What Is Influencer Marketing And Why Is It So Popular?
Social Networks Have Become An Important Fact Of Human Life. People Use This Infrastructure To Follow The Latest Trends, News And Share Their Views And Ideas With Friends And Other People.
While social media has become popular, it has also led to the formation of a new type of advertising called Influencer Marketing. This article will briefly review the concept of influencer marketing and its impact on the marketing world.
What is Influencer Marketing?
It is a type of marketing that uses influencers to introduce brands and products and, in a way, approve the products or services of a company and, in most cases, declare that they have used the effects of that company.
Influencers build their brands in specific areas such as fashion, health, travel, or technology means they attract followers who share common interests. Influencers use content or video production approach. However, the success of these people depends on the number of people who follow them.
In this marketing approach, companies use influencers to promote their brand or products in various channels that focus on specific areas related to their field of work. For example, a brand may ask a fashion influencer to put on their clothes and post photos and videos on their social media pages to make the brand name visible.
Because the audience trusts the influencers, they are more likely to buy clothes; influencer marketing is welcomed because the influencers have a perfect relationship with their audience.
Types of influencers in the world of marketing
Like the industry world, where different marketers work and other types, influencer marketing has different styles. Therefore, companies must choose the right option to succeed in this field.
Essential points should be the number and type of audience you want to use as a target, the kind of communication you wish to establish with your audience, the channels you want to use, and the budget you have set for this purpose. Influencers are divided into the following types:
Microfinance
Micro-influencers have a lumbar audience in the range of 1,000 to 10,000 people. A small audience means that this group of influencers has more contact with their audience. Suppose you are looking to connect closely with your target audience. In that case, a micro-influencer is a good choice, as it is possible to communicate directly with your audience about feedback or questions about your product. These influencers are present on various social networks and sites, making them able to publish ads on multiple channels.
Celebrity influencers
As you may have guessed, this group of influencers is celebrities. To be more precise, they have a lot of followers, sometimes reaching millions. Due to a large number of followers, you may not get the desired result because the audience of this group follows them more because of their reputation.
However, a famous person has a lot of credibility and communication with a large audience, making your product seen by more people. Celebrity influencers are primarily present on well-known channels such as TV and Instagram.
Blogger Influencers
Influencer bloggers have a large following, sometimes numbering in the millions. However, bloggers are more focused on specific topics, and most of their audience is knowledgeable about the issues.
For example, a blogger who makes crafts and shares them with others is a good choice for a painting company. They probably have a significant audience interested in buying products to renovate their home.
Social Network Influencer
Like bloggers, social media influencers have an audience of thousands to millions. These influencers only post text, video, or infographic posts on social media.
Inductor
These subject matter specialists are active in a specialized field and write mostly on mental health and food topics. These people may focus on a rare disease or new diet. Typically, these professionals are present on several channels, and sometimes the number of their followers reaches millions.
How to implement an influencer marketing strategy?
Implementing an effective influencer marketing strategy requires careful planning and research. Now that you know what influencer marketing is and what it means, you need to know how to implement an influencer marketing program.
The steps to do this are as follows:
1. Define goals
The first step in implementing a successful program is defining what you want to achieve by running the campaign. It plays a decisive role in the type of influence you choose for advertising and the metrics needed to shape the campaign and measure its ultimate success.
For example, a campaign that focuses on increasing brand awareness or sales is different from an activity in which you are looking to improve conversion rates (regular user to loyal customer), or you want to attract more audience.
2. Specify the audience
Perception of the target audience is central to any marketing strategy and, like goals, encompasses all other aspects of the campaign. Before arranging the different parts of the programming, take a moment to figure out what audience you will reach.
There are several ways you can determine your target market. For example, you can check who is a fan of your products by visiting your current customer base, or you can prevent competitors’ customers.
You should consider the audience’s age, location, income, education, marital status, and gender. In addition, pay attention to the personality, lifestyle, and values of the person who may attract to your products.
2. How much budget do you have in mind?
Budget is the most critical determinant of influencer marketing. Using a celebrity as an influencer costs far more than a social media influencer with just a few thousand followers. So you have to set goals first.
Another factor influencing the budget is how the brand is promoted. If the goal is to retain loyal customers and build a close relationship with a specific group of people, then you do not need the involvement of a well-known influencer. To clarify this issue, consider the following examples:
- Gifts: This technique involves giving free products to influencers so that they can review and promote those products for you.
- Guest post: A guest post is usable when the influencer allows you to publish your content on their platform.
- You are making Social Media Headlines: Another influencer marketing technique in which you pay an influencer to promote your brand on their social media.
- Discount Coupons: You can give influencers discount codes for your products to distribute to your audience to promote your brand.
- Commissioning: With this strategy, influencers receive a certain percentage of each sale.
- Contests and promotional gifts: You can promote your brand by holding games and facilities that influencers share with the audience.
- Influencer control of accounts: Using this strategy, you can allow an influencer to manage network accounts in cyberspace for a certain period.
As you can see, different strategies require different budgets. In addition, some companies try to be inspired only by influencers so that they can promote their brand to their liking instead of paying for their services.
4. Choose an influencer
Once you have figured out what you plan to achieve with the campaign you are launching, your target audience, and your allocated budget, the next step is to choose an influencer. In this case, you should consider the field of activity and expertise, the number of followers, advertising costs, and the channels you want to access. There are several ways to find the influence of your choice.
You can search for influencers on social media who have already talked about your products or similar products. You can use social media or search for related hashtags on social platforms to facilitate this process.
How to contact an influencer depends on the type of influencer. When it comes to micro-influencers, they respond if you message them directly on your social media pages. On the other hand, influencers who have a lot of followers and experience in business partnerships may have provided the necessary contact information in the profile details section.