Influencer marketing is rapidly becoming mainstream. Are you a business that has yet to try it, despite there being much evidence of its effectiveness? To an extent, this is typical for any innovation. In this blog, we’ll share how you can grow your business with the help and support of industry influencers.

How Influencers Can Help Your Business

Influencer Marketing Hub says there are multiple ways to enlist the help of influencers. The amount and types of assistance you can expect depends on the kind of relationship you have with your influencers.

Typical ways that influencers could help you include:

• Creating an article/blog post or video about your product or service.
• Sharing information promoting you and yoru business on their social media accounts.
• Giving you access to their site so you can write a guest post.
• Posting pictures on Instagram or videos on YouTube showing them using your product.
• Writing or filming promotional items for your brand.

Identifying the right influencers that align with their brand

If you’re considering an influencer marketing program, you’ll have plenty of options. Sprout Social reminds us the real challenge lies in narrowing those options down and knowing how to find the right influencers for your brand. Here are a few things to look for in an influencer:

• Meaningful content and conversation. The first place to look beyond follower size, of course, is the actual content an influencer is sharing.
  
• Credibility in your industry. You can also get a sense of their level of familiarity and authority with topics your brand cares about.
• Engagement where it matters. It’s also critical to make sure it’s the right kind of engagement for your brand. Look for influencers who not only post about the issues your brand cares about, but also get just as much or more engagement on them as the rest of their posts. 

• Relevant and supportive audience. The goal in working with an influencer should be to further expand your consumer base, so look for influencers whose followers will be receptive to learning more about your brand.

Creating and maintaining a long-term partnership with influencers

LinkedIn offers these tips on holding on to those all-important influencer relationships: 

• Communicate clearly and respectfully.
  • Establish your expectations, goals, and guidelines from the start, and be transparent and honest about your budget, timeline, and deliverables. You also need to respect their creative freedom, input, and feedback, and avoid being too controlling or demanding.

• Provide value and support.
  • Offer fair compensation, incentives, recognition, and opportunities. You can also support them by sharing their content, engaging with their audience, and providing them with resources and tools. Don’t just use them for your own benefit, but help them achieve their goals as well.

• Be consistent and reliable.
  • Maintain regular contact with them, and follow up on your promises and commitments. You also need to be responsive and flexible, and address any issues or concerns promptly and professionally. Don’t ghost them, ignore them, or change your mind without notice.

• Seek feedback and improvement.
  • Measure and evaluate the results of your influencer marketing campaigns, and share them with your influencers. You also need to ask them for their opinions and suggestions, and implement them where possible.

Incorporating influencer marketing into your overall marketing strategy requires careful planning, execution, and measurement. In the end, it can take your business to the next level. 

Embrace the power of influencer marketing and connect with us on Facebook and LinkedIn.