Influencer marketing is still one of the best forms of online marketing and teaming up with the right influencer can do wonders for a business. It helps to build brand recognition and it can drive instant sales.
When you have a popular influencer suggesting your products to his or her audience they are basically endorsing your product. That alone helps to create instant trust and the people being introduced to your business will automatically have a high level of interest because you are being introduced by someone they look up to and admire.
Instagram remains the most popular social media platform to post paid deals on, but there are some things you need to take into consideration if you plan on winning when it comes to influencer marketing in 2020.
Focus on Engagement Rather Than Number of Followers
Back in the day you could pick out an influencer with a high number of followers, pay them their fee and watch the sales pour in. Why was that the case? It was new and the followers jumped on the offers because they hadn’t been exposed to that type of marketing yet.
They bought it, hook line and sinker. “Now everyone knows that influencers are posting paid ads and if they are posting something with an #ad tag that it’s because of the payday and not really because they love the product,” says Chris Rush of car stereo website HiFi Sound Connection. Some of the audience still pays attention, but not a majority of it like was the case back then.
Pay for Performance Instead of Flat Fees
Look to work with influencers that are willing to be compensated based on performance. Make it financially rewarding to the point that they are going to want to be a constant part of your marketing effort.
“If their following is real and if they have a real connection with those followers they have the ability to leverage that and drive a lot of sales,” explains the owner of a gun cleaning blog, which you can view here. If they know they stand to make a nice payday, then they will put more effort into the content and message.
Negotiate Posts on Their Other Profiles Also
While Instagram is where the majority of the action is these days, why not hit every angle you can? If someone has a huge Instagram following there is a good chance that they also have a lot of followers on Facebook, Twitter and Snapchat.
Ask them to throw in posts on those other accounts as well. You won’t find any that are going to pass up a payday because you ask for a few other posts. It takes them a few seconds more, and it can help you cover the cost of their posting. Explain it that way if they have any hesitation.
Give Influencers Complete Creative Control
This is a big one, so pay attention. “Too many companies will create an image ad they want the influencer to post and it will perform horribly because it’s not the type of content they usually post and their audience ignores it,” suggests Darryl Howard, a non surgical nose job specialist.
Let the influencer have full control of how they introduce your product to their followers. They know them better than you, so allowing them to do it in a way that is more relatable will actually help you convert more sales.