Influencer Marketing 101: How To Activate With Influencers

The term of the century: social media influencer. But what is the actual definition?

A social media influencer is someone who has grown a following through online content creation and is able to influence their audience’s decision making and generate interest in a product, service or topic by sharing about it on their own social media platforms.

While the influencer market was considered taboo at first and strictly for celebrities, it has quickly become the new form of digital marketing. Influencer marketing has grown to become a $5-10 billion dollar industry in the last five years. Simply put – if your current strategy doesn’t already include influencers, you’re missing out on a fast, inexpensive, and effective way to reach your target audience.

Here’s a breakdown:

The classifications that social media influencers can fall into. 

Influencers with large followings (think 10,000+) will generally provide a rate sheet for their work while, sometimes, influencers with under 10,000 (known as nano-influencers) might be willing to organically share content before providing rates. There is no “industry-average” for rates, so have an open mind when reviewing their fees.

Looking to incorporate influencer marketing into your current marketing strategy? Keep reading for a list of our favorite tips to keep in mind when activating with influencers.

Really know your target audience and who they are engaging with.

This one starts with extreme knowledge of the product or service you are marketing. The influencers you work with must already be talking to the audience you want to target. Identify a few ideal customers and see who they are following that would fit in with your brand or mission. 

As always, testing is smart before putting a substantial amount of money behind a campaign. Find an influencer you think is a good fit for your brand? Create some User Generated Content (with the influencers’ approval of course!) and see how that specific influencer resonates with your current audience on social media.

Organic mentions win.

Develop a list of influencers who are already talking about your product or service. They will have previously created a trust with their audience around your brand, which will help in conversions when it’s time to launch your campaign.

How do you find them? Take a look through your DMs or see who has tagged you in a post. Another idea is to look through the profiles that have been commenting and engaging with your recent posts. 

Build the perfect KPIs.

In the early 2010s, proving the ROI of influencer marketing was extremely challenging. Without defined tracking, custom links or codes, it seemed like ad placements fell flat quickly. Now with services like Traackrand Storyclash, marketers can easily prove the return working with their target influencers.

There are several KPIs that serve a purpose for different elements of your strategy, but when it comes to influencer marketing, the most essential ones to hone in on are conversion rates, reach and awareness, referral traffic, audience growth and engagement.

It is also important to remember that sales should not always be the end-goal of influencer marketing and objectives that are more holistic should be considered; concerning yourself with your long-term brand awareness, rather than short-term wins. This is where the true magic of influencer marketing lies.