Whether it is on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok or other mainstream social media platforms that are utilized for business and personal usages, if you are on social media you have probably seen an influencer marketing the latest products. 

While it might not always be direct or kind of hidden, more than likely, everyone has seen an influencer marketing message such as, “I am so excited to be partnering with X” or something along the lines of, “You guys! I have been using these products for X months and I want to tell you about them.” 

These are common influencer marketing messages that suck us all in, and next thing we know, we are purchasing more skincare than Hyram can offer us! A decade ago, influencer marketing and an influencers overall opinions were very minuscule compared to now! 

With so many influencers out there, more and more companies are asking if a partnership is worth the money with an influencer. Any marketing companies Denver such as Denver Media Group will tell you absolutely, but it has to be the right influencer with the right products and/or services! 

What is influencer marketing? 

Influencer marketing is a type of marketing that a person endorses and mentions a company’s products or services to their audience on social media platforms! Influencer marketing works because influencers have built a loyal following and their followers trust their recommendations and relationships with said influencers. 

This is the modern day version of social proof on social media platforms! If an influencer endorses your products and/ or services, it only helps with the sales of those products and/or services! 

However, it isn’t enough to simply find an influencer on a list somewhere on the Internet and make cold calls. Influencer marketing is not something that is cheap and if your products and services do not align with the influencer, their followers will be confused and can possibly push it off as irrelevant and hurt the overall sales and marketing campaign. 

Any marketing companies Denver would recommend to find the best influencers based on their type of influencer level. 

Macro versus micro 

Macro influencers are the biggest names out there on any social media platforms and micro influencers are smaller, less known influencers, but have created an even more tight-knit community with their followers. 

This is one of those moments that it is important to understand that the glitz and glam of the number of followers is not the only notion to think about. Would it be better to sell your camping products to a micro influencer who has built a community and following out of being outdoors, hiking, camping and etc.? The answer is yes! 

This is because that influencer has created a smaller, more tight-knit community with its followers on social media. The relationship and trust between the influencer and audience are even stronger than a macro influencer! A macro influencer could be the exact person your company is also searching for, but it is important to search all influencers and find the best one to promote your products and/or services while it still makes sense. 

Now, what are the biggest takeaways that any marketing companies Denver can take away from micro and macro influencers? 

The importance of branding 

Influencers deal with personal branding and their brand is who they are. Everything down to the type of makeup and products they use each and every day, their beliefs and etc. All of these notions matter because their followers relate to them on a personal level, and all companies should try to achieve this with their own followers. 

This is why branding is so influential in a marketing campaign. What your company is known for on search engines, social media and word-of-mouth marketing is all part of branding. It is different levels of branding from traditional to digital, but at the same time, it is all building a branding reputation. A strong brand identity is critical to creating a strong loyal customer base. 

Create content consumers want to engage with

Influencers create content that their followers want to consume. This is the basics of social media marketing strategies, but influencers can show all companies that this is so critical.  A great example of this is the controversial Jeffree Star who released a review video on YouTube about Elf Cosmetics’ latest products. This video went viral with millions and millions of views, and because of this, Elf was unable to keep up with the demand and some of their products were sold out for months. 

With this in mind, Star continued to review Elf Cosmetics products because it helped his own YouTube videos and that is what his audience wanted to see. 

A company often asks, “How can we get our post to perform better?” While there is a multitude of ways to handle this, one of the most important is engagement! 

Each and every comment, share, repost and like that an influencer receives only helps their content to live longer on social media, but get even more followers to their pages. There have been plenty of social media marketing updates that prioritize content based on engagement and likes, and because of this, the more comments and replies a post gets, the better it will do. 

Understanding your audience 

The example above is the perfect example of understanding your audience. Star was reviewing makeup products from Chanel and other high-end makeup brands, but his audience told him they simply can’t afford those products. 

His audience asked him to review more affordable products that could even be dupes to his high-end makeup products. It is about understanding and relating to your audience. While Star is a multi-millionaire, he simply forgot that his audience was not. 

It is all about relating, understanding, hearing what your audience is saying back to you and creating that content and branding around that narrative! For help with your digital marketing strategy, contact our experts today!