influencer marketing strategy

Influencers are people who have a large following on social media and who’s knowledge and opinion has a large bearing on their followers. Influencers are increasing becoming a more prominent and trusted voice on social media, with their messages having a large impact on consumer trust in a product.

Many companies have made it a key marketing strategy to team up with influencers to expose their products to a wider and more niche audience. However, some organisations struggle to find the right influencer for their product and measure ROI of their influencer marketing efforts.

Here are some key tips to master the art of influencer marketing so that you get the most out of your investment:

Define your goals

What do you want to get out of your influencer marketing campaign? Your goal might be to generate leads, increase sales, reach a new audience, remain relevant, or create more brand visibility. Whatever your goal is, use that as a starting point then go back from there. After pinpointing your objective, identify what kind of influencers would be best suited to help you achieve that goal, and then finally find influencers to match the attributes and characteristics you’ve identified.

Defining both short-term and long-term goals will help you choose the right influencer and then have a measuring rod to determine the success of your influencer marketing strategy.

Stay authentic and consistent

Your role as a marketing professional is to have a narrative about your product you want to relay to your audience. Don’t veer away from that narrative, even when it comes to engaging with influencers. Influencers should be seen as an extension of that narrative, not a separate entity.

To ensure your influencers are narrating your story accurately, it’s crucial to identify and select influencers who resonate with your brand, and who share similar values as your brand. If this is not the case, then your influencer marketing won’t be consistent with your message and won’t seem authentic to the audience. Authentic and consistency in influencer marketing is what creates an emotional connection with their audience and as a result, success for your brand.

Make reciprocity a priority

Building a good relationship with your influencer will be ultimately be a boon for you and your brand. Therefore, as a marketer, you should be supporting influencers who support your brand. Find ways to add value to your influencer’s audience, which in turn will add value to your influencer’s brand. This involves doing your due diligence on your influencer and their audience, finding their likes and dislikes. Use these insights to create targeted content that will resonate with the interests of the influencer and their audience. Targeted content could take the form of things like special offers and discounts, access to events/experiences, or prizes.

Define your ROI

Defining your ROI can help you determine if you’re going in the right direction with your influencer marketing or if you need to rethink your strategy. There are a few techniques you can use to help measure ROI from influencer marketing such as page views, demand generation, impact on sales, and so forth. Don’t forget to communicate the ROI to your influencers so everyone’s one the same page.

-5WPR CEO Ronn Torossian

5WPR CEO Ronn Torossian
Ronn Torossian

 

SHARE
Previous articleThe Consumer PR of First Impressions
Next articleFive Tips on Managing a Diverse Workforce
Ronn Torossian is the Founder & Chairman of 5W Public Relations, one of the largest independently owned PR firms in the United States. Since founding 5WPR in 2003, he has led the company's growth and vision, with the agency earning accolades including being named a Top 50 Global PR Agency by PRovoke Media, a top three NYC PR agency by O'Dwyers, one of Inc. Magazine's Best Workplaces and being awarded multiple American Business Awards, including a Stevie Award for PR Agency of the Year. With over 25 years of experience crafting and executing powerful narratives, Torossian is one of America's most prolific and well-respected public relations executives. Throughout his career he has advised leading and high-growth businesses, organizations, leaders and boards across corporate, technology and consumer industries. Torossian is known as one of the country's foremost experts on crisis communications. He has lectured on crisis PR at Harvard Business School, appears regularly in the media and has authored two editions of his book, "For Immediate Release: Shape Minds, Build Brands, and Deliver Results With Game-Changing Public Relations," which is an industry best-seller. Torossian's strategic, resourceful approach has been recognized with numerous awards including being named the Stevie American Business Awards Entrepreneur of the Year, the American Business Awards PR Executive of the Year, twice over, an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year semi-finalist, a Top Crisis Communications Professional by Business Insider, Metropolitan Magazine's Most Influential New Yorker, and a recipient of Crain's New York Most Notable in Marketing & PR. Outside of 5W, Torossian serves as a business advisor to and investor in multiple early stage businesses across the media, B2B and B2C landscape. Torossian is the proud father of two daughters. He is an active member of the Young Presidents Organization (YPO) and a board member of multiple not for profit organizations.