Influencer Marketing, and how to do it properly as a brand.
Social media marketing comes in a variety of forms, including advertising, content marketing, social media management, and so much more, however, brands have recently been leaning on influencer marketing for increased exposure. And rightfully so…
what is influencer marketing?
This is a type of marketing that enables brands to work with creative individuals who have an influential social media following, in order to build upon the brand-consumer. This marketing strategy understands the importance of leveraging the trust of influencers because once you have the attention of an influencer, you have the attention of their audience. You probably want to know what makes this marketing tactic stand out from other similar schemes such as ambassador marketing, and that’s fair.
What makes Influencer marketing stand out?
Alternative marketing methods such as traditional ambassadorship marketing, where a public figure is attached to the personality of a business in order to increase its sales by appealing to people who look up to this individual, have been a key marketing strategy for a while now, so we’re not introducing something entirely new. Influencer marketing stands out from this aspect, not because it is completely different from it, but because it is a more streamlined extension of it.
Influencer Marketing is carried out on social media, the most multifaceted platform for communication to date. If a business seeks to succeed in this day and age then it needs to have an effective online presence. This is where influencers come in. These creators dedicate time and energy to becoming specialized in various niches that could be aligned with various brands. Collaboration between businesses and social media influencers can be a carrier of success that both the creator and the company are after.
“Influencer Marketing in Namibia hasn’t tapped its full potential yet. There’s so much room for growth here.”
Why you should use influencer marketing for your business?
We’ll answer your question with a question; Do you want your brand to achieve success?
In reality, marketing is vital to profitability, and your business exists in a world where potential customers are looking at screens all day. So getting ahead of the curve and having influencers talking about your brand is the next best thing for you. Influencer marketing makes use of the credibility of these creators and trendsetters and gets a conversation going. This conversation gains you customers.
The public has become almost resistant to traditional advertising, don’t get us wrong it works, but the times are changing and you need to change with them. Now let’s look at how you can make that happen.
How to properly do Influencer Marketing as a brand
Determine your goals and objectives for working with an influencer - The foremost goal for brands when working with influencers is to expand their market and attain new target customers by making an impression on a collaborative influencer’s audience. Making sales, navigating said sales, and ultimately promoting brand awareness are some steps that a brand can establish when beginning an influencer marketing campaign. It is important to put a plan in place and set it against your overall social media marketing strategy. Ultimately, you need to be able to follow up on your goals and keep a record of them.
Develop a social media strategy - When it comes to branding social media, all contributing factors need to be in sync. From your content to your audience awareness, you need to stay updated on all of the ins and outs of your strategy as this will enable you to create an outlook that understands this fundamentalism and works to maintain it. A social media blueprint consists of elements such as customer support, data analytics, diverse content, and so much more. Do the research, create a timeline, and remain at the forefront of the game.
Create a marketing brief - An influencer marketing campaign can have a lot of parties involved, so it is imperative that everyone remains up to date and has access to the same information about it. A marketing brief is one such document. This helps outline the entire marketing campaign to all the partakers and makes team collaboration easier because everyone is fully aware of everything. This will go a long way in assisting the marketing team plan their creative strategies and keep the major associates informed.
Now we get to the best parts.
Locate the appropriate influencers and reach out - Bringing the wrong influencers to your market will not get you anywhere, so you need to make sure that the influencers that you attach to your business are creators within your niche and can therefore complement the product/service that you offer. Identify creators that are well within your vocation, and who will only provide a vantage point from where you can increase your brand reach. Your audience needs to be able to look up the influencer that you choose to work with, they need to be able to relate to, trust and respect them. This will go a long way in the relationship that customers have with your product and you entirely.
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Identifying potential influencers is one thing, and getting them to work with you is another. This will require you to come up with a pitch in order to get the creator to want to work with you, and you will have to put something on the table; free products, endorsement deals, or payments of course. Ideally, you’re paying them to talk about your brand to their audience… marketing!
Launch campaign and monitor it - This delves into what your entire marketing scheme around this product/service. It will encompass everything from you, your influencer, and your customers. Set goals for yourself within this capacity and follow up on all of them in order to ensure success.
Latching onto influencer marketing is exactly what your business needs today. This will make it possible for you to increase your sales and solidify your online presence. Its a win-win!
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