Oh, how times have changed when I started out in marketing you looked to celebrities to promote your brand, but now there are thousands of influencers online with huge followings to choose from.  All you need is a fantastic product,  look for an influencer within your industry,  or someone who you think is an ideal match to your product, and make contact.   It’s not about paying for someone to promote your brand, it’s about having a brand that an influencer would be proud to show off to their followers, but be careful because an influencer can break you as quick as they can make you!

Build A Good Relationship With An Influencer

If a client came to me with a product that they wished to put in front of an influencer I would suggest to them that they ask the influencers feedback on the product, if they have 10k+ people following what they say then they clearly know their stuff and understand your audience (their followers).  Feedback from influencers can not only help you improve, but will also gain the influencer’s interest, especially if you are taking feedback on board and making improvements.  The likelihood will be that the influencers will want to see the improved product, and will want to share this with their followers.

What is an influencer?

You will find your influencer online, they will have a large following and will have credibility in their specific industry or interest.

Due to their large amount of followers they are able to ‘influence’ followers with their ideas and views, this could be related to products and services.  Influencers are a major trend with the rise in social media and they are to phrase a better word ‘ordinary’ people who find themselves becoming famous and well recognised due to their activity and follower growth.  Their appeal in most cases is due to their honesty, transparency and engagement.

What is Meant by Influence Marketing?

Many brands are looking to Influencers to help get their products in front of their target audience, especially those targeting millennials who are more susceptible to this line of marketing.  A relationship between a company and an influencer is mutually beneficial, either by payment or gifted products.  Having an influencer with a huge following of your specific target audience mention your product, or use your product will be a massive boost to generating interest and pushing your sales.

There are literally thousands to choose from, but make sure you do your research well to ensure you are associating your product with an influencer that will not harm your reputation in the future.

Take a look at the top influencers in the UK

Not Just Instagram!

Influencers can be found on various platforms including Instagram, Facebook, Tiktok, YouTube and any other social media platform which allows people to follow you or subscribe to you.  Each platform has a different type of influencer, and certainly, with each platform you get a very different demographic of followers, so be sure to do your homework before reaching out.

To start with stick with the social platform you are already active on with your brand, and look to an influencer on that platform, you can always reach out to other platforms later.  By starting with a platform you already have a presence on will help you sway the influencer you are approaching, remember it’s not just your reputation at stake it is theirs too.

Another factor to consider is budget so if you have a smaller budget to work with look at reaching out to micro-influencers first which typically have a couple of thousand followers.  A good marketing campaign is essential for obvious reasons, no more so than to ensure that the influencer is setting the correct tone and sticking to the campaign strategy.

As I said at the beginning of the blog……. an influencer can break you as quick as they can make you!

Why not pop over to The Digital Marketing Institute and listen to their podcast with digital marketing expert and trainer Andrew Davis