Influencer Marketing in Digital Age
Why use Influencers
Influencers have the reach to deliver messages to a large audience. Based on research, it is shown that people have the same level of confidence in influencers and in friends. As such, influencers have the ability to make the audiences have trust in the message they are trying to deliver. Matching up to the relevant influencers would greatly benefit the brand even if it’s just a single positive recommendation from a trusted and right influencer.
Some of the steps involved in Influencer Marketing are:
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Matching the content to the influencers
There are a lot of influencers to choose from but brands should choose well – and should not judge based on numbers to bring value to business. Brands might do better choosing an influencer with a smaller number but more dedicated audience as compared to an influencer with a bigger reach with a more causal connection. It is important to ensure that the bloggers are properly engaged to ensure the quality content and authenticity of the brand the audience looks for.
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Ensure relevance
It is important to observe the content the influencer shares. The content shared should be relevant to the brand where it attracts a large number of its readers/ audiences.
Such example includes employing the services of a beauty influencer to promote a new beauty product. It would not be as relevant if the beauty influencer is employed to promote car spare parts, which the readers/ audiences are less likely to be interested in.
The services should be related to what the audience are interested in. The audiences are built up overtime based on the content the influencers posts – whether or not it appeals to them. Therefore, it is important to ensure the influencers are correctly paired to what they would best succeed in – such that the targeted audiences must be relevant.
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Analyse their social following
Among the many influencers to choose from, the brand can choose to select the influencers based on their social analytics such as likes, followers, engagement etc. All these can be determined via the numerous social listening tools available online.
By analysing the followers, you can determine the impact the influencer plays. However, it is also important to take note not judge quickly based on the numbers as it does not show how motivated and how effective the influencers are in conveying the brand message. The engagement level should also be analysed to determine the impact the influencer has on the audience.
Influencer marketing would be a wasted investment if the targeted influencers are not the right ones, thus it is important to ensure that the right influencers are correctly targeted in the first place.
With the right influencers and the right target audience, the value of the business would benefit greatly.
