Did you know that an astonishing 49% of consumers depend on influencer recommendations when deciding to buy?
Let’s take a moment to appreciate the magnitude of this fact.
Almost half of your potential customers are likely to trust a familiar face on their screen more than any other type of advertisement. It’s the era of the “like” button, #OOTD (outfit of the day), and swipe-up links. Welcome to the age of influencers.
In a world where everyone is dazzled by the glare of social media, traditional marketing strategies seem like trying to signal for help with a dim flashlight in a brightly lit cityscape.
The platforms are saturated, and the competition is fierce. For a new brand aiming to leave a mark and carve out its unique niche, the odds are higher than ever. It’s like a high-stakes game of chess where one right move can put you miles ahead of your competitors.
So, what’s this winning move? The answer might be as simple as a tag, a repost, a mention, or a shout-out from an influencer.
This article explores how a strategic partnership with the right influencer can revolutionize your brand’s image, awareness, and effectiveness. Stick around; you might find the perfect strategy to take your brand to the next level!
Top 3 Reasons to Work with an Influencer
Here are a few of the most important reasons every new brand should consider partnering and building relationships with influencers.
Enhanced brand awareness
Imagine walking into a bustling party where you don’t know anyone while the music is too loud for a proper introduction. Now, imagine you walk in with the life of the party, the charismatic host who introduces you to everyone, ensuring your name is on the lips of all the guests.
That’s what influencers do for your brand in the digital space. They make introductions and get people talking.
Increased brand awareness is the first reason you might consider contacting an influencer. And here’s why.
Better brand stories
Have you ever noticed how influencers have a knack for storytelling? Whether it’s their day-to-day activity or a product they’re using, they know how to apply the psychology of viral content and weave a captivating narrative to make it click with the audience.
Now, imagine if your brand becomes part of the influence’s story.
Suddenly, your product or service isn’t just a nameless item. It has a story, a recommendation, and a familiar face attached to it. This connection can spark curiosity, conversations, and traffic towards your brand’s online platform.
Wider audience reach
Influencers boast unbelievably large audience pools. They can quickly introduce your brand to thousands, if not millions, of followers with a single social media copy. This mass exposure is akin to digital word-of-mouth marketing, and it can be a game-changer in boosting your brand’s visibility.
For example:
Hewlett Packard improved the company’s visibility by reaching out to an American TV host with a massive following, Charissa Thompson. They filmed ads with Charissa Thompson using the HP items for TV and social media.
Higher brand recall
When an influencer shares content about your brand, it isn’t merely seen; it’s engaged with it. Followers may like it, comment on it, share it, or save it. These interactions increase the chances of your brand name staying in the minds of potential consumers.
The more they see your brand associated with an influencer they trust, the more likely they will recall it when they’re ready to purchase.
Need an example?
When asked which telecom companies come to mind first, people named Telia (a telecommunications company) more often after the exposure of the influencers’ content featuring it. The brand recall was 50% higher.
SEO benefits
The role of influencers in SEO, aka search engine optimization, is more than prominent.
Did you know that influencer marketing can skyrocket your SEO rankings?
When influencers link back to your company’s website, it increases your site’s inbound links, a significant factor in search engine rankings.
For instance, if you have a language learning app and have prepared a comprehensive guide on learning a new language, an influencer might link to it, improving its visibility. With more visibility on search engines, your brand recognition grows even further.
Trust and credibility
While digital platforms have multiplied the avenues of advertising, they have also made the audience more skeptical about whom to trust.
In this context, consider an eCommerce business that has employed savvy dropshipping pricing strategies to ensure competitiveness in the market. However, without the trust of potential customers, these strategies can fall flat.
Let’s face it – people are less likely to trust a faceless firm than a living, breathing human with whom they can connect. This is where influencers bridge the gap. They are the human touch in a digital world that can imbue a new brand with trust and credibility.
But how exactly does it happen?
Look at two major factors shaping this phenomenon: personal connection and authenticity.
Personal connection
Influencers are relatable.
