Influencer marketing is the process of building relationships with people who have the power to influence your target audience. Influencers can be bloggers, social media personalities, industry experts, or even celebrities. Some influencers will appeal to a large number of casual followers, while others will have a small number of very devoted followers.
The goal of influencer marketing is to tap into the existing social networks of these influencers to reach a larger audience and create a more authentic connection with potential customers.
Influencer marketing can be an effective way to connect with new audiences. Still, it’s important to remember that the best influencer relationships aren’t merely transactional–they’re built on mutual respect and a shared understanding of each other’s goals.
Why is Influencer Marketing Important?
There are a few key reasons why influencer marketing is so important for businesses.
People trust influencers more than they trust brands. When an influencer recommends your product or service, their followers are more likely to try it out.
influencer marketing creates more authentic content. We’re bombarded with advertising messages daily, so it’s no wonder we’re getting better at ignoring them. On the other hand, influencer-created content feels more natural and is less likely to be ignored.
Influencer marketing can reach a larger audience. Most companies don’t have a large or highly engaged social media following. Still, when an influencer shares your content with followers, you reach thousands or millions of new people.
Influencer marketing is versatile. There are many ways to work with influencers, from simple product reviews and giveaways to more complex brand ambassador programs. This flexibility makes it easy to find an influencer marketing strategy that fits your business goals.
Influencer marketing is cost-effective. Influencer marketing can be cost-effective compared to traditional advertising, especially if you’re working with micro-influencers with smaller but highly engaged audiences.
Best Social Media Platforms for Influencer Marketing:
Several different social media platforms can be used for influencer digital marketing campaigns. The best platform for your campaign will depend on your goals and target audience.
Instagram:
Like most people, you probably scroll through Instagram several times a day without giving much thought to the content you’re seeing. But for some people, their Instagram feed is their livelihood. These Instagram influencers have gained a large following by posting interesting and engaging content.
Source: Gabby Bernstein
While there are many influencers out there, some have managed to stand out from the crowd.
@gabbybernstein is an author and motivational speaker with over 1.6 million followers. Her posts focus on self-love and positivity, and she has also published several books on these topics.
@jessejostark is a photographer with over 2 million followers. His stunning images have earned him a loyal following, and he has even been featured in National Geographic.
@theellenshow is the official account for The Ellen DeGeneres Show, which has over 26 million followers. Ellen is known for her generosity and kindness, and her posts reflect these values.
@kimkardashian is a reality TV star with over 122 million followers. She is one of the most followed people on Instagram, and her posts feature a mix of personal photos and sponsored content.
The Fire Festival was a social media marketing success despite the actual festival bombing. The organizers used influencer posts on Instagram to drive traffic to their festival website by showing luxurious accommodations, beautiful people, and white sand beaches.
YouTube:
In today’s social media-obsessed world, it’s no surprise that Instagram influencers have become some of the most famous people on social media. With a massive audience and the ability to promote products and brands, these influencers have a lot of power. But who are the most notable Instagram influencers?
Source: RCLBeauty101
Some of the most popular influencers are fashion and beauty bloggers. These users often post pictures of themselves wearing different outfits and makeup looks and frequently partner with brands to promote their products.
RCLBeauty101 is often recognized as a leading YouTube makeup influencer, with her videos averaging nearly one million views.
Other popular influencers include travel bloggers, who share stunning photos from their adventures around the world, and foodies, who share drool-worthy pictures of their meals. Whatever their niche, these influencers have built up sizable followings by posting interesting and engaging content.
Facebook:
Facebook is one of the most popular social media platforms, with over 2 billion monthly active users, which makes it an excellent place for businesses and brands to promote their products and services. However, standing out from the crowd can be challenging with so much competition.
Source: Cristiano Ronaldo
When choosing an influencer, it is important to consider their engagement levels and audience demographics. For example, Christiano Ronaldo has over 149 million followers. While his posts have an extensive reach, he won’t have time to interact personally with most of his followers (but that hasn’t hurt his ability to land deals with Nike, for example).
When picking an influencer, you need to consider both the breadth and depth of their followers’ engagement and your own brand needs.
TikTok:
There’s no doubt that TikTok has taken the social media world by storm. In just a few short years, the app has amassed a huge global following, and it shows no signs of slowing down. With its mix of user-generated and professional content, TikTok offers something for everyone. And as the app continues to grow in popularity, more and more people are using it to build careers as influencers.
Source: Addison Rae
Some of the most notable TikTok influencers include Loren Grey, Addison Rae, Chase Hudson, Charli D’Amelio, and Dixie D’Amelio. Thanks to their creative content and large followings, these users have become household names. They’ve also used their TikTok platform to launch successful businesses and partnerships.
For example, Loren Grey has released music under her own label, while Addison Rae has signed major deals with brands like American Eagle and Hollister. As TikTok continues to grow, we expect to see more influencers emerge from the app.
Snapchat:
Snapchat has quickly become one of the most popular social media platforms, with users sharing everything from photos and videos to stories and filters. While anyone can create content on Snapchat, some users have managed to build sizable followings by creating engaging and original content.
These influencers have capitalized on their popularity by partnering with brands and businesses and promoting products and services to hundreds of thousands of followers.
Some of the most notable Snapchat influencers include Kylie Jenner, Daisy Keech, and Loren Gray. With their creative content and large followings, these influencers have helped to shape the Snapchat landscape and redefine what it means to be an influencer.
Snapchat partnered with influencer Kylie Jenner for an eCommerce push as she featured her Kyshadow palettes on Snapchat.
Source: Tube Filter
Twitter:
There are a lot of different Twitter influencers out there. Still, some of the most notable ones include celebrities like Justin Bieber and Lady Gaga and business leaders like Richard Branson and Tony Robbins. These influencers have a large following on Twitter, and they often use their platform to promote their work or share their thoughts on current events. If you’re looking for someone to follow on Twitter, these are some of the most influential people.
Source: Lady Gaga
Lady Gaga engages with fans and brands on Twitter.
Types of Social Media Influencers:
There are several different types of social media influencers. The type of influencer you work with will depend on your goals and target audience.
- Mega-Influencers
Mega-influencers are social media users with million or more followers. They have a huge amount of influence, and their endorsement can significantly boost sales and brand awareness. However, they are also the most expensive type of influencer to work with.
- Macro-Influencers
Macro-influencers are social media users with tens of thousands to a few hundred thousand followers. They are slightly less expensive to work with than mega-influencers, but they still have significant influence.
- Micro-Influencers
Micro-influencers have a smaller following than celebrity influencers but are often more engaged with their audience. They can also be more affordable to work with and may have more expertise in your industry. Since they usually appeal to a targeted audience, you will increase the chance of organic spread of your content. Micro-influencers also often have a localized audience, making them ideal influencers for small, local businesses.
- Nano-Influencers
Nano-influencers have an even smaller following than micro-influencers (generally defined as less than 5,000 followers) but are often highly engaged with their audience. They can be a great choice for companies on a tight budget. These influencers usually charge less than $1,000 per sponsored post, which makes them an ideal choice for small businesses.
How to Create an Influencer Marketing Strategy:
Creating an influencer marketing strategy can help you reach your goals and connect with your target audience. If creating a strategy sounds overwhelming, rest assured: all you need to do is answer four simple questions, and you’ll have your plan in place:
- What Does Success Look Like?
Start by defining your goals. What do you hope to achieve with your influencer marketing campaign? Do you want to increase brand awareness, drive sales, or build authority in your industry? By understanding your goals, you’ll be able to target your advertising to work towards them.
- Where To Play?
Research your target audience. Who are you trying to reach with your influencer marketing campaign? What social media platforms do they use? What type of content do they consume? Once you’ve answered these questions, you’ll know where to go to identify potential influencers.
- How To Win?
Now that you know where your target audience is, how will you reach them? Are micro or macro influencers better? Should you use humor and irony or strike a more serious tone? Think of influencers as the spark that starts the fire, not the end game. You want to create content that will go viral with your audience beyond just the posts from your paid influencers.
- What Capabilities Must Be In Place?
Now that you know what you intend to do, how will you execute it? Do you have enough personnel? A deep archive of content or a progressive content strategy that can guide our influencers?
Hearst Bay Area’s marketing agency, 46 Mile, can help you develop and execute a social media and influencer marketing strategy.
- What Management Systems Do You Need?
It’s not enough to pay an influencer and then wait and see if anything happens. You need a content management system to ensure fresh content is delivered on schedule. And a feedback system in place so you can see what content is performing well and adjust it as needed. And if you’re managing multiple influencers, you’ll need a way to manage them without overlooking something important.
Once you answer these four questions, your strategy will be ready to go. Of course, you can tweak it over time, but the most important thing is to set your initial strategy and stick to it until it needs adjusting.
How to Measure the Success of Your Influencer Marketing Campaign:
There are many different ways to measure the success of your influencer marketing campaign. The best way to measure success will depend on your goals and objectives.
- Reach
The reach of an influencer marketing campaign is the number of people who see your content, which can be measured by looking at the number of impressions your content receives.
- Engagement
The engagement of an influencer marketing campaign is the number of people who interact with your content, which can be measured by the number of likes, comments, and shares your content receives.
- Traffic
The traffic generated by an influencer marketing campaign is the number of people visiting your website or blog, which can be measured by the number of unique visitors your site receives.
- Sales
The sales generated by an influencer marketing campaign are the number of sales or leads generated from the campaign. This can be measured by the number of sales or leads generated.
- Return On Investment
An influencer marketing campaign’s return on investment (ROI) is the ratio of money spent to money earned. This can be measured by looking at the sales generated from the campaign divided by the money spent on the campaign.
Influencer Marketing: Key Takeaways:
- Influencer marketing is a form of marketing that focuses on using key leaders to promote a product or service.
- Influencer marketing can be used to reach a wide audience and build brand awareness, drive sales, or build authority in your industry.
- To create an influencer marketing strategy, define your goals, research your target audience, identify the right influencers, build relationships with them, and create great content.
- To measure the success of your influencer marketing campaign, look at metrics such as reach, engagement, traffic, sales, and ROI.
How Hearst Bay Area Can Help:
Arshid Soft Tech is a Digital Marketing company that owns and operates several websites, newspapers, and magazines. We also have an extensive network run by our subsidiary marketing agency, 46Mile of influencers who can help promote your content.
Contact us today to learn more about our print and digital services and how we can help you achieve your marketing goals.
