Intro To Influencers
“Influencer” is a fairly new concept, and one that many brand and customers are still looking to define. If you are on any social media you have probably seen these seemingly normal people encouraging you to purchase a product they claim to love. But how does hiring influencers work, and are they worth it? Here is a breakdown of how they came to be, and how you can you use them for your own brand.
What Is An Influencer?
An influencer is someone on social media that has the power to persuade an audience’s purchasing decisions because of their authority or relationship with the audience. Typically, influencers are well-known in their own field (fitness, parenting, fashion, or beauty are popular examples) and their followers look to them as an expert. While some social media users start out looking to become an influencer, many are people who are talented at created social media posts that resonate with their audience and grow an organic following.
How To Work With An Influencer:
There are influencers for just about every field, so if you are interesting in partnering with one, you’re in luck! First things first, browse popular hashtags or accounts in your field, and see who is making a big impact on your desired audience. Next, reach out to them via direct message or through the contact information in their bio if they provide any. Give them a brief rundown on who you are, a little bit about your company, and ask them if they would be interested in a collaboration. Consider how you’d like to compensate them for their time, and what you’d like from them. If you just want a one time deal, send them your product free of charge and give them a flat rate fee for their posts. Influencers spend a lot of time making sure their content is perfect, so take that into consideration when decided how much to compensate them. Influencers who are more experienced will often have rates and packages they will offer you, which will reflect the time and equipment they’ll have to use. You can also ask them to partner with you for a giveaway by following both you and your influencer, and teaming up with them to create a prize that their followers will get excited about. Many companies and influencers use this method because it is mutually beneficial.
What To Expect:
Once your influencer partner posts about your product, except a new wave of followers and a lot of new purchases! A study done in 2019 found that 22% of Gen Z and 20% of Millennials have made purchases through influencers. Be prepared with new content to post for your new followers so they do not get bored of following you and change their minds. While you don’t want to overwhelm their feeds, you want to make sure that you are active and posting content that they will enjoy. You will also want to test your website to make sure that it is up to date and running quickly and smoothly. One of the great parts about working with influencers is that it is easy to track ROI, and they are often willing to share their insights with you as well.
Working with influencers is a popular marketing method for a reason, so don’t be afraid to reach out to someone in your industry that you think would help you reach your goals. Make sure to do your research on the influencer before partnering with them, and don’t be afraid to reach out to someone with a smaller following if you think that they will effectively speak to your audience! Have you ever partnered with an influencer? What were the results from working with them? Let us know in the comments!
