Influencer marketing is the practice of promoting services and goods through popular bloggers and personalities on various online platforms. The concept emerged when marketers recognized that people tend to trust public figures — according to a study by HS, 71% of users are more likely to make a purchase based on recommendations they see on social media.
**Influencer marketing is suitable for you if:**
You want to expand your reach by promoting your product or service in a way that resonates with your target audience. Influencers create content themselves and tailor the message to their followers, so you don’t need to prepare marketing materials personally.
You’ve noticed a decline in organic traffic and want to increase your reach. Influencer marketing helps prevent KPI fraud and ensures that real people are clicking your links.
You’ve exhausted other, more traditional sources of traffic. Involving influencers provides a new source of traffic and an engaged audience — most social media platforms offer analytics features that help you choose the right influencer for your goals.
According to CNBC, the influencer advertising market was expected to grow to around $10 billion by 2019, far exceeding many marketers’ expectations after the market’s sudden growth in 2017. Today, 74% of users search for recommendations about services and products on social networks, and 70% of “millennials” (who now have purchasing power) trust bloggers with moderate popularity.
How Can Influencers Boost Your Project?
Traditional marketing experts might still view influencers primarily as tools for image building, but this perspective is increasingly outdated. According to data from TopRank Marketing, 67% of marketers turn to influencer marketing to generate leads. Influencer marketing services are crucial for achieving the primary marketing goals of reach and engagement. By utilizing resources that offer a better return on investment (ROI), influencer marketing should be a vital part of an omnichannel strategy.
Step-by-Step Guide to Running Influencer Campaigns
Choosing the Right Influencer: The first step is selecting the influencer who best fits your project. Keep your customer persona in mind, and avoid spending on top-tier brands before researching the specifics of your local market.
Briefing the Selected Influencers: Once you’ve chosen an influencer, provide them with a clear brief. Detail any constraints while being careful to preserve their creative freedom. A key rule in modern marketing — keep it short — absolutely applies here (e.g., video integrations of 30–60 seconds). You need to convey a direct, clear message to the audience and offer some tangible benefits to new users.
Publishing the Content: Ensuring all tracking links work properly is crucial before content goes live. Anticipate potential technical issues on the influencer’s end and be prepared to react swiftly to any changes. If targeting multiple regions, keep time zones in mind.
Analyzing Results and Forecasting:Finally, analyze the results and predict future performance. Avoid getting caught up in overly optimistic scenarios; instead, consider the best and worst-case outcomes. Typical results range from a 0.3–5% click-through rate (CTR) and a 20–50% conversion rate. The margin for converting tracked actions into organic traffic typically falls between 20% and 70%.
Understanding Your Influencer Partners
Influencers can be categorized into different groups based on what they bring to the table: