Your 4 Part Guide to How Influencer Marketing Can Help Your Business

In the digital age, influencers have become the new tool in marketing for many millennials and Gen Z-ers alike. From hair vitamins to clothing subscriptions to weight loss items, these influencers can sell pretty much any product to their followers. In today’s blog, we will talk about influencer marketing and how it can help your business.

What is influencer marketing?
Influencer marketing is using someone who has a high social standing on social media to spread positive views in regard to your business. Typically those with a high social standing have over 10,000 followers and therefore have huge credibility. Using these influencers can help quickly build your brand and increase exposure. If you’ve ever thought about using this tactic to expand your marketing strategy, now is the time to do so.

Why should I use it?
Influencer marketing has been shown to produce a return on investment that’s 11x higher than the other traditional forms of marketing. CBT News also reported that more than 71% of consumers have a higher likelihood of purchasing something if it is recommended by an influencer. Teaming up with an influencer can immensely benefit your business in today’s day and age. You also don’t need to worry about snagging the big fish right away. If you’re a small, local, business, micro-influencers are probably better for your brand than the bigger ones. With the smaller reach micro-influencers have, their credibility gives them more authority, therefore making them a strong marketing and sales tool. Additionally, these influencers are typically more approachable and are more likely to resonate with advice-seeking buyers because they seem more authentic. Try to find a local social media influencer or celebrity near you that you think would benefit from partnering up. If you own a larger business that’s trying to get more of a national reach, using a more nationally well-known influencer might be a better fit for you. Many people view influencers as their friends so they are likely to trust their words and recommendations rather than just seeing a random ad on their feed.

Steps to start influencer marketing

Step 1: Search for Influencers
By using tools such as Buzzsumo or Followerwonk, you can easily find influencers for your business. An important thing to note is that you want to make sure you do your research on influencers before reaching out and teaming up with them. Just because someone has a large following on social media does not always mean they are credible or respected. Sometimes their values may not align with yours so it’s important to know what they stand for.

Step 2: Build an interesting page but stay grounded
Social media users are constantly switching from one social media app to the next, seeing hundreds of posts, tweets, and videos each day. It is important to make your content stand out from the rest by having unique designs and layouts. However, you don’t need to get too extravagant with what you’re posting. Influencers and the general population of those looking at your content are normal people like you and me. Be real with your content and don’t feel like you have to put on a show to be interesting.

Step 3: Communication is key
Starting a friendly discussion with influencers about topics related to your business’ industry is a great way to get them to promote your brand and give insight about your brand to the public. The more you interact the more likely it is that you’ll get noticed by their followers, leading to more exposure. Get the conversation started with a simple question or suggestion!

Step 4: Collaborate with as many influencers as you can
Instead of hiring an influencer to act in a certain way you want, doing a collaboration with them has shown more flattering results. When you choose to collaborate, the influencer has more creative freedom which they can use to bring your brand to life with their own personal flair. They know what their followers like to see and can therefore promote your brand in a way they know will get more engagement.

Leading Business Influencers
If you’re still unsure about influencer marketing for your business, take a moment to look over these entrepreneurs and business influencers and consider how people with this big of a following can help you.

1. Melinda Emerson
As the founder and president of the marketing consulting firm, Quintessence Group, Melinda Emerson has become a social media pioneer. With almost 300,000 followers on Twitter, she shares her knowledge and advice for new and expanding companies as the SmallBizLady. She hosts Twitter’s longest-running live chat for small business owners where anyone can write in questions for her under the hashtag, #Smallbizchat. Finally, Forbes named her the most influential woman for entrepreneurs to follow on Twitter.

2. Erik Bergman
After he created a multi-billion dollar marketing business that served the iGaming and financial service sectors, Erik Bergman left his company to create Great.com, which is a marketing company that donates 100% of its profits to charity. Nowadays, he runs a 338,000 follower Instagram account where he offers entrepreneurs inspiration. With helpful tips, useful facts and figures, and short videos on business-related topics, it’s no wonder why Bergman has such a large following.

3. Robert Rose
Being the chief strategy advisor for Content Marketing Institute, it’s no wonder Robert Rose has become the lead content marketing expert for LinkedIn. Rose uses the platform to spread his knowledge and tips for creating content and engaging online followers. He has become a welcoming educator for small businesses so they are able to learn how to reinvent their social media strategies and maintain followers’ expectations while continuing to grow.

Overall, influencer marketing is becoming a fast-growing way to boost sales and get more exposure. Although it may seem strange to try to create a grand social media presence with a social media star for your business, this has become the new way to reach younger audiences. If you make sure you are targeting the right audience and teaming up with the right influencers, you can’t go wrong.

If you’re still unsure of how to start, our wonderful marketing team would be happy to assist you. Don’t hesitate to give us a call at 515-232-2024 or send us a message today!