Influencers and Their Impact ✨
In its simplest form, an influencer is someone who, well, influences. But the title holds more value than you may think. When combined and optimized with marketing strategies, the growth of one’s business can radically change.
If you choose to partner with an influencer that’s well-known within your niche, some pretty awesome things can happen to your business.
Your brand awareness / exposure increases due to instantly reaching a “warm” audience -- aka the customer base that not only already have particular interest in what you may be selling, but are more likely to make a purchase because of it. Instead of starting from scratch and trying to find your target market (which we all know can be a pain), pairing up with an influencer gives you instant access to a database of potential buyers.
Sales go up. Relating to the last point, influencers have a community that they talk to on the regular, thus resulting in trust and a level of respect that’s been achieved. According to Musefind, a whopping 92% of consumers trust influencers over traditional advertisements. And it makes sense: would you trust a targeted ad, or someone you follow and maybe even look up to? Taking that into account, it’s no surprise that more and more businesses are adding influencer budgets to their overall marketing plan. If executed properly, you’ll be sure to see a ROI.
Your customers become more valuable. The rapport an influencer has with their following is immensely powerful. Studies show that the Customer Lifetime Value -- the amount of revenue a customer will provide a business throughout their relationship -- is highest when influencers are involved, compared to other forms of media.
Better content creation. Influencers are famous for a reason! Whether it’s their creativity, charismatic personalities, and / or wealth of knowledge, they’re always providing some kind of value to their fan bases. Collaborating with influencers can open you and your business up to an untapped world of content creation. Examples include new, refreshing images of your product or service or cool video demonstrations backed up by personable and credible sources.
Relationships are built. Not just between your business and its potential customers, but between you and your new business partner. Combining your selling points with their inventive vision can result in amazing campaigns that benefit both parties involved financially and aesthetically. Plus, it connects you to their network and likewise for them.
Organic touchpoints are created. If you’re lucky, a customer might just come across your business and decide right then and there that they’d like to make a purchase. But that’s a big if. What usually happens is that if it’s someone’s first time seeing your brand, there’s bound to be some slight hesitation, followed by an in-depth skimming of reviews and testimonials, and then a waiting period where they think about purchasing while also checking out other substitutes. With influencers promoting your product, it speeds up this process of it all, greatly minimizing the decision-making time.
Now you may be wondering, “how do I find these influencers?”. There are a handful of ways to go about it, but it’s important to be strategic so nothing goes astray.
Here are some great starting points:
Use Instagram’s Hashtags. Search up relevant keywords and tags that match your business, and start sifting through posts that are also using them. Then engage: comment, like, and follow those you resonate with most. This is a nice way to solidify your following, give your business exposure, and to cultivate your brand’s image. Not only will you find competitors and potential customers, but you’ll quickly find influencers that may be interested in working with you.
Utilize Youtube. This platform isn’t just a website, but the second largest search engine out there, so it’s safe to assume that there’s plenty of resourceful things within its database. You can use similar keywords from your Instagram hashtag research and paste it over on Youtube’s search bar; this is another lucrative way to find the next face for your business. Plus, these creators typically make longer content, so it’s an excellent way for your products to get raw reviews and demos.
Look for connections. Believe it or not, LinkedIn can be another option for your search. Like the other two sites mentioned above, as long as you’re using the most suitable keywords in your search bar, you’d be surprised at how many influential figures are on there, just waiting to connect with you.
Scope out influencer databases. There’s plenty of them out there with influencers patiently sitting back and looking to do work. These databases usually have a headshot, bio, and portfolio of campaigns that this person has done, along with their metrics of impact. Upfluence, AspireIQ, and HypeAuditor are some of the most popular, but to check out even more options, click here.
In a world where the digital marketing landscape is making waves to accommodate unprecedented events, the time to utilize new marketing strategies is now. You know about the pros of influencer marketing and the best strategies for takeoff, so what are you waiting for?
To receive more entrepreneur tips and tricks, be sure to subscribe to our Metrics that Matter newsletter. 💡
