The do’s and don’ts of influencer marketing as a business
Influencer marketing is everywhere. Every time you scroll through your favorite social media channels, there it is, another popular influencer showing off their new favorite product. Do we know that they're profiting from promoting this new product? Yes. Do we still want to buy it? Surprisingly, yes**.**
When done right, influencer marketing is an incredibly powerful tool for businesses to promote products or services. When it comes to making purchasing decisions, 69% of consumers trust influencer recommendations over information directly from the brand. Not only does influencer marketing put a fresh voice behind your brand and generate some wonderful new content, but it can also create a huge snowball effect for the long-term success of your business.
Before you dive into your first influencer marketing campaign, here are some points to consider.
Summary
Do: Clarify your goal
Influencer marketing campaigns aren’t just about pushing your product. Influencer campaigns can also be about building brand awareness, growing your following, increasing website traffic, and increasing sales. Clarify what you want to gain from this influencer campaign and how you will measure whether it was successful at the campaign’s end.
Do: Communicate clearly with your influencer
It’s important to have a clear and transparent discussion with your influencer around budget and expectations. This includes how they prefer to be paid (i.e., a flat fee or a commission on sales), and how you’ll measure the success of the partnership. What medium of content do you want them to create (such as a video or a blog), and which channels do you want to leverage? Let them know your goals and KPIs for the campaign and explain what your intentions are for this campaign from the outset.
Don’t: Be a micromanager
While it’s important to be upfront about your goals and expectations, try not to interfere with an influencer’s creative process or stifle their creative spirit. Remember why you chose this influencer and give them the freedom to create as they see fit since this adds to the authenticity of the content. This influencer is popular for a reason — they understand what content resonates with their audience and brings the most engagement to their page — so trust their expertise.
Don’t: Underestimate micro and nano influencers
Micro influencers (those with 10k–50k followers), and nano influencers (those with 1k–10k followers) can be worth partnering with instead of influencers with a larger following – especially if they feel like the perfect fit for your brand. While more popular influencers may reach a larger audience, those with fewer followers are more likely to have a more engaged and niche following. In essence, it’s possible that a higher percentage of a smaller influencer’s following may take an interest in your brand versus the audience of a larger influencer. They’re also more likely to work harder and cost less – if budget is a concern.
Do: Pick an influencer that aligns with your brand
The influencer’s audience demographic is an important consideration of the partnership, but there’s more. Look at their content to learn who they are as a person and what their online persona is. Do they align with your brand values and convey the same morals and ideals that your brand represents? Partnering with an influencer associates them with your brand, so don’t associate yourself with someone who you wouldn’t feel comfortable representing your brand.
Do: Look at the influencer’s audience and performance
Once you’ve established that their brand aligns with yours, you’ll need to make sure their audience matches your target market. This ensures that their content reaches the people you want it to reach, instead of hitting the feed of those outside of your intended demographic. Additionally, don’t just look at an influencer’s follower count and assume their content performs well. Really take the time to understand how much engagement their content receives and how active they are in managing their page and consistently publishing content. Also, take a look at whether they have any content in partnership with other business on their page, how you feel about the quality of this content, and the engagement levels on this content.
Do: Re-share and re-purpose the content
Once the influencer posts, it’s your responsibility to help maximize it. Any content created by your influencer about your brand is basically liquid gold in social content form. When it goes live, make sure to re-share it across your social channels. You can even promote this content in your paid advertising (just make sure to communicate with your influencer on how you will re-purpose this content first).
Do: Actively build on your relationship with your influencer
You should actively support your chosen influencer by engaging with their content before, during, and even after the campaign. Partnerships between influencers and brands that continue even after the campaign is over encourages influencers to continue singing your praises, even when they’re not directly profiting. It also leaves the door open for future partnerships with this influencer again and with other influencers in their network.
Influencer marketing is an incredibly powerful marketing tool. To be successful, make sure to choose your influencer wisely, spend time building a relationship, and practice transparency throughout your partnership.