Entrepreneurs and small business owners are constantly striving to increase their visibility on a variety of platforms in order to reach their target audiences. Most of the methods include social media, blogs, and newsletters. However, influencer marketing is a resource that will take your marketing strategies to the next level. Influencer marketing has been a part of society for decades, but with the advent of social media, it has become a focal point and dynamic opportunity for entrepreneurs to increase their brand visibility and increase sales.
As the immersion deepens into 2021, it is always important for new and seasoned entrepreneurs to continue learning and exploring new platforms and opportunities to help their businesses grow and thrive. “By incorporating influencer marketing into your marketing strategy, you can expand your customer base and demonstrate product effectiveness, which increases sales and profits,” said Isadora Lanier, Founder and CEO of iConnect Agency.
Lanier is dedicated to developing and implementing effective influencer marketing strategies specifically tailored for the black consumer. By incorporating influencer marketing content strategies into your brand, you take the next level. Isadora leverages over 15 years of award-winning multicultural marketer experience developing and executing strategic B2B marketing initiatives. She gave 5 important tips to successfully integrate influencer marketing for the success of your brand.
Develop the foundation for your influencer marketing strategy
For an influencer marketing strategy to be successful, the first thing you need to ask yourself is what you are trying to achieve. “Look at the sales funnel and determine what goals you want to achieve, from awareness to advocacy, that are best for the influencers,” explains Lanier. Next, determine your target market for that particular campaign. In addition to identifying their demographics, identify their psychographics and how they might play a role in the use of your product or service.
Once you have identified what you want to achieve and what target market you are working with, you need to determine in advance how to measure and evaluate your influencer marketing campaign. Some key performance indicators (KPIs) include sales, conversions, social media engagement, clicks, saves, and more. These indicators should be continuously monitored throughout the campaign to allow for changes or adjustments.
- Identify your influencers
Identify the influencers that resonate with the goal identified in step 1. “Use influencers that your target market can see or be aiming for,” says Lanier. Consider identifying a group of influencers who can promote your product or service on multiple platforms in order to target as many audiences as possible. It is also important to ensure that all influencers selected reflect your brand and positioning. Always remember to protect your brand first.
- Define your influencer needs with a detailed contract
Once you’ve identified your influencers and the platform they’ll be engaging on, it’s time to determine your influencer needs. “Make sure you set your influencer needs in advance and detail specific tasks, requirements, timing, content approval process, and other guidelines in the contract,” Lanier says. Every detail is important, from how an influencer describes your products on Instagram posts to the music used in YouTube videos. Make sure you can reuse influencer content across your brand’s social media channels and websites.
- Develop content for quality influencers
Now is the time to work with your influencer to develop and implement high quality influencer content. “Make sure the influencer content you develop is hyper-productive, beneficial, and function-oriented,” says Lanier. You want to make sure that the content you share across all of your platforms is exciting, engaging, and product-oriented. When you incorporate these elements into your influencer marketing content, your target audience will be addressed, which will affect sales and profits.
Once the influencer campaign has started, you need to carefully monitor every requirement from your contract, e.g. B. the publication on social media at the set times, the correct listing of the products and much more. Check all the details. “Request an end-of-project summary from each influencer that includes information on pre-set key performance indicators,” Lanier explains. Evaluate influencer performance for future campaign considerations.
These important tips are essential for any small business owner and entrepreneur ready to incorporate influencer marketing into their brand to take them to the next level! When you’re ready to start building your brand awareness and bottom line, reach out to Isadora Lanier by visiting her website at https://www.iconnectbrands.com/.
Published on March 23, 2021