Five ways influencer marketing can help improve your sales
In today’s digital landscape, it’s more important than ever for businesses to have a presence on all major social media platforms.
And if you’re looking to make this presence count, tapping into the power of influencer marketing is the way to go. In fact, 92% of marketers think that influencer marketing is a highly effective marketing strategy.
Are you still considering whether investing in influencer collaborations is worth it for your brand? Read on to discover five ways influencer marketing can help you boost sales, and get help to identify if working with an influencer is right for you.
What is influencer marketing?
Influencer marketing is a form of marketing that uses influencers to promote a brand’s products or services on social media. Since influencers have dedicated and engaged audiences, partnering with them is an opportunity for brands to showcase their products and services in an authentic way and reach the right consumers.
Influencers are people with a large following on social media, who have established themselves as experts in their field. They can influence the opinions and behaviors of their followers with their content and can use this influence to drive greater awareness of brands.
Types of influencers
Typically, marketers classify influencers based on their follower count. We usually distinguish between:
- Nano-influencers
- Micro-influencers
- Mid-tier influencers
- Macro-influencers
- Mega-influencers (celebrities)
What to look for in an influencer
When choosing the influencer for your marketing campaign, don’t base your decision exclusively on their following. The more isn’t always the better. It’s also important to look into such factors as:
- The type of content an influencer creates. Make sure it aligns with your brand vision and style. Would the influencer be genuinely interested in promoting your product?
- Their engagement rate. Consider the number of people who comment and interact with an influencer’s content. Influencers with high engagement rates are more likely to have a positive impact on your campaign since they are already actively engaging with their audience.
- Your campaign budget. The cost of working with different kinds of influencers varies a lot. Macro-influencers are usually more expensive, while nano- and micro-influencers can be the most cost-effective option.
Five ways you can use influencer marketing to grow your sales
Now that you are familiar with the idea of influencer marketing and know how to choose influencers, you can start to plan how best to use them in your influencer marketing campaign.
Let’s look at five tips to help you leverage social media creators to maximize sales and brand growth.
1) Leverage the influencer’s audience for increased reach
Influencer marketing is probably the best strategy to increase your brand’s visibility and gain new followers (who will eventually turn into paying customers).
By creating content for and about your brand, influencers bring your brand name directly to their followers. You don’t have to work on reaching new audiences yourself. It’s a straightforward, fast, and effective tactic.
For example, let’s say you partner with a beauty influencer who has 500,000 YouTube subscribers. You will instantly gain access to a large, targeted audience interested in skincare. This collaboration can lead to increased website traffic, social media engagement, and higher sales.
Pro-tip
Before you pick an influencer for your marketing campaign, take a good look at their followers. You can ask the influencer for some audience insights beforehand, including their interests, engagement preferences, etc.
This way, you’ll make sure this is the right match and the influencer’s fans will love your brand. Lastly, to reach out to the right influencers via email, consider employing an SPF record checker and other email security steps to ensure your message delivers to the influencer’s inboxes.
2) Present your brand in an authentic light
88% of consumers say authenticity is a crucial factor when choosing brands to shop with. And an influencer’s endorsement of your product can give your brand a more authentic feel.
To maximize brand authenticity, look for influencers who have a history of using or advocating for products similar to yours. This will ensure that their content feels real and relatable to their audience.
- Use genuine product endorsements. If your chosen influencer appreciates your product and recognizes its value, their endorsement will be truly convincing. For example, a fitness influencer who already uses your brand’s protein powder can create content that highlights their personal experience and results;
- Create relatable storytelling. Encourage influencers to share stories of how your product fits into their daily lives, allowing their audience to relate and connect with your brand. A travel influencer can showcase how durable your suitcase is during their trips, demonstrating real-life value and authenticity;
- Leverage user-generated content. UGC is a fantastic brand booster. Ask your influencer to invite their followers to share their own experiences with your brand and submit images, videos, and other forms of UGC. For instance, a skincare brand could create a branded hashtag for users to post their skincare routines featuring your products, amplifying authentic customer experiences.
3) Engage your target audiences through influencer-driven contests
Who wouldn’t want to win a prize, right? Branded contests and giveaways spark excitement, grab attention, and encourage people to try your products, ultimately driving sales. Influencers have excellent platforms to promote your contest and attract more participants through social media.
To organize an influencer-driven contest/giveaway:
- Develop a contest concept that showcases your product or service while being entertaining and relevant to the influencer’s followers;
- Clearly communicate the contest rules, entry methods, and prizes to both the influencer and their audience. Prizes could include product samples, exclusive discounts, or even the chance to be featured on your brand’s social media channels;
- Encourage the influencer to promote the contest through multiple channels, such as posts, stories, and videos/reels, to maximize reach and participation.
Pro-tip
Social media contests are a great way to source and collect UGC. You can later use this content in your other marketing campaigns.
4) Boost brand trust through influencer reviews
Product reviews are probably the most popular type of influencer marketing campaign. Influencer reviews serve as a powerful form of social proof. They help your potential customers make an informed purchasing decision based on the experiences and opinions of those they really trust.
Product reviews are also very easy and cost-effective to make. You can give your influencer creative freedom to talk about your product to cater to their audience’s tastes. Simply provide the influencer with your product/service, and encourage them to share their genuine opinions and experiences (staying positive, of course).
Pro-tip
If your product has special packaging (think about how exciting it is to unpack a new iPhone), you can ask your influencer to create unpacking/unboxing videos. This is a trending content format social media users love and embrace.
5) Promote discounts, promo codes, and other incentives for customers
You can effectively use influencers to promote various customer incentives by integrating these offers into the influencer’s content. Here are a couple of ideas:
- Influencers can share a swipe-up link on Instagram stories to your special promo code;
- Influencers can create sponsored posts highlighting the benefits of your products and showcasing the available discounts;
- Influencers can organically mention your product in their content (such as native content). For example, a fashion influencer can create a styling video featuring your clothing items and include a promo code in the video description.
Could influencer marketing work for you?
Influencer marketing is a go-to strategy if you want to drive sales and grow your brand. By collaborating with influencers who genuinely resonate with your brand, you can effectively reach and influence potential customers. Leverage their credibility, and incorporate various marketing tactics such as contests, reviews, and promotional offers.
Remember to stay true to your brand values and maintain a strong relationship with your chosen influencers to maximize the benefits of your influencer marketing efforts.
David Morneau is the co-founder and CEO of inBeat Agency that helps brands scale their marketing efforts. He has helped over 200 DTC brands to date.
Photo by Mike Von
