Did you know? On average, businesses that leverage influencer marketing earn over $5 for every $1 spent. Mind-blowing, right? But you know what’s even crazier? An astonishing 61% of customers trust influencer recommendations compared to 38% who trust branded social media content.

As an online marketing services company, we see that many small business owners are often afraid to implement influencer marketing, citing concerns about the quality and quantity of traffic and their lack of experience in this area. However, with a little research and planning, it is possible to use influencers to help your business succeed. Here’s a step-by-step breakdown:

1. Understand Your Audience

Who do you want to reach with your brand? Who will be interested in your product or service? What type of person is more likely to buy from you? The answers to these questions can help you identify which types of people should be targeted by your campaign.

For example, if you sell clothing, you may choose to target women between the ages of 25 and 35. Or, if you sell dog food, you might focus on pet owners who live in urban areas.

2. Identify the Channel You Want to Grow

Given the characteristics of your target audience – where they spend the most time, their age range, etc. – determine which channels would best fit your needs. Here are a few platforms and how you can leverage them to grow your business through influencers:

• Website/blog. Here you can work with specific bloggers who attract traffic by writing about topics in your niche. For instance, if you run a blog about fashion, you could find relevant blogs written by fashion experts and ask them to write guest posts for your site.
• Facebook. If your goal is to grow your FB page, you can partner with successful page owners to drive their traffic to your account/page. By partnering with them to mention or post about your products/services, you can increase visibility and engagement with your followers.
• Instagram. To make the most of Instagram, look for popular accounts within your industry that have large followings. Then, comment on their photos and share theirs.
• YouTube. Like Facebook, YouTube allows users to connect with other influencers and create relationships. This is a great way to get noticed by potential clients.

3. Determine What You Want from Influencers

You must have a specific objective in mind when working with influencers. For example, do you need to gain exposure for your website? Drive sales? Promote a new product? Whatever your goals are, think about what you want to accomplish before approaching the perfect influencer for your brand.

Here are a few things you may be looking to gain from influencer marketing:

• Brand awareness. Influencer marketing can help build awareness around your brand. When used correctly, influencers can help promote your company and its products without paying for advertising.
• Traffic. A good influencer can bring thousands of visitors to your website.
• Lead generation. An influencer can also provide leads for your business. They can become your first point of contact with prospective buyers.
• Community engagement. Influencers can engage with their community and encourage users to purchase your products.

4. Find the Right Influencer

Once you know what you want to achieve, it’s time to start finding influencers. There are many ways to go about this, but here are some tips to keep in mind as you search for the right influencer for your brand:

• Look at their social media presence. Are they active on Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Instagram, etc.? How do they interact with others?
• Look at their follower count. Of course, the more followers an influencer has, the better. However, don’t just rely on follower counts alone. Check out their activity levels too.
• Check out their recent content. Does the influencer consistently produce quality content? Is it related to your brand?
• Check out their previous work. Have they worked with similar brands? Can you see any patterns?

5. Reach Out to the Influencer

Now that you’ve found the right influencer, it’s time to reach out! Start by sending a quick email introducing yourself and letting them know why you reached out. Don’t forget to include links to your website and social media profiles.

Next, ask if there’s anything else you can do to help them promote your brand. For example, you could offer free samples or discounts for mentions.

6. Measure the Effectiveness of Their Campaigns

After reaching out to an influencer, wait a couple of weeks and check back to see how effective their campaigns were. Did they generate enough interest in your brand? Were they able to convert those interested into customers?

Here are a few metrics to measure and the tools you can rely on:

• Brand awareness. Use Google Analytics to track the number of people who visit your site after following an influencer.
• Social shares. Use Social Mention to find out which posts generated the most attention.
• Sales. Use Google Sheets to track the number of sales made through each influencer.
• Web traffic. Use HubSpot CMS to track the amount of web traffic brought to your site by each influencer.

7. Nurture the Relationship with the Influencer

As you continue working together, ensure to nurture the relationship. That means continuing to send emails, asking questions, offering feedback, etc. You never know when something will come up that could benefit both parties.

Also, don’t forget to thank the influencer for helping your brand grow. It shows that you appreciate their efforts and helps build trust between you and the influencer.

Final Say

Influencer marketing is one of the best ways to get your message across to potential customers. But before jumping straight into this strategy, be sure to consider the above steps first. They’ll ensure that you’re getting the most from your campaign.

At Oracle Tree, we take pride in helping small businesses like yours grow through impactful digital marketing. Our strategy-first and holistic approach ensures that our clients receive results fast. We also provide ongoing support so that you can focus on growing your business without worrying about technology.

We invite you to contact our team of experts in online digital marketing services today to optimise your digital footprint.

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