Is it worth investing in influencers?

Virtua
Virtua
Aug 31, 2018 · 4 min read

Last year we could observe many companies putting money in campaigns including bloggers and influencers. Their help was sought to assist brands in selling their best products and services.

Taking into account the number of ads including social media we were informed about in the last few years, it is worth asking a question about whether or not an e-commerce entrepreneur should start their advertising like that. What are the dos and don’ts of hiring an influencer?

Influencer marketing

The form of marketing that places an influential person in its center is the so-called influencer marketing. This person can play a role of a potential buyer or a third party (a journalist, professional adviser or whosoever). In case of a promotional campaign, the influence is not about the power of arguments and coercion to a point of view, but about a loose interaction between the influencer itself and his or her followers and the followers themselves. Depending on the message, such contacts can show products and services from a negative or positive side.

Whether or not it is beneficial for your company to advertise through influencer, this is the issue you have to address. However, you need to remember that from 20 to 50% of purchases are made because somebody else has also bought a product or service. For example, Twitter helps to generate 40% of purchases thanks to influencers’ tweets.

How to find an influencer

In order to find an appropriate influencer, you have to consider a number of factors and requirements. First of all, you need to check their market reach — the number of people this individual is able to connect with. Independence (if there is an interest in promoting a brand), expertise, persuasiveness (the degree of ignoring the advice from an individual) and thoroughness of role (the extent to which a influence is exerted across the process of decision making) are also of help.

However, you can also determine influencers by the number of their followers. And here you need to decide if you rely on their popularity or require long-term results. The best influencers become real celebrities in their environment and can generate an impressive reach. On the other hand, there are small ones who are more accessible to the audience, create more interesting and focused content, which in longer periods of time can be the reason for stronger engagement rates.

While selecting the right person, you have to be aware of the fact that influencers are usually the people who have spent loads of time creating their own brand. For this reason, they may sound protective of their reputation and their followers. That is why, each time you contact an influencer, you need to provide them with a tailored offer and individual approach.

You may also select a person who uses different than Instagram social media platforms. Even though, according to a survey from 2017, Instagram continues to be the most popular app among influencers (92%), there are still Facebook (2.7%), YouTube (3.2%), Twitter (0.5%) and Snapchat (0.2%).

How can you promote your brand through influencers?

Your company can become a partner in a social media giveaway. Such an event works perfectly for both the influencer and the brand. The first one increases the audience, the second one — product’s awareness among followers. Such a partnership will help to reduce your efforts and also double the number of interactions.

Maybe you can try to create some limited run products with collaboration with influencers? This can be a physical product or an application. Both of them will tie a brand to an influencer and provide attention for a much longer period of time. However, if this option is not available for you, you can always ask and individual to share some discount codes for your products or services.

Another idea is to co-host an event dedicated to your branch or interest. This is an ideal way for those of entrepreneurs who are not ready to create a product with cooperation with influencers. Participating in an event organization or taking up any form of sponsorship will be a perfect solution for making stronger relationships with current and new influencers.

More and more companies are noticing the impact of hiring influencers in their promotion campaigns. Such a partnership allows to expand a business and raises brand’s awareness among social media audience, which in fact helps to increase sales in a more seamless way.

Virtua

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Virtua

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