They aren’t airbrushed models on billboards. They’re average people who’ve created a robust online following. Influential creators share their passions, ups and downs, and everything in between, and do it with authenticity.
Michael Power, CMO at DTF Transfers, explains further, “The personal connection is the key to their power to influence people. Their followers see them as friends rather than promoters. When influencers endorse your brand, it’s as if a trusted friend recommends it, making the audience more receptive.”
Authenticity
Influencers have worked hard to build their credibility. They’ve spent years gaining the trust of their followers, and they wouldn’t risk losing it by promoting a product they don’t believe in.
When they endorse a brand, it usually aligns with their image and the principles they genuinely stick to. This authenticity can enhance your brand perception and trustworthiness.
Faster purchasing decisions and increased revenue
Have you ever bought something simply because a friend or someone you admire couldn’t stop raving about it?
That’s precisely the influence we’re about to dissect here on a digital scale.
Jim Pendergast, Senior Vice President at altLINE Sobanco, adds, “Influencer marketing is not merely a flashy trend. It is a substantial shift in the way companies approach selling products.
Moreover, it dramatically improves financial KPIs such as sales growth rate and monthly recurring revenue. With their significant following and palpable online presence, influencers are becoming pivotal drivers in shaping consumers’ buying behaviors.”
For example, working with various influencers, Poppi, a soda drink company, generated 1M+ in sales within just a week.
Let’s dive into why and how this happens.
FOMO (Fear of missing out)
Influencers create an aura of aspiration. They depict lifestyles, experiences, and products that people desire to have.
When followers see an influencer using a product and enjoying its benefits, it stirs a sense of FOMO, one of the top motivators in social media psychology. It motivates followers to purchase the product ASAP. This way, they can partake in the same experience they fear missing out on.
Tailored content and personalized recommendations
Influencers know their audiences well: their likes and dislikes. They leverage this knowledge to promote products that align with their audience’s interests. These feel like personalized suggestions rather than mass-targeted advertising, which is more likely to result in a purchase.
5 Tips for Working with Influencers as a New Brand
Here are the most advantageous influencer marketing techniques for beginners recommended by business leaders and marketers.
Conduct influencer research
“Choosing an influencer to promote your new brand is like hiring a new team member – you want one to be a perfect match for the job,” says Max Wesman, Founder & COO of GoodHire. “For this, you certainly need to do thorough research and check the background of this influential figure. This is crucial because there may be skeletons in the closet you wouldn’t want to face,” he warns.
What should you rely on when evaluating a social media influencer?
Max Wesman provides a checklist of influencer selection criteria:
- Industry
- Follower count (beware of influencers with fake followers)
- Engagement rate
- Content quality
- Persuasive tactics used: personal example, call to action (CTA), emotional appeal, etc.
- Previous collaborations with businesses and their results
- Ethics and values
Let’s dwell on the latter in detail.
Are you sure your beliefs and values perfectly align with those of the content creator?
Suppose you want to hire an influencer to market your fur-free luxury brand. And you’re considering a partnership with Kate Moss, a famous British supermodel. There’s one “but” here. Kate Moss loves wearing fur coats! Is she the best-fit influencer in this case? Doubtfully.
What’s a good example, then?
SearchKibble, a brand that feeds shelter pets with every search, reached out to pet owners with a huge following on TikTok. They share the same value as the company: caring about animals.
The campaign resulted in a 2.3 times ROI, 116,000 engagements, 273,000 views of #searchkibble, and 954,000 impressions.
Prioritize partnerships with influencers from your niche
Catch the following tactic from Eric Mills, Owner of Lightning Card Collection, and harness the power of niche influencers:
“As a startup creator or marketer, you should know your demographics and find content creators from that niche instead of influencers with a mixed audience from all niches. In the gaming industry, for instance, you would partner with gamers. Nintendo and Niantic did that to promote Pokémon Go, their brand-new game. They collaborated with Markiplier, a gaming influencer.”
Indeed, Nintendo typically picks gamers for beneficial partnerships. Recently, the company has engaged with 16 YouTubers, Instagrammers, and TikTokers from the gaming industry to effectively market the release of Everybody 1-2-Switch!, a new video game.
