice entrepreneur or business owner to the next level with their own powerful influence.
The first step in influencer marketing is to determine the best platforms for your campaign. Some marketers choose to focus on using social networks such as Facebook and Twitter, which tend to appeal to a younger crowd. Others prefer to use blogging platforms to gain visibility in niche markets. The important thing is to figure out which platform best suits your audience. Look at your target demographic to decide which influencers will be the most effective marketing partners for your business.
Once you've chosen platforms that work best for your audience, make a list of potential influencers to work alongside you. Work with as many of these people as possible, offering them promotional opportunities for articles, videos, blog posts and other things they'll love to promote. This will build a long-term relationship with some experts and you may find it is the ideal platform for your brand.
Make sure to keep your influencer marketing plans ongoing, so that you are well-informed on what is working for your brand. If an influencer decides to share bad press about your company with their followers, be sure to follow through on your threat to remove promotional material that they posted. This same strategy can be used when an influencer decides to post an article that praises your business or company, encouraging others to spread the word.
Your ultimate goal is to build large numbers of followers on various social networks, encouraging your fans and followers to recommend your posts to their networks of followers. If this sounds a bit overwhelming, there are services available to help you with your strategy. Hootsuite has a number of useful apps available to help you reach your influencers. These apps take the hard work out of sharing marketing tactics, allowing you to do it more easily.
One of the most important things to consider is whether the promotional content in your e.g. uses appropriate keywords in your content. Some influencers have made viral marketing their specialty, helping brands grow their following far quicker than many companies realise. However, just because an influencer's strategy works well for one brand doesn't mean that another brand would be successful using the same approach. It's important to develop a separate marketing plan for each platform, focusing on each individual user and providing the content that will convert to sales for your business.
Influencers are becoming an increasingly important asset for both brands and businesses looking to connect with consumers on a more personal level. As more people rely on social media to stay up-to-date with brands and upcoming events, the value of social network marketing should never be underestimated. Social media offers the opportunity to directly engage with your audience and allows for quick communication between you and your target audience. When utilising an influencer campaign, ensure that you create pieces of content that are engaging and add value to your customers. The results from your campaigns will speak for themselves!
Influencers are helping brands promote themselves on an even bigger scale, creating a growing niche market for businesses looking to engage their consumers on a more personal level. It is likely that in the near future, influencers will play a large part in driving traffic and discussing upcoming product updates on a number of platforms. With so much to gain and so much potential to make, it's easy to see why they are quickly becoming one of the most valuable aspects of online marketing. If you're not leveraging influencers correctly, it's time to get out there and do it!
