An Introduction to Influencer Marketing Guide

With so many social media platforms, one surefire way to expand your online presence is influencer marketing. 

There is no one-size-fits-all approach to influencer marketing, but you could make it work for your business with proper research and planning.

When an influential person known as an influencer collaborates with a business to promote their products or services, it is known as influencer marketing. 

In the past, brands only had celebrity endorsements. But in the digital age we live in, online content creators with dedicated and engaged groups of followers have changed the game of influencer marketing.

It is common to find yourself asking, “Does influencer marketing bring any positive results?”. Well, Civic Science reported that 14% of 18 to 24-year-olds and 11% of millennials in the U.S had bought some products or services in the last six months because an influencer recommended it. 

When it comes to influencer marketing campaigns on social media platforms, Instagram currently tops the list, but it seems like TikTok is catching up. With 68% of U.S marketers planning to use TikTok for influencer campaigns, it is becoming as popular as Facebook to be the preferred platform. 

When we say social media influencers, usually celebrities come to your mind. As we said earlier, while celebrities are the top influencers, not all influencers are celebrities. 

On the contrary, influencers with a niche follower base could be more effective for brands as they have a higher engagement rate than celebrities. Plus, it won’t burn a hole in your pockets. 

Usually, influencers are grouped based on their audience size. Let’s look at different types of influencers.

These are the ones who have just started out and have less than 10,000 followers. 

While their reach is low, their influence on their small, tight-knit community is enormous. Nano-influencers may know most of their followers on some level. 

It could be beneficial for a brand because we are more likely to buy a product on family or friends’ recommendation than some celebrity. Nano-influencers bring a sense of relatability and trust that is rarely seen with celebrity influencers. 

The most common influencers you will find are micro-influencers who have between 10,000 and 100,000 followers. 

Micro-influencers are more specialised and have a more engaged audience than their bigger counterparts, thus bringing in more qualified leads for your business.

With followers between 100,000 to 1 million, macro-influencers have a celebrity status of their own.

Since macro-influencers have grown their follower base from scratch, they know their audience well. The strong connection with the audience makes macro-influencers a preferred choice for brands with more major marketing campaigns. 

With more than 1 million followers, mega-influencers have a following outside the social media world. They are usually celebrities, actors, singers or internet personalities who have risen to fame recently. 

However, mega-influencers don’t have a personal connection to their followers, so they could be considered less trustworthy. 

The first step is to define who your audience is for your campaign. To make your strategy effective, you need to target the right people. 

So how do you know who the right people are? Through buyer personas. 

Developing your buyer personas is a great way to know your audience. Defining your audience helps you understand the kind of influencers you should collaborate with.

For marketers, the number one goal of influencer marketing is to reach a new audience. Your brand visibility increases when your products or services reach the influencers’ followers. 

Usually, the top goal for brands is to reach potential customers, while bringing an actual sale is lower on the list. It is essential to create measurable goals that you can track. 

Trust is the most significant factor when it comes to choosing influencers. If your audience doesn’t trust or respect this person’s opinions, you will find yourself scrambling to get tangible results. 

One way of finding out if your potential influencer is trusted is through their engagement. You should check if their posts have plenty of views, comments, likes and shares. 

When an influencer has a reasonable engagement rate, they have a loyal following. So check if their follower count is inflated through bots or fake accounts. 

Now that you’ve compiled a list of influencers you would like to work with, the next step is to find out how often they share sponsored content. 

Check how they are keeping their audiences engaged – do they post a lot of organic, non-sponsored content, or is there a ton of paid posts on their page? Posting paid content often affects the engagement rate. 

Before you approach an influencer, make sure you do your homework. Know what channels they post, their audience, the frequency of sponsored content. 

It is pretty normal to get impressed by the sheer number of likes and comments on the influencers’ posts. But to measure the campaign results, you must figure out its return on investment. 

One of the most effective ways to measure results is UTM parameters. Prepare unique links with UTM codes for each influencer. This way, you can know how many sales you made through an influencer and get a clear idea of how your campaign is performing. 

Don’t forget to request your influencers to send you insights and detailed reports on their posts’ reach and engagement levels. 

So there you go, a starter guide to help you start working on your influencer marketing strategy. If you find the right approach, you will soon be inundated with many new customers and sales. 

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