A decade ago, the influencer marketing arena was restricted uniquely to celebrities and a few committed bloggers. Now, it seems like we’ve seen social media influencers rise in the digital marketing world. An influencer can be someone who is into fitness, cooking, photography, fashion, skincare and so much more!
At a key level, influencer marketing is a kind of social media marketing that utilises endorsements and product mentions from influencers–individuals, who have a committed a social following and are seen as experts within their niche. Influencer marketing works because of the great measure of trust that social influencers have built up with their following, and suggestions from them serve as a form of verification to your brand’s potential customers.
The value of influencer marketing
While Instagram influencer marketing is a well-known strategy, there are numerous different networks that are growing for influencers. According to Adweek, the industry set to reach $10 billion in worth by 2020. Other networks like Snapchat, YouTube and TikTok have their own arrangement of influencers with different demographics.
How to create influencer digital marketing strategy plan
You have to determine your goals/objectives and KPIs while additionally making a conscious effort to comprehend the influencer scene.
1.Know where your audience ‘lives’ online
Knowing where and how your target audience spends their time and energy online – what apps/platforms they use, how long they spend on each app, what digital stars they follow. – will help brands determine where to invest their resources. Finding a niche to your influencing journey is key as it segments your target audience and makes it easier when creating content.
2. Document Your Goals and Key Performance Indicators
Goal Setting and Key Metric Tracking
The use of S.M.A.R.T analysis can help with the big three goals around influencer digital marketing are:
· Building Brand Awareness: Building your brand/image online can be estimated with follower count, likes, and engagement like comments, utilization of your hashtags, and shares.
· Drawing in A New Target Market: Drawing in a new target market includes everything in brand awareness, yet in an entirely new space or product offering. For this, you need influencers who can fabricate buzz and drive targeted traffic.
· Working with Lead Generation: All that paves the way to this: more deals. Getting more leads and clients are easily tracked with conversions and deals, but it can be tricky to track sources directly unless you send explicit codes or landing pages for each influencer.
3. Understanding the influencer scene
Expand Your Reach Beyond Instagram!
The primary goal here is discovering influencers based on topics of influence and audience demographics, who can deliver on all the vital engagement metrics.
To find the right fit between brand and influencer, you’ve got to find someone who is aligned with your brand’s vision, mission, and identity.
Go wherever your target audience is active, and capitalize on the fact that influencers on platforms other than Instagram are likely more approachable and cost-effective for the time being.
4. Develop an engaging campaign
Influencers need to have a say in the sponsored content on their channel. Prior to solidifying a brand sponsorship, companies should convey their brand message, discuss expectations, and set up any materials – ideas, images, required links, etc. – that should be remembered for the mission.planning is essential to success.
5. Screen The Campaign & Track Its Success
While the campaign is going on, companies should screen the social media posts to ensure the influencer is satisfying their commitments (staying on-message, hitting your ideas, etc.). After the campaign, compare statistics against Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to measure success.
6. Connect with and Share Throughout Social Media Platforms
Profit on the nature of social media by promoting your campaign across all social platforms both prior and post the campaign is launched. Remember to record all parts of the campaign and offer this material all through each brand channel. Engaging with your audience is also another way of understanding what they would like to see from you
7. Be consistent with posting
Consistency on all platforms is important to keep your audience intrigued and excited about your brand/image. You do not want your fans to think you are not serious about building your image.
Conclusion
The scene of publicising is advancing, and as a developing number of consumers look to social media stages like YouTube, Instagram, Snapchat and Vine for data and diversion, brands are developing social media influencer strategies to target audiences where they work, play, and communicate. When trying to grow your brand be patient and realistic but ambitious.
Sources
https://sproutsocial.com/insights/influencer-marketing/
Author: Lilita Z. N. B Tyibilika
Description: Lilita is interested in self development, which she strives to attain through marketing using the skills she has gained in communications and digital marketing. She continuously searches for new learning opportunities to increase her access to the latest market trends.