A lot of people have been talking about what Influencer Marketing is. One thing’s for sure though. It will not be replacing Content Marketing or Social Marketing. In fact, it cannot exist without these two.
If you recently heard about Influencer Marketing and wanted to know more about what it’s all about, then you have come to the right place. Here, we are going to break it all down starting from the basics.
So What is Influencer Marketing?
In a nutshell, Influencer Marketing is somewhat a hybrid of both the new and old marketing tools. It’s slightly similar to a celebrity endorsement with a touch of today’s content-driven marketing campaigns.
What’s the difference? Well, the campaign results are usually from collaborations between influencers and brands. The idea is to team up with a social media celebrity and then making content together which will both benefit the influencer’s audience and the brand.
For this reason, it is essential to look for an influencer that aligns with your brand’s values. Unlike celebrities, you can find influencers almost anywhere, and they can be anyone. For this reason, people trust them more than advertisements. It’s what makes Influencer Marketing so effective.
What is an Influencer?
Before diving into Influencer Marketing and how to do it, let’s define what are influencers first. So what is an influencer? These are people who can change the behavior and perspective of their audience. It’s not always about having a large social media following. It’s more of the power to influence people’s perception.
In the definition of marketers, an influencer is a person who can help people buy your products. How? Well, it’s all about their salesmanship, contextual credibility, and reaches. The higher they have with these three factors, the higher the potential they have when it comes to influencing an individual.
Contextual Credibility
Contextual credibility pertains to the level of authority and trusts an audience has on an authority. It is the expertise and perceived knowledge an influencer has on a particular topic. Take a celebrity chef, for example, he or she has high credibility when it comes to recommending meals but very low credibility in politics.
Reach
An influencer’s capability to deliver a particular message to people is their reach. It can be in the form of the number of social followers an influencer has, the number of readers a publication has or the audience of a TV host. People who have a small reach, yet great salesmanship and credibility are referred to as micro-influencers.
Salesmanship
Lastly, salesmanship refers to the communications style and presence an influencer is capable of to embrace and understand a particular point of view. Some people just have extraordinary power that can convince people especially when it comes to their point of view. They are very convincing with their explanations and have clear messages as well as deliver their opinions with real confidence.
What works with Influencer Marketing?
It is best to consider your approach regarding influencer marketing. Here are some tips when you are doing your campaign.
Be patient
Know that you are talking to a person and not a company. Be human and understand the other party. This way, you are creating a relationship and not just a connection for business purposes. Get to know the influencer first. This way, it will be easier for you to ask them favors and gain their trust, but be genuine about your approach.
Be organized
Take some time to put together a strategy before contacting the influencer of your choice. Do your research and plan, as well as budget.
Develop a schedule
- Does the influencer prefer quarterly or monthly calls?
- Arrange face-to-face meetings if needed and send emails on behalf of the executives.
How to do Influencer Marketing Right
One of the simplest ways to work with influencers is to pay them money to advertise your brand. For many decades, advertisers have teamed up with celebrities to sell a product. Marketers borrow their familiarity and credibility. Well, this might work, but when it comes to influencer marketing, it’s not what it is about.
Consumers know that to promote a product, athletes and actors and paid an amount of money. Because of this, the effectiveness of the campaign and advertisement is pretty limited.
Working with influencers is all about borrowing their reach. It is what most marketers do. They check Instagram and look for influencers who have a lot of followers to advertise a product by paying them. It is more on sponsored advertising.
The best way to use influencer marketing is not to involve any financial compensation. Instead, you should know that influencers want to have access to information, want to be recognized and to know news when it comes to their niche. They want to strengthen the influence that they have.
A good influencer marketing is all about creating relationships with influencers and sharing early unique and useful information. Most influencers are curious, so if you have a valuable and exciting product, you won’t have any problem looking for influencers.
Influencer marketing should always be authentic and honest. An influencer who advertises a product should do it not because you paid him or her but because he or she finds that your brand has useful information that’s interesting for their audience.
As such, it is essential to know that influencer marketing needs your focus, time and dedication. Aside from that, you have to be transparent and honest. An influencer speaks regarding the negative and positive side of your product and services. They do it in a certain way that is far more useful and credible than any of your advertisements.
If done right, influencer marketing can multiply your sales and conversions. It leverages the credibility, reaches, and salesmanship of influencers to show your product to potential customers. It will result in a more improved perception, action, and awareness for your brand. And that’s how Influencer Marketing is and how it works.
Are your ready to take on your first Influencer Marketing campaign? Do you have any questions? Let us know in the comments below.
About the Author:
Johanes is an SEO content marketing producer and web content writer of Creative Working Playground. She loves to go on spontaneous travels. You can check more of her personal adventures.
