Introduction
At a certain point in your business, you might consider partnering with an influencer to promote your business. A social media influencer can spread your message and win you new audience members.
What is an influencer?
An influencer has a loyal audience who are hooked into the minutiae of their everyday lives. They tune into their social media channels just to see what the influencer is doing, wearing, buying, and recommending.
It really is amazing how devoted these fans can be. If the influencer has a massive following, they often capitalize on this by building partnerships with other businesses and getting paid for it.
Partner with an influencer to promote your business and increase brand awareness
If you own a business, and want to build brand awareness, or increase exposure to your target audience, you could consider partnering with an influencer. This can really multiply your following, popularity and get your brand in front of your audience.
Of course, you have to pay an influencer. Like any paid ad service, you want to maximize your return on investment (ROI) to achieve the most results from the money you spend. The influencer becomes your brand ambassador, or temporary spokesperson, for your business.
The partnership might become part of your marketing plan. An influencer charges fees in exchange for featuring your product or service through their social media channels. A partnership might be useful if your following is small and you want to grow your following.
Does the influencer match your target audience?
There is a right way to execute a partnership with an influencer. First, examine whether influencer marketing is right for your business.
Would your business have the most advantage from this partnership? Since influencer marketing does not work with all businesses, you should decide whether this is the right path to take.
It’s not surprising that lifestyle and leisure (e.g. travel and food) are the industries where the most influencers are found. So it’s these industries that would work best.
What kind of audience do you already have, and what kind of audience do you want to attract?
Understand your target audience, have a goal clear in your mind, and know what you hope to achieve from this partnership. This is important for analyzing the end results and concluding whether the partnership worked to bring about the desired effect.
Tips on searching for an influencer to promote your business
Look for an influencer that will resonate with your audience, within your budget, whose views agree with yours.
Ask for a media kit. Most serious influencers will have one put together. A media kit includes their background information, follower count, bio, and social media channels.
If you don’t already have an influencer in mind, or know which ones to approach, do a search on social media and view their blogs, tweets, photos and videos.
Influencer marketing is just like any paid ad service: do your research before engaging their services, because the reputation of the influencer becomes the reputation of your brand.
Research what the “market rates” are for their services, and decide if it’s within your budget.
Meet virtually with the influencer to work out the details of your agreement, and to determine if they’re a good fit for your brand.
How to approach an influencer
What you need before you approach an influencer is a website or established business with your social media channels already set up. Once you’ve constructed a short list of influencers to approach, write an email or send a direct message. Avoid sending a generic mass email.
Another option is to engage the services of a digital marketing agency that represents the influencer.
Have a clear outline of the types of content you want the influencer to use to promote your business.
Finally, the contract should include the expected fees and pricing for their services, based on your agreement and previous research.
The risks of partnering with an influencer
There are always a few risks that you will take if you are working with an influencer. To effectively use influencer marketing, your actions must be authentic. The influencer must believe and genuinely support your brand, products and services, or it will be seen as insincere, untrustworthy, or done only for money.
These days, it is easy to inflate their follower count through fake user accounts.
On rare, though nonetheless possible, occasions, your influencer might find themselves embroiled in a scandal or controversy. As your brand ambassador, this invites negative publicity that might affect your brand.
You have to believe in what they stand for, which can be a problem if their views and opinions do not agree with yours. Thoroughly understand the influencer’s personality to ensure that it aligns with your brand’s values.
Finally, what should you do once the influencer has put their recommendation for your business out there? Follow up by monitoring engagement with the influencer’s post. Determine whether your ROI was worth it, and whether you gained more followers. You could continue the partnership if opportunities arise.
Conclusion
By partnering with an influencer, you can achieve a reach far greater than if you were promoting your business yourself. If you are cautious with your outreach, you can really maximize your ROI. Don’t skip any of the key steps, it can mean building a new partnership that works better and more efficiently.