In case you’re a little late to the party, influencer marketing is a form of social media marketing that involves working directly with specific content creators to plan custom promotions rather than simply paying to post general ads on the platform itself. 

Here is an overview of what influencer marketing is, how this innovative strategy can benefit your brand, and how Hubbard Cincinnati’s 2060 Digital can help you get started!

What Is Influencer Marketing? 

Influencer marketing is a partnership between businesses and social media content creators that allows creators to promote your brand to their followers in exchange for compensation. This marketing strategy allows your brand to reach a large number of people that are likely to be interested in your products because you and your influencers share a similar target audience.

Your company can decide what products or aspects of your company you would like the influencer to include and how many posts or sponsored videos you would like them to create. They will then naturally incorporate this information into their content in a meaningful way that they know their followers will find more interesting than a typical ad. 

How to Get Started With Influencer Marketing Efforts 

Identifying social media personalities that already produce content that aligns with the interests of your target audience is an essential step in connecting with just the right group of influencers. Browsing relevant keywords and hashtags on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, and other social media platforms can help you find potential influencers that create relevant, engaging content for followers that are the most likely to be interested in what your brand has to offer.

An influencer's personality, the type of content they typically produce, and the size of their following can help you choose a selection of creators that may be a good fit for the goals and purpose of your brand. Getting more views can undoubtedly be good, but getting the right views is often even more essential. This means that many brands can succeed working with an influencer with a smaller following or a highly-specialized micro-influencer, especially if they sell products that fall into a specific niche or are interested in marketing within a limited geographic region. This option is often more affordable than working with a high-profile influencer with a large following that is not necessarily optimized to your needs

Once you have decided which influencers you may be interested in working with, your next step is reaching out to them to see if they are interested in promoting your brand. Most influencers include a business email address somewhere in their social media biographies, and this is typically their preferred method of communication. You may find success directly messaging smaller influencers on social media.

Still, it is crucial to be aware that many aspiring influencers are used to dealing with more scams than legitimate offers, which means that reaching out from your own verified business email is a helpful step in forming a partnership that is built on trust and strong communication from the beginning. 

Brands may be able to get in touch with some influencers directly, but initial communication will often be seen by a manager or other team member first if you are interested in working with well-established influencers with a huge following. Either way, your initial communication should introduce potential influencers to your brand, describe why your products are a good fit for their target audience, and discuss your vision for how you might like them to incorporate your brand into their content.

It is also important to remember that influencers are primarily interested in working with brands to grow their channels and careers, so being upfront about the compensation you plan to offer is a must.

Although the specific details of your contract are typically negotiable, brand deals generally include a combination of free or deeply discounted products to use in videos and social media posts with enough monetary compensation to be worth their time.

Brands should usually also offer special discounts for influencers' followers to encourage them to purchase through the influencer's specific link, with the influencer generally earning a commission on purchases that are made using this link. 

Ways Brands Are Using Influencer Marketing

Working with an influencer who loves your brand and is genuinely interested in sharing everything it offers can benefit your business in a wide range of ways.

Having an influencer promote your company to a large number of people that fit into your target audience can be an excellent way to quickly build brand awareness, especially for startups or small businesses with the highest level of need when it comes to reaching as many potential customers as possible. Influencers' testimonials can add a personal touch to your marketing strategy by allowing them to share their honest thoughts about why they love your brand with followers that already trust their opinions and are interested in emulating their lifestyle. 

This win-win strategy allows influencers to build their platforms while promoting your brand to increase your business. 

Get Started in Influencer Marketing With Hubbard Cincinnati

At 2060 Digital, we are here to help your brand navigate the process of finding just the right influencers and creating successful partnerships. Contact us today to learn more about our influencer marketing services or to get started!

Image Source: Dragana Gordic, P Stock / Shutterstock