Why Your Startup Should Be Stalking Influencers

How mega-influencers like Kylie Jenner school startups on audience building and sales.

Influencers turn ordinary, everyday moments into FOMO-inducing snapshots of what your life could be like if you eat at a particular restaurant or use the products that they’re using.

Influencers are modern-day product peddlers, but they do it through a more glamorous medium (Instagram) with head-to-toe brand-sponsored outfits.

The influence of influencers cannot be dismissed.

Top-notch influencers are raking in the dough — Instagram’s most famous and highest-paid influencer, Kylie Jenner reportedly makes $1.2 million per sponsored image.

Kylie has aptly applied her influence to her business Kylie Cosmetics and was named the youngest “self-made” (did I give away where I stand on the “self-made” debate?) billionaire by Forbes last year. A lot of other successful influencers take this same path of injecting their influencer abilities into some kind of business.

One thing we can all recognize and agree on is that influencers are really good at selling.

If startups could apply this same strategy that influencers use to captivate their audiences, the payoffs for a small business could be huge.

So what are influencers doing that’s turning their photos and videos into a cash cow? What are they doing right when it comes to influencing their audience’s curiosities towards purchasing something?

1. Create A Friendship

Have you ever followed the Instagram account of an influencer or a celebrity who shares on their social accounts frequently?

They share content all the time about their day, giving a peek into their lifestyle and daily ongoings. It seems like meaningless, random content but there’s actually a lot of intention behind it.

The intention behind this content is to reinforce the look, feel, and personality of the brand.

Is this person constantly working out, partying, or showing off cool work vibes?

Are their days aspirational for their followers and align with how they value their days?

Through this content, influencers establish relatability with each viewer.

By sharing content at the intensity of a reality show, influencers give their audience the opportunity to relate to them as if they were a friend. Once that bond gets stronger and stronger, trust begins to develop.

2. Show Us Your Lifestyle

I talk to a lot of entrepreneurs who are freaked out by adopting an influencer-esque strategy in fear of oversharing. They don’t want their business to be all about them and to share content that’s irrelevant to their audience.

The thing is, creating content that sells your product doesn’t feel real or relatable unless your audience can relate to the environment you’re presenting around it.

You can sell the same Tesla to a Silicon Valley tech bro or an environmentalist in Colorado depending on who sells it to them and the environment you present your product in.

The best way to adopt this influencer strategy for a small business is to find those intersections where your audience’s life and your brand aligns.

Are you a brand that’s selling an eco-friendly product? Why not share content that shows how you’re living an eco-friendly lifestyle outside of your product?

Did you create your makeup brand because you wanted to create a line with funky colors? Why not share your makeup routine and how your funky colors perfectly complement the other makeup products you use?

Your audience isn’t interacting with your product in silos removed from the other products they use. Acknowledging this and setting up a relatable scene allows your customer to envision themselves using your product within their daily lives.

By showing that your brand is made by people who share the same values, live the same lifestyles, and make the same product choices as your audience, buying from your brand feels more aligned.

3. Be Trustworthy

The trust that influencers build with their audiences is the main reason why they see significant audience response when they promote a sponsored product.

That’s also why successful influencers are pretty careful about which products they promote.

Selected products usually have to align with what the influencer likes and cares about since those same values are also important to their audience. For example, an influencer who cares about eco-conscious and toxin-free products will never promote products from brands that aren’t eco-friendly.

This integrity is what develops trust and enthusiastic response when that influencer recommends a product to their audience. They know it has been seriously vetted.

As a small business, you can establish trust with your audience by knowing what your values are and sticking to them no matter what. You can also demonstrate this by prioritizing people over profits, always choosing the best interests of your customers over your business’ bottom line.

When you establish a stance on what your values are and your voice, people who like your voice are going to remain curious and follow you around. Over time as you demonstrate your commitment, trust will naturally blossom.

This trust can convert into a multitude of things like sales, referrals, loyal customers, and so much more.

By adopting an influencer mindset where trust from your audience is paramount, you prove that your business is worth its influence.

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