The idea of “influencer marketing” is a fairly recent one. In the early days of social media, it was almost impossible to get brands to pay attention to you.
Today, that’s starting to change. Brands are becoming more aware that they can reach a vast audience through social media.
And as the old adage goes, the customer is always right. So if you’re interested in growing your brand and making an impact with your followers, think small.
Instead of trying to get big companies to notice you or creating a celebrity endorsement campaign (which is likely to go nowhere), why not focus on original content that people will actually like?
This might seem like common sense advice for anyone who wants to make it in the world of social media.
After all, how can you even begin if you don’t know what kind of content your followers want to see? Fortunately, there are ways that Influencer Marketing doesn’t have to be a grind.
You don’t need massive budgets or long-term projects just yet — but you do need data and patience. You also need to be ready for some risks — and that includes getting started with influencer marketing too soon or being overly cautious until you actually understand if it will work for your business or not.
Why You Should Implement Influencer Marketing
With social media outperforming every industry during the Great Recession, brand awareness and trust are crucial to economic growth and success.
Staying relevant and staying connected with your customers is the key to retaining their attention and retaining their business. The rise of social media has made it possible to stay in touch with your customers, one post at a time.
By targeting your most engaged users, you can drive even more confidence and engagement from them. By building relationships with your ideal customers, you can gain access to new customers who would otherwise have little reason to buy from you.
Think small and start with influencer marketing advice from influencers
There are numerous tools and services that provide everything you need to grow your brand through social media.
Whether you’re an online marketing expert or just want to figure out how to get your business noticed, the best way to start growing your following is by partnering with top-notch social media influencers.
Influencer marketing is when you create content and images that are specific to the interests, likes, and needs of the audience you want to attract.
In other words, instead of producing ads or other content that people will see on TV or in the newspaper (which will probably be a total failure), why not focus on creating digital content that people will actually want to see? With the rise of social media, the attention towards this form of marketing has skyrocketed.
Even brands who once wouldn’t have given a second thought are starting to realize the power of social media — and the benefits it can have for their business.
With so many channels to choose from, it can be difficult to make sure that each one is getting the amount of attention it deserves. If you’re just starting out, you may worry that all you have to do is send out some posts and wait for them to go viral.
However, this is not the case. Even though you may think you’re starting out with a small following, it’s important to remember that when it comes to social media, the numbers don’t matter as much as what the followers want to see.
In fact, when people start to see the content they’re interested in seeing, they’re much more likely to start to follow you back.
That’s why you need to think small and start with influencer marketing advice from influencers — because they are the ones who have the inside track on what kind of content your followers want to see, and they can help you get it.
Ditch the cliche and find an angle
A common misconception about social media is that you have to follow the crowd. The truth is that you can make more money by focusing on topics that the majority of your followers are interested in.
For example, if the majority of your followers are interested in health and fitness, you can start to produce content on how to lose weight, how to get fit, and how to stay healthy.
By creating a limited number of posts on a variety of health and fitness-related topics, you not only get the right amount of conversation going, but you also open the door to a much larger audience.
Determine your objectives first
Once you’ve chosen the specific social media platforms you want to promote, it’s time to look at the wider goals of each platform.
For example, Instagram has become a breeding ground for influencer marketing, with thousands of brands using the platform to engage with their followers. But what exactly is an influencer? An influencer is someone who is following and interacting with the audience, rather than being the audience.
An example of this would be someone who is following you back but is also providing content about running a marathon or bodybuilding.
By following and engaging with these people, you are actually becoming an influencer — and you are helping to grow your brand.
Build your audience first
Once you understand where you want to focus your efforts and who you want to promote it too, it’s time to build your audience.
This is where targeting your niche comes into play. You can try to promote your brand or products to your niche by posting content on your blog or on other platforms such as Quora or Facebook.
Once you’ve got a large enough following, you can then expand your audience by running paid ads on these platforms.
Another way to build your audience is to create content that is focused on their interests. For example, if your followers are interested in fashion, try posting pieces of clothing that your followers might wear.
By creating posts that are specific to your followers’ interests, you’re more likely to get their attention.
Consider your risk factor before getting started
One of the biggest risks with influencer marketing is sounding like a broken record. By repeating the same content over and over again, you’re more likely to drive your followers away instead of bringing them back.
In order to survive in the social media land of infinite opportunities, it’s important to be unpredictable. That’s why you have to keep your posts interesting and engage with your followers.
Another risk with influencer marketing is sounding too political. By being too right-wing, you’re more likely to upset your followers than get them excited about your brand.
The best way to stay unpredictable is to avoid being political at all times. You can diverge from the mainstream on occasion — but you have to keep it light and breezy.
Stay patient and wait for perfect storm opportunities
One risk with influencer marketing is that it may not work the first time you try it. Sometimes, it just may not work at all.
This is because while being specific might be helpful, it can be hard to know exactly which topics your followers want to see. Plus, it’s possible that you’ll run out of ideas.
There are also risks that you’ll run out of money before you see any success. If you have a huge budget and can spend it on anything, the first few months may be a waste. You’ve got to be realistic about how much time and effort is required to make this work.
Another risk is that you’ll spend all your time promoting your brand instead of focusing on growing your following.
As soon as you start to get followers, you’ll have a harder time building your following through other channels since you’ll be spending so much time on one platform.
The takeaway
Now that you understand the impact of influencer marketing, you’ll want to implement this strategy in your business. But how can you go about doing that? First, you need to decide what type of campaign you want to run in order to build your following.
There are many different types of marketing, and you need to choose the one that best works for you and your business.
In order to make a real impact with social media, you need to think small. Instead of trying to get big companies to notice you or creating a celebrity endorsement campaign (which is likely to go nowhere), why not focus on original content that people will actually like? By partnering with top-notch social media influencers, you can reach an audience that is searching for your brand or product.
Focus on creating content and images that are specific to the interests, likes, and needs of the audience you want to attract.
And be prepared for some risks — and that includes getting started with influencer marketing too soon or being overly cautious until you actually understand if it will work for your business or not.
