Did you know that 17% of companies spend over half their marketing budget on influencers? Among other marketing strategies, influencer marketing has proved to be a great opportunity for businesses.
What is Influencer Marketing?
Influencer marketing is a way of promoting your brand through an individual outside your company, a digital influencer on Instagram like our President and CEO, Hilary JM Topper, for example. When an influencer posts about your product, the audience considers it more reliable than an advertisement from traditional media. That is because they trust that person, which gives her/him the power of influence.
Where should a brand start?
Here are some steps that brands should consider before implementing an Influencer Marketing campaign:
- Define your public – Which is your target audience? Which platforms do they use the most? Before choosing an individual to promote your brand, make sure that you know your audience so you can look for influencers that best align with your brand.
- Research your influencers – Do extensive research of profiles you think would be a fit for your brand, ask for media kits, check their content, and engagement. A lot of people buy likes and followers which will not allow an effective campaign.
- Quality X Quantity – Sometimes, micro-influencers have a closer relationship with their followers which can bring better results for your campaign. For a local business, for example, 1K – 5K followers might be a good start for announcing your restaurant’s new menu. If you are a national law firm wanting to expand your client base, a local influencer might not be the right person for you, but someone with a wider audience instead.
- A little less control – In traditional media advertisements, you have full control of your ads. However, when it comes to influencer marketing, each one has a very different way of promoting your product or service. It is important to give them some freedom to do so, after all, their personality is what the public connects with. According to Crowdtap, 77% of influencers said that creative freedom is the #1 factor for motivation to collaborate.
Success campaign example:
Still not sure about influencer marketing? Here’s an example of a successful campaign:
Bigelow Tea is one of the most well-known and recognized brands in the tea industry, the company chose for its influencer marketing strategy the lifestyle blogger Ashley at Cherished Bliss who provided a recipe for Bigelow Iced Tea with Lemonade Ice Cubes. Her article put Bigelow on the front page of Google for relevant and competitive search terms like “iced lemonade drink” and “ice cube iced tea,” and has been linked to by hundreds of other lifestyle blogs, expanding Bigelow’s reach even further than the Cherished Bliss audience.
Contact us for help
Need help deciding if influencer marketing is right for your business? Reach out to us and let’s talk. As an influencer herself, Hilary JM Topper brings a unique perspective to influencer and brand ambassador marketing programs.
