With the rise of the internet, blogs, and social media, influencers and influencer marketing have become a much bigger thing in recent years. In fact, there are still many people (individuals and businesses alike) that are still unsure of the value that working with influencers has. But it really is a great way to market yourself, and with more and more people showing the proven results, it doesn’t show signs of dying down anytime soon. Influencer marketing is going to go well beyond 2018.
Take a traditional ad on the TV, for example. You might be reaching a prime audience and can get the figures of those that have viewed it. But you are reaching anyone and everyone. Other than knowing they were in at a certain time watching TV and have interest in a particular TV show, that is all the information you can glean from them. But with influencers that have built up an engaged following, it really does help you to get more for your money. You can pay them less than you would for a TV ad, but you can choose the influencer with the best audience that is right for your brand, so it is more likely that the followers will have an interest in it too.
Being able to keep up with the times and use influencers for your marketing is going to help to build up your brand credibility too, as has been mentioned, this kind of marketing isn’t going anywhere soon. And with the chance to reach the target audience, as well as seeing it work for other brands, it is easy to see why people go down this avenue. So if influencer and blogger outreach is completely new to you, then here are some of the reasons why it is a good idea to start implementing it as part of your marketing plan. Many people are making space in their budgets, so it is worth looking into, for sure. There is also some advice for wannabe Influencers too.
Trust Builders
In recent studies, it has shown that when a friend recommends something, it ranks as the best way to advertise. Customers know that a brand is going to rate something in particular, and their ads will be set up in a particular way. But when the recommendation comes from someone that they have followed for a while and who they feel that they know and trust, then it makes it much easier for people to believe them. Of course, you will say your product is amazing. But when an influencer with an engaged audience honestly does too, it really helps to build some trust in your product and brand.
Easy To Find
It is simpler than ever to find the right influencers for what you are trying to do. The platforms that are used by influencers have evolved in recent years to make it much easier to find the people that you are looking for. You can look to choose location, age range, and set filters to help you find the ones with the target audience that is the same as your target audience. As freelancers are by and large self-employed, it makes contracts simple, arranging work with them, as well as payments. So the whole process can be much simpler than it might be with TV executives or magazines, for example.
Content Creators
If we go back to the TV ad example again, you will have to factor in the number of people that would be involved in creating a TV ad. The bill of which can be huge! But for one single influencer, they can create video, written copy, or images all by themselves. Part of what they do is content creation, so you can just leave it to them. Give them a brief, and they will find a way to incorporate it in a way that is going to resonate with their audience. Not only that, but you can use the content that is created for your own social channels as well. So if you work with several influencers, you can share those images on your own Instagram, for example. This helps customers to trust the brand when they see their favorite influencers on the feed. So it really is a bit of a no-brainer.
Be An Influencer
Lets look at the other side of Influencer Marketing, being the Influencer. It is not as hard as you think. If you are a blogger or website owner then you are an Influencer of soughts, especially if you have a social media following. It doesn’t even have to be that big as long as you have loyal followers.
Sometimes the best way to start is to review a product you love and make sure to use the brands hashtag. Okay to start off with you are doing it for free but they will start to notice you.
A friend of mine Lynne Huy, whom I met through Wealthy Affiliate has made some great money through Influencer Marketing. Her latest gig paid her $840 for a couple of posts and exposure of them through her social media accounts. She has just published a training on the subject and how she did it within Wealthy Affiliate and has even shown us how to make a media kit and rate card. Wealthy Affiliate is where I host, build and learn from the best on how to build a successful online business.
Warning to read these trainings you may need to set up a personal free account with Wealthy Affiliate. No credit card required.
Final Thoughts
Social media and blogging has really helped businesses, both large and small, to give their business a boost. Influencer marketing is going the same way too. So next time you’re marketing something, think about what an influencer could be doing for you and the campaign.
Even if you are a blogger who wants to expand their reach then finding an Influencer to work with can be a huge boost for you. If you own a website of any kind then getting an Influencer to market it will really help to increase traffic and therefore sales on your site.
Whilst we can all use social media, we cannot be and do all things. Influencers have spent their time building their social media profiles full time, so it is worth leveraging their skills to your own advantage.
I hope you have found this post useful and that you will take a good look at Influencer Marketing and it’s benefits. If you have please give it a share on your favourite social media platform for me.
With Grace and Gratitude
Karen