Digital Advice#1: Maximising Influencer marketing.

Influencer marketing, brand ambassadors, and affiliates are digital marketing strategies that can make a significant difference in your business. Have you ever found yourself marketing to the same market over and over again?

These strategies to grow your business enable you to tap into other people's networks. Whilst it sounds great, there are more things to consider to reap benefits from these strategies. I will pitch another way of maximising influencer marketing that I believe can make a massive impact on the rate your business will grow regardless of your digital marketing goal.

With influencer marketing, there different types:

• Mega-influencers with more than a million followers (think celebrities)
• Macro-influencers with 500K to 1 million followers.
• Mid-tier influencers with 50K to 500K followers.
• Micro-influencers with 10K to 50K followers.
• Nano-influencers with 1K to 10K followers.

Whilst it may seem automatic to rush for the mid-tier to mega influencers, there is now a general change in this mindset. There are organisations that have the budget for the mid-tier to mega influencers but what should MSMEs (Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises) do? Financial resources are usually strained already without adding the budget of an influencer who may or may not affect the bottom line (i.e sales) in a short space of time. I would recommend the nano and micro-influencers, not just for MSMEs but for big corporates. WHY?

Research shows that the nano and micro-influencers actually have more engagement though their numbers may be small. This means they can actually influence buying decisions. I believe we have to move away from influencers that just post or shout out,but to what I call smart influencers. A Smart Influencer will be strategic in posting and sharing your services and products. They will be able to analyse the impact of campaigns and intelligently input towards the best-fit approach to a campaign to get the best results from their audience which they know better than you.

Rabbit trail: The other day spoke at length about influencers also including people who are intellectual. This is still not common because we see more of entertainers getting influencer roles. We have more corporates willing to spend on influencers who have celebrity status than those who intellectually stand for something. Think about it... would you choose this 'gal' Loveness Nleya who does not sing or dance or is not a celebrity to be your influencer? The decision lies with the businesses and their teams, but it may be worthwhile considering intellectual influencers.

Quick tips on picking or looking for an influencer:

1) Have a budget that you can spend on the influencer that will not make you angry when a campaign does not reap immediate returns.

2) Every influencer has an audience, profile it! I can create a song about this. Check whether the audience they draw are aligned with your ideal client. This increases the chances of increasing your return on investment.

3) Pick influencers that also align with your brand, brand voice, brand image and all that. Some influencers will bring disrepute and instead of marketing, they will de-market you.

4) Look for an influencer with your goals in sight. How can the potential influencer help you achieve that goal? What KPIs will you use to measure success or impact, in other words, what will you use to measure success?

5) Don't be blinded by the numbers! Do an ethical background check on your prospective influencers. This can be carried out online.

6) Do not run yourself to the ground paying fees that you cannot afford. Always stay within your means. If this is not for you, a Digital Marketing Consultant can craft a customised strategy that accommodates your resources.

7) Have the onboarding and offer ready for the influencer.

Influencer marketing can turn around your business done right. Do not just spend money and strain your resources when you cannot afford it. Consult with a Digital Marketer to get practical solutions for your business within your resources.

If you are seriously considering influencer marketing but have no clarity, do not hesitate to book a consultancy session with me via inbox or [email protected]

If you are interested in becoming an influencer regardless of your level, also get in touch. Book a consultancy session with me via inbox or [email protected]