Introduction
According to Wikipedia, Influencer marketing is a form of marketing in which focus is placed on specific key individuals (or types of individual) rather than the target market as a whole. It identifies the individuals that have influence over potential buyers, and orients marketing activities around these influencers.
In simpler and modern words, influencer marketing is a form of testimonial advertising where the influencers rather than the brand recommends a product/service and hence is more believable to the audience.
Who is an influencer?
In today’s digital world, an influencer is an online persona with a huge following, mostly on social media and who has the power to “influence” his followers’ purchase decision.
Influencers have been around for centuries, even before the internet existed and largely as popular celebrities endorsing a brand. The scenario today, however, is completely different. An influencer has become more realistic and approachable than ever before.
Where do you find them?
On social media of course! Some of the bloggers and vloggers with millions of followers today have risen from being just ordinary internet users but with focus, determination and discipline. Thanks to the growing popularity and power of social media and blogging. Instagram, for example, is the goto for fashion lovers and thus poses a large opportunity for fashion brands to create an influencer market by hiring top style instagrammers who already have a vast network of admirers.
Why is it beneficial?
Influencer marketing is beneficial merely because of our human instinct which makes it easier for consumers to be convinced about a product from a person they admire, rather than by a brand they have never heard of. When you advertise through an influencer, you already have a warm audience. Moreover, every other brand is turning to online influencer marketing. So while a startup who has a running campaign of influencer marketing has the attention of a million prospective buyers, another startup with no campaign would still be struggling to build their online presence.
How to start your own influencer marketing campaign
- Identify the influencer most relevant to you – If you are a new business and bucks are dear to you, you may want to start with identifying bloggers who will settle for free products rather than monetary rewards. The hunt usually begins with the business themselves having a social profile and actively engaging with influencers. This may include familiarising yourself with their offering, commenting on their posts etc. Once you’ve listened to what they have to say, it’s time for you to start a conversation
- Start a conversation with your influencer – This is where you need to convince your influencers that your product is really worth their time. When you write that first pitch email/message, make sure to sound human, and not automaton.
- Start campaigning – Boom! Work out a solution best suited for your business as well as the influencer and you are ready to go.
How to track a campaign
Once you’ve finally landed an influencer and started campaigning, it is necessary to track results in order to measure ROI. While conversion tracking can be a combination of several tools and methods, here are a few that anyone can implement
- Post impressions and engagement – Impressions are the very first indication of how successful your campaign is going to be. And social influencers are a sure shot way to gather maximum impressions and engagements to your post. Higher the number of comments and shares you get, higher the chances of your post going viral.
- Using Google Analytics URL builder to tag campaigns – Google Analytics allows to build custom URLs with parameters like campaign name etc that you can add to your social posts. It is then easy to track conversions from these URLs via GA reports
- Specific campaign promo codes – Giving out campaign specific promo codes is another great way to create a sense of urgency and hence gain increased engagement.
Conclusion
To cut the long story short – Influencers are here to stay. The sooner you take the plunge the better. Ask us today to know what is the best campaign for you.
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