How to Use Influencers in your Marketing Strategy

Technology changed our lives drastically, our social structure has been altered completely, yadda yadda yadda.

I could rant out forever about how different are our lives compared to people a century ago. But there’s no need for that, the point is clear; We live in a digital world.

This phenomenon gave us, common people, power. It provided us with mediums to express our opinions, thoughts and personal beliefs to the general public.

But some voices are heard better than others. Some people tend to communicate with us and our brains a little bit more. They reside on social media, have hundreds, thousands or even millions of followers, portraying their lifestyles and decisions to the masses.

We call these people influencers. And there are many of them.

Even their simplest actions can cause an impact on the hearts and minds of other people.

Remember what Kylie Jenner did with a tweet, back in Feb 2018?

According to CNN, this member of the Kardashian family closed down 6% of Snapchat’s stock price. $1.3 billion lost like that, out of thin air, due to this tweet’s 17 words (I refuse to count “ugh” as a separate word, sorry not sorry).

Kylie tried to save things up with a second tweet on a little bit later, proclaiming her love for the platform, but the damage was done.

However, influencers aren’t a source of unpredictable danger for companies. Instead, they have the social power to become an incredible promoting tool for any company of their niche.

There are certain ways that will allow you to use Influencers in your marketing strategy, even if they are on digital (YouTube, Bloggers, etc.) or on analog (TV/Radio/Print Personas). Let’s have a look!

Search the right influencers, with the optimal audience

You can’t just use any Influencers in your marketing strategy; some just won’t do. There are certain criteria you need to take into account before jumping into the selection phase.

To find out the ones that are best for your company, consider his or her thematology, audience characteristics and demographics, and the influencer himself as a person and as a personal brand.

It’s important to be cautious, as there are many relevant fail stories of companies who chose the wrong persona. A bad decision can lead to controversy and damage your brand’s reputation.

Make a partner out of your influencer, not just a communication channel

Influencers that are focused on certain niches have a broad skill set and experience in specific areas. This fact allows for a solid understanding of the market they act on. They have a natural and direct way of communicating with companies and with their followers because they are experts on what they do.

And here is the best quality of the right influencer; by cooperating with them, you unlock a powerful ally who truly knows, not only what you’re doing, but also what you should be doing. Using this usually untapped resource for different business decisions can lead to product improvements, better promotion strategies, a solid understanding of your customers, and, ultimately, long-term competitive advantages that can build your company’s position in your market.

Prepare to Motivate Actions

Don’t use influencers in your marketing strategy just to show off your product’s or service’s properties. Instead, start with telling why your product is unique and what problem does it solve.

Furthermore, it’s common practice to hand over special offers, unique to the specific influencer. These can be a generous discount, a free trial for a specific amount of time or a warranty extension. This won’t only help your influencer promote your product more naturally, but will also allow you to measure this partnership’s results as well.

Want to be even more successful with your influencer? Make sure that he or she starts to use your product or service! Let your new partner get to know your offering’s qualities, to believe that they’re truly superior from the competition. It will make a difference while promoting since it will come out as a genuine, honest recommendation, not just a sell-off. Remember; Great Marketing doesn’t feel like Marketing!

Measure your Success

Every marketing action of yours should be measurable, and this applies when using influencers in your marketing strategy as well. Without the right information, how would you ever know about the success of your tactics?

Set KPIs right from the start, so that you and your partner can make the most out of your cooperation. Doing so will show if you’re betting your money on the right horse, or if you’re putting them down the drain.

As mentioned above, one way to easily calculate your results is by providing special offers through the specific channel. By counting relevant conversions, you will be able to easily find out if you reached your targets. Things like Clicks, Bounce Rate, Time spent on Site, and other applicable metrics should be taken into account.

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And there you have it. Are you ready to find your next ally in the face of an influencer?