By Evan Parsons
Social media marketing has changed drastically with the trend of influencers. An influencer is an individual with a large variety of followers that promotes a product or service on social media. Many influencers are public figures known for either modeling, acting, fitness or from YouTube. The leading platform that influencers use to promote their brand is Instagram.
Partnering with an influencer can benefit a business in different ways. When potential customers see that their favorite celebrity is supporting a product, they’re more likely to trust it and want to buy it. An influencer can be creative on their own and think of ways to increase engagement and sales. Influencer marketing can reach a different wide-ranged audience that would allow your message to spread more efficiently.
On the other hand, it is important to be careful when choosing someone to represent your brand because you want to ensure that it is represented appropriately. The influencer should be familiar with your wants and brand personality. Another common mistake – influencer posts that sound to sales-driven. The posts should present as a genuine recommendation to a friend about the product or service.
When choosing an influencer, you want to evaluate whether or not their “brand” matches yours. Reach is another thing to consider – what is the influencer’s social following audience size?
Overall, influencer marketing can be successful when done correctly. The most important aspect is creating ads that show genuine emotion and messaging. Creating these posts seems more trustworthy to viewers than direct ads, which allows a brand to build credibility. They can also create awareness for brands that are trying to form an identity or resurface.
If you are a small or local business, start small and just practice. One good idea might be to look for any local celebrity who is already a fan of your product or service. You could check out local radio personalities, athletes or columnists who have a good social following. The important thing is to get started and work through it as you go!