Social media has become the go to platform for many marketing agencies. Its ability to reach large numbers of people on a personal level has made it an extremely useful tool in data advertising. But now, over the past few years, a new strategy has emerged for marketers in social media advertising. The rise of influencers within media outlets has brought the ability for businesses to connect to their target audiences even more. Acquiring a social media influencer proves itself efficient as 80% of marketers believe it to be effective and to have comparable, or even better, ROI than other marketable platforms.     Â
Finding Top Influencers for Social Media Marketing ServicesÂ
Don’t expect to just jump in and find a valuable social media influencer right off the bat. Like other marketing tactics, this takes time, research, and know-how to get the right influencer/influencers. Here are a few things to keep in mind when considering working with an influencer: Â
- First things first, start searching up potential influencers that fit your brand. You’re not gonna have a fashion/beauty influencer to promote tech. Use competitive market research or even ask your target audience directly who they would like to see use your product.
- Know your target audience from every scale. An influencer is a much better bridge between your business and your consumer. High profile celebrities are still good influencers, but they may not connect to others as easily as everyday social media users. Â
- Influencers build brand trust. People will trust others similar to them before they trust a business. Using an influencer can help personify your business, making your product/service more relatable.
- An influencer can help create leads, drive sales, and increase your web traffic. Social media influencer marketing is the evolution of Word-of-Mouth Marketing, putting a lot of weight on customer reviews and comments from peers, creating social proof.
- Choose an influencer based on their reach, engagement, and authenticity. An influencer’s reach is how many followers they have. How much an influencer engages with his/her audience is crucial in determining if they are right for the job. Engagement will determine if the influencer is active/well-liked. Finally, the influencer should be authentic. Having an influencer show that they are blatantly paid advertising will turn off their followers to both your product/service and the influencer themselves. Â
Getting Noticed by a Social Influencer    Â
Influencers can have up to millions of followers, so it’s going to be difficult to stand out. The best strategy to getting noticed by a desired influencer is to ease your way into their sight. Start by learning about the influencer and their target audience. Don’t immediately ask for favors, maybe offer a favor to them first. Whether it be promoting their name through a blog post, free products, or another form of content.
You don’t need a top tier influencer. Start small, find an influencer who best fits your target demographic. No need to overspend just for the sake of getting their name. Less known influencers are easier to reach, cheaper, and a better fit to your targeted demographic. Also, don’t get discouraged if you don’t land the influencer you want; get used to being rejected or lost in thousands of messages, just keep trying creative ways to get yourself noticed.Â
Now that you found your match, have a game plan. Be unique and respect the influencer. Have a set proposal and contract ready. Most advertising agencies try to get multiple postings from an influencer on contract, increasing your brand’s exposure within a short period of time.Â
Becoming a Social Media Influencer
It takes one to get one. Having a solid social media presence will definitely boost your ability to get yourself out there. But becoming a social media influencer is just as hard, if not harder, than finding one. This also takes a lot of patience, knowing your niche, and knowing what type of audience you want to reach. Choosing which platforms to use (like Instagram, TikTok or LinkedIn) plays a major role in hitting the right audience.Â
93% of marketers use influencers, so why not join the ranks. Like all followings, start small and work your way up. Have a unique strategy, be sure to engage with your audience, and expand on it. Before you know it, you’ll be rising through the ranks from a micro-influencer, to a mid- tier influencer, to a top-tier influencer in no time.