Influencer Marketing is Now a Viable Option for More Businesses

Influencer marketing is more accessible than ever for big and small businesses alike. The barriers to entry have fallen because there are now approximately 50 million active creators and the list of features enabling these partnerships continues to expand on most social networks. More options allow businesses of all sizes to find partners aligned to their products and customers, as well as lowers the cost of these partnerships so they're more affordable.

In this edition of Social Media Marketing Trends, we'll discuss how TikTok has driven the latest evolution of influencer marketing, how you can collaborate with up-and-coming creators in unique ways, and how to partner with Amazon influencers (an often overlooked option for driving product sales).

The Cultural Impact Of TikTok

TikTok has quickly become an influential social network. An entertaining mix of dance challenges, comedy skits, and how-to videos, TikTok has significantly impacted global culture in recent years. The short-form video app has scaled up quickly for these reasons:?

• It offers ease in creating and consuming short-form videos.
• The algorithm's unmatched ability to match users to niche content.
• It attracts and empowers a diverse range of creators and businesses.

Understanding what makes TikTok unique should inform how your organization uses the platform to drive meaningful results.?

Start with creating short-form videos on a focused set of topics or genres. These should be attractive to your customers, relate to your business, and connect to what's trending. TikTok is focused on user-generated content, so follow the lead of creators. Partner with them directly to get in front of their audience to boost your visibility and engagement.

Sponsoring Up And Coming Creators

To cut through the algorithm, find the creators driving the conversations your customers are engaged in. Partnering with influencers doesn't always need to align with a specific campaign or product launch. These collaborations, rather, are more about taking part in the conversations already trending. More and more brands are becoming increasingly flexible and giving up creative control to be paired with top influencers in the spotlight. For example , 7-Eleven, Hulu, Adobe, McDonald's, and the NFL have sponsored TikTok creator Emily Zugay to have their logo comedically re-imagined and designed to look worse.?

Once you've identified emerging creators whose content is taking off, look for alignment in terms of the topics they talk about, their audience, and the reactions people have to their content to better understand if your brand is a fit. Embracing a new level of openness and working with influencers can drastically boost your organization's online visibility.

Working With Amazon Influencers

Another way to get ahead of the curve and drive sales is by collaborating with Amazon influencers. Amazon influencers set up their storefront—a gallery of their favorite products curated into different categories of their choosing—to earn money using affiliate links.

How can your brand effectively partner with these influencers on Amazon?

• Get your products featured on their storefronts.
• Have them share affiliate links to your products.
• Have them host a product demonstration for a shoppable Amazon Live.

Chelsey White, the blogger, and creator behind Chelsweets , has a quick handbook to follow:

STEP 1: Research creators with storefronts on Amazon whose content, interests, and audiences would align with the use cases of your products.?

STEP 2: Determine what your goals and budget are for this type of partnership to ensure this program is strategic and thoughtful from the very beginning.

STEP 3: Offer to send a trial product to influencers so they can establish a connection with your brand and assess whether your products are a match for them and their audience.

STEP 4: Have clear communication on compensation preferences upfront—a percentage of affiliate sales, upfront fees, or both.

For instance, look for interior design creators if you're promoting a line of home goods. Once you've compiled a list of potential influencers that would find your offerings helpful, reach out to them with a request to send them your products so they can assess them further.

This is a highlight reel of my Social Media Marketing Trends course taken by over 100,000+ students on LinkedIn Learning, where you can learn about the latest developments in social media.