Influencer marketing is an effective and inexpensive way to help increase brand awareness, boost social following and drive more sales. It’s important that you’re building a strategy that includes influencers that align with your brand to create a better experience for your customers.
The strategies below include expert tips that are helpful for building and scaling your Influencer Marketing campaigns.
1. Continue Recruiting…but focus on the right recruits
Influencer marketing has no signs of slowing for 2021. The cost per acquisition stemming from Influencer Marketing has been proven to be lower than paid advertising campaigns. But with fake follower counts on the rise and engagement rates declining, make sure you scout for influencers who match your brand and have the highest engagement rates with an audience who will respond to your brand.
Great content, created by experts is the key. So look for influencers who have high engagement and showcase they are sharing knowledge and you will find the ROI you are looking for, because their followers are interested in the influencers’ content and paying attention to their recommendations.
2. Engagement Trumps Follower Count
This year also marks a rise in paying attention to content creators who have smaller audiences. They often have a more relatable voice and therefore the results convert at a lower cost, but a higher rate. Marketers find themselves asking “What should I be paying for this and was it successful?”
In 2019, there were reports about influencers being too “pay to play” and as a result, were losing the trust of their following. Brands should take a holistic look into their influencers’ earned media value, including insights from each post to see the number of likes, comments, and engagement rate to see how the content is converting from a sales perspective as well.
Look at your customer base and see who has the highest engagement and lean on them to help your team find new brand fans, evangelize new products, and share positive feedback about your brand to their networks.
Bottom line, engagement trumps follower count, meaning a micro influencer — or even consumer ambassador — with influence over real people not bots, could be more effective than a more general influencer with 10 times the following.So don’t be afraid to build a bigger community of smaller voices to drive the results you are looking for.
3. Invest In Your Community
As social media platforms and digital advertising continue to evolve, customers want to hear from relatable influencers who stand behind a brand’s products, services, or mission. Receiving genuine insight from real people, like active customers, resonates with consumers more deeply than a repetitive Facebook ad filling their feeds.
