As we’ve said in our first two installments of this series, there’s a lot to know about influencer marketing. This month, we’ll cover a few final tips you should know about using influencers for marketing on social media.

7. Know that influencers aren’t just celebs. Unless you’re a huge brand with name recognition, don’t expect to entice a celebrity to push your brand on social media. Influencers do not have to be celebs to have a big following and to influence the masses to your benefit — and sometimes, it may be worthwhile to go for an influencer with a smaller following but who really would align with your business or product. By doing your research extensively, you can make sure your influencer is the right fit for you and more of a small-time celeb on social media to their followers.

8. Don’t expect miracles. It’s important to have realistic expectations about what your influencer can and will accomplish with their marketing efforts. You are probably not going to double your sales or engagement with a few posts from an influencer — but that’s not to say they won’t be effective. Set real goals that can be accomplished and measured and respect your influencer’s opinion and judgment; they likely know best.

9. Reflect and share feedback. After a campaign with an influencer, it’s important to reflect and share feedback on both sides. What does the influencer feel could work better if you continue collaborating in the future? How can their efforts be improved? Is the influencer you used the best person to work with or should your business explore other options? Think about how you want to proceed going forward based on this experience — and make sure both of you are open to constructive criticism.

Hopefully, this series gave you some great advice on what to know and expect when it comes to employing social media influencers for marketing purposes. Now go forth and put these into action!

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The idea of influencer marketing on social media may still be pretty new but it’s an important tool your business should be using. As we started covering last month, there’s a lot to know about this unique realm of marketing so this month, we’re divulging some more tips on how to effectively engage in influencer marketing.

4. Make it worth their while. Many influencers receive multiple offers to push sponsored content and products to their followers — and while offering them free products or services may work for some, most prefer real dollars. Rates may vary and should depending on how big a following an influencer has but expect to pay out money for this type of marketing and not just free stuff, unless the influencer has a lesser following. Your influencer will work that much harder for you if you make it worth their while.

5. Count on Stories, not just posts. Particularly when it comes to Instagram, stories are an important component of user engagement. Make sure you ask your influencer to not just post about your business or product but that they do a Story about it as well. With Stories, your influencer can post multiple times in a series about whatever you’ve asked them to and they can collect data about views and actions credited to the Story.

6. Consider contests and giveaways. Having your influencer post about contests or giveaways from your business is a great way for your business to benefit. Everyone likes free stuff and if your influencer’s got a big following, you can guarantee that you’ll reap the rewards by sponsoring content that incentivizes social media users to follow or interact with your brand with the influencers acting as a sort of middleman.

Don’t miss our final three tips next month to ensure your influencer marketing experience is the best it can be!

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Influencer marketing has quickly become a crucial way that brands and businesses reach potential consumers. But the idea of utilizing influencers is still relatively new and as such, many organizations don’t know much about how to best employ these influencers — or even where to start when it comes to engaging in influencer marketing practices. In this three-part series, we’ll provide you with a brief intro and some great advice as you get into the world of influencer marketing.

1. Do your research. You want to find influencers who are a good match for your business —  and that means doing a deep dive on social to figure out if an influencer is a good fit. Influencers will be less likely to agree to a partnership if they don’t want to push your product or business to their followers as that could cost them numbers. The more an influencer may actually use whatever service or good you’re producing, the more effective your collaborative efforts will be.

2. Engage from the get-go. Because influencers receive a lot of pitches and cold-call type messages, you want to introduce yourself and your business in an interesting and engaging way. Don’t just copy and paste the same message to multiple influencers but instead personalize it and show you actually know who you’re reaching out to and why you believe they’d be a good fit.

3. Give up control. Influencers know their followers best and have usually put a significant amount of thought and effort into building their following. The more creativity and freedom you allow them in how they promote your product, the more engaging their marketing will be. Of course, you should always have some idea of how and when they’re going to post about your business and you can feel free to make suggestions but the ultimate decision should lie with the influencer.

Stay tuned for next month’s installment for more tips on influencer marketing!

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