Just recently, the internet was flooded with information on WhatsApp, revamping its privacy policy. A lot of noise was also created on learning about WhatsApp’s ultimatum that spoke about “sharing data with Facebook or stop using the app.”

The Facebook-owned freeware messaging and VoIP business, which was supposed to make the new privacy policy live by February 8, 2021, has postponed it until May 15, 2021, to clear the confusion created around the new update.

In the meantime, a lot of us saw status updates and posts by friends that read, “moving to Signal.”

Do you know how half of the world, in an overnight, was aware of this WhatsApp alternative called Signal?

It was a two-word app recommendation tweet that read “Use Signal” by Elon Musk. Yes, the CEO, CTO, and Chief Designer of SpaceX; CEO and product architect of Tesla