Here’s an Instagram post from Kennedy Rose (@cozy.games) disclosing the partnership.
In fact, 70% of brands work with smaller content makers on social media. These are either micro-influencers (10K-100K followers) or nano-influencers (1K-10K followers).
For example, micro-influencers helped Affirm grow brand awareness by over 25% in three months.
Sign an influencer agreement
An influencer contract is one of the safest and best practices when working with influencers.
It’s a legally binding document between the company and the influencer. Such an agreement outlines all obligations and rights of both parties. It’s virtually a guide for the influencer to stick precisely to the outlined terms and promote your brand, product, or service as agreed.
But what should you agree on?
Here’s a rough draft of things you might discuss:
- Names of social media platforms for influencer marketing
- Quantity and types of social media posts to be created
- Events and physical locations to showcase your product
- Links, CTAs, or specific phrases to be used
- The time frame of the influencer campaign, etc.
For example:
Women First Digital signed a contract with influencers for a month to promote their platforms Safe2Choose and FindMyMethod in 2022.
Think through your agreement before discussing it with the chosen content creator.
You’ll be surprised to discover that ignoring this tip is like digging your newly launched brand a grave without giving it a chance to spread its wings. Jesse Galanis, Content Marketer at Furm, explains why:
“A contract is a must for new brands collaborating with influencers. Legal agreements with influencers will guarantee peace of mind and protect you from false or misleading ads and such cases as violation of publicity rights, trademark infringement, discrimination, or other violations.”
What if the content creator misspells or mispronounces your company’s name or posts something discriminatory along with it, dragging you into the abyss of a PR scandal?
Just think about it.
Run influencer-driven giveaways and contests
In fact, contests have a 34% conversion rate. It’s higher than any other content type.
“Giveaways are excellent engagement stimulators because they promise prizes and rewards,” states Jerry Han, CMO at PrizeRebel. “And in combination with influencer marketing, you can double or even triple your results of giveaway campaigns,” he mentions.
You can boost your new brand with social media contests and influencers by following the example of these companies:
- Jot + Lauren Roscopf (@aloprofile) on Instagram
- HoMedics + Joceline Raad (@araadstory) on Instagram
- Joybird + Chrissa Villanueva (@ChrissaSparkles) on Instagram
- Clutch + Felix Arvid Ulf Kjellberg (@PewDiePie) on YouTube
- Smartsweets + Destiney Schriver (@destiney.schriver) on Instagram
See how Destiney Schriver and Smartsweets host an Instagram giveaway.
Build brand influence with podcasts
How about finding an influencer from the podcasting realm and jumping into the talk?
Statista reports that the number of podcast listeners is steadily growing. 62% of US consumers listened to podcasts in 2022.
Isn’t it a perfect chance for you to harvest tons of leads from this fertile soil?
“New businesses can easily break into the podcasting world and showcase their brands by partnering with influencers from podcasts in their business area,” claims Linda Shaffer, Chief People Operations Officer at Checkr. She adds, “Finding the niche podcast is as simple as googling “HR podcast,” “IT podcast,” “sports podcast,” “healthcare podcast,” etc. Alternatively, there are podcast hosting spots like Spreaker, Buzzsprout, Audioboom, Simplecast, Blubrry, or Spotify.”
For example:
Daniel Yanisse, the co-founder and CEO of Checkr, joined the Inc. Founders Project with Alexa von Tobel. Alexa von Tobel is a finance coaching business owner and a podcasting influencer among company leaders.
After that, Checkr saw an influx of likes, shares, and mentions on social media, particularly LinkedIn.
Lift Your Brand from Zero to Hero with Influencer Marketing
We live in a world where consumers value authenticity and personal connection more than ever. A strategic partnership with an influencer can help you foster a relatable and engaging brand identity.
So, as you embark on your brand’s journey, remember the potential impact of influencers and do influencer outreach wisely. Influencers might just be the exact lights you need to stand out and shine brightly in the cluttered skyline of the digital cityscape.