Building a brand and reaching large audiences can be difficult. Even if you follow all the rules and do everything right in your marketing strategy, there is still a good chance that the internet's often erratic algorithm will not pick up your content.
Fortunately, there is a solution to this in today’s digital world-influencer marketing. Advertising your brand through an individual with a loyal and pre-established audience can help you make more connections, attract wider audiences, and allow your brand to truly flourish.
What Makes An Influencer?
Influencers are individuals with large numbers of followers who are dedicated to them and their content. Influencers exist in every industry, from beauty and fashion to gaming and technology, and on every social media platform, whether that be Instagram, TikTok, or even Facebook.
While influencers used to be confined to the limits of internet fame, they are now often seen as equals to popular singers, actors, and other celebrities. However, they differ from the average celebrity in the way that they typically maintain strong communication with their fans through their platforms.
The relationship between influencers and fans is much more personal than that between other types of celebrities and their fanbases. Many fans see their favorite influencers almost as trusted friends. Therefore, when an influencer tells their fans about a great product or service, these fans will typically seek out the product or service in question.
In fact, 56% of consumers reported having purchased a product after seeing an influencer use it. If you think the question of whether or not to use influencer marketing is a no-brainer, you’re not alone- 9 out of 10 marketers believe influencer marketing is an incredibly effective way of advertising, as it can strengthen your SEO, generate positive reviews for your brand, and introduce your brand to millions of people all over the world.
Getting Started
It may be tempting to look at the number of followers of the internet’s top influencers and start pitching your company to these individuals with the largest audiences. However, this is not the best idea. If the influencer promoting your brand does not create content that fits within your brand's industry, the campaign will come off as inauthentic and will likely tarnish your brand's reputation.
Furthermore, the majority of the influencer’s followers will probably not be interested in what your brand has to offer. An example of this would be if you secured a deal with a gaming influencer to promote your children’s clothing company. This partnership would not be beneficial to either party, no matter how popular this influencer was, and would not resonate with the influencer’s following.
The key to avoiding a marketing disaster such as this is to identify influencers within your niche who would purchase and enjoy what you are offering even if they were not being paid to do so. For example, utilizing a beauty influencer to promote a new collection of eyeliners would be an effective use of influencer marketing.
Once you’ve identified a number of influencers that align with your brand, you’re ready to go! Pitch your services to the influencers you have chosen, and work alongside them to create a campaign that is beneficial to both of you.
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