Influencer marketing – the age of ‘smart selling’!

Have you ever bought a random product just because your favorite rock star advertised and endorsed it? Well, I for one – are guilty of stacking multiple items – most of them are useless – as they were advertised by a celeb. And I did it in my teens – so blame it on immaturity and blind faith on famous idols! This form of advertising and promotion is almost like influencer marketing.

It is a type of marketing that prioritises on influential individuals rather than a ‘market.’ Influencer marketing involves the identification of ‘influential people’ who possess the power of – influencing – potential buyers into taking the necessary marketing actions.

The marketing strategies used for identifying and propagating influencers is called influencer marketing. And influencer marketing for small business is what we are going to talk about today.

Who is an influencer?

Influencers are individuals who are capable persuading a target audience to take the necessary purchase decisions or desired actions. Influencers are not restricted to being famous personalities. They can be bloggers, passionate social media users who have numerous followers, who are active on blogs, social media, gamers, online community members that possess the knowledge, authority and have a healthy relationship with fellow members, journalists, etc.

Influencers are advocates and promoters of brands, products, services, etc. They increase awareness and drives action.

Why should small businesses opt for influencer marketing?

1. Expansive audience reach
2. Boost brand awareness
3. Increase business/brand credibility
4. Streamlines marketing focus
5. Inexpensive
6. Effortless
7. Boost SEO performance
8. Guaranteed Profit

Do’s and Don’t’s of Influencer Marketing

1. Choose influencers that have potential engagement and reach, not simply because you like him/her.
2. Do the necessary research and checks on the chosen influencer. Determine his / her record or results related to the brands s/he collaborated with.
3. Remember to make the necessary payments to the influencer.
4. Allow the influencer to be creatively independent.
5. Approach influencers strategically, keeping your business goals and user needs intact.
6. Search for influencers who can become the advocate of your brand.
7. Be completely transparent to the influencer – from your brand, its purpose; your wants to even the marketing budget.
8. Don’t shy away from using micro-influencers. They might have higher engagement rate, in spite of a lower reach.
9. Building connection and networking is not an easy task, especially, if you’re solely responsible for business growth. The best thing to do is hire a community manager to do the job.
10. Invest time and effort in helping the chosen influencer to trust your brand and believe in it. This will help him/her to emit passion in his / her work towards brand promotion.
11. Influencers are more than buzz creating individuals.
12. Allow your influencer to churn in as much creativity as possible and make way for storytelling that will garner higher rate of attention and engagement.

Influencers are not hypnotizers or sorcerers who can cast a spell on your audience and get them take the desired decisions. They are your strategic marketing partners and resources, with whom you have to collaborate and execute the strategies utilizing the techniques and methods of influencer marketing.