Young man in front of a ring camera phone holder recording himself participating in influencer marketing

What is Influencer Marketing & How Does It Work?

Influencer marketing is a form of marketing where brands collaborate with individuals with a significant and engaged online following, known as influencers, to promote their products or services. 

These influencers have established credibility, authority, and a dedicated audience in a particular niche or industry. Influencer marketing aims to utilize the influencer’s influence and reach to connect with their audience and promote products more authentically than traditional advertising. 

What are the different types of influencers?

Not all influencers are the same! Choosing an influencer that will work best with your brand is vital. You may need someone with a very niche audience, or you’re thinking of a celebrity to help boost your brand awareness. Whatever you’re looking for, there’s a right fit for you. Here’s a brief introduction to the different types of influencers you can work with. 

Micro-influencers 

Micro-influencers are not celebrities. They’re just everyday social media users with a smaller but highly engaged following, typically from 1,000 to 100,000 followers. Despite having a smaller follower base, micro-influencers have a highly engaged audience that actively interacts with their content. This interaction creates a valuable connection between these content creators and their dedicated followers. 

Collaborating with a micro-influencer is a cost-effective strategy for brands, especially when contrasted with partnerships involving celebrities. Although the immediate reach might not be as expansive as celebrity collaborations, the impact is notably more focused on a specific target audience.

Celebrity or Macro Influencers 

These influencers have a substantial following, usually from 100,000 to one million followers. They are experts or enthusiasts in specific niches and can significantly impact their audience’s purchasing decisions.  

You can reach more people and grow your brand recognition by working with this type of influencer. Macro influencers are expensive, so not all brands can  work with them. Working with celebrities may only be suitable for some brands, but is a successful marketing strategy. 

Nano Influencers 

Nano-influencers have a very niche and localized following, often ranging from a few hundred to several thousand engaged followers. They’re social media users seen as highly authentic and relatable, making them practical for hyper-targeted campaigns. While their reach is smaller than a celebrity influencer, micro-influencers typically have a highly engaged audience. 

What are the best platforms to collaborate with influencers? 

An effective influencer strategy begins by thinking about the most effective way to reach your target audience through someone else’s following. Collaborations with influencers can happen across multiple platforms. No two platforms are the same! So, it’s beneficial to identify the most popular and effective platform that’s right for your business. 

Here’s a list of some of the most popular platforms where brands can collaborate  with influencers. 

How effective is influencer marketing?

It’s essential to keep in mind that influencer marketing is an investment. Finding the right influencer to promote content that appeals to your target audience can take time. Here is a statistic from Hubspot Blog Research

“In 2021, roughly 58% of marketers said influencer marketing was the most effective marketing trend, ahead of SEO, experiential marketing, and short-form video content.” 

Another tip to keep in mind is the age of the target audience that you are trying to reach. Of all of the age groups, Gen Z trusts influencers the most. 

How to build an influencer marketing campaign

Creating an effective influencer marketing campaign requires careful planning, strategic thinking, and a deep understanding of social media and digital marketing dynamics. Here, we will guide you through creating a successful influencer marketing strategy. 

Set your goals & know your audience

Knowing your audience should be your first step before working with an influencer. Each influencer has a unique way of connecting with your audience. Create buyer personas to help you identify the exact type of customer you’re looking for. 

Set your budget & create your message

The size of your budget will determine the type of influencer you will be working with. For example, if you’re starting with a low budget, you could work with a micro-influencer rather than a celebrity influencer. A global survey among marketing agencies and brands revealed that 25% of respondents mentioned they channeled 10 to 20 percent of their marketing budget into influencer marketing.  

When creating a budget, remember to think about covering the cost of the products/servies as well as the cost for compensating the influencers. 

Once you’ve chosen your influencer, begin developing your campaign messaging and determine what type of content your influencer should (and should not) publish. Remember to share your brand guidelines and decide whether they will be creating content for your campaign on their own or if you’ll be providing them content to post.

Find your influencers & reach out 

Brands are focusing less on the size of an influencer’s following and more on  how the influencer reaches their audience. 

Some things to consider when identifying an influencer to reach out to are their: 

  • Quality of content 
  • Engagement metrics
  • Follower count 
  • Company values alignment 
  • Branding alignment 

Remember, each time an influencer posts about your company, they’re representing your brand and business. 

Track your campaign’s progress

You can track your campaign’s performance a few different ways. If you want to monitor activity across posts, you can assign a hashtag for each influencer to use alongside their posts on social platforms. 

If you’re tracking traffic and sales, you can give each influencer a custom tracking link or coupon code. This will help you calculate the ROI based on their specific fee. You may also want to request stats from the influencer to measure the true reach and engagement from your collaboration. 

Work with us! 

At NW Media Collective, we specialize in crafting tailor-made influencer marketing campaigns that deliver exceptional results. Our team of experts is here to help you connect with the right influencers, develop compelling content, and maximize your ROI. If you’re ready to harness the full potential of influencer marketing and take your brand to new heights, we invite you to contact us today to get started. 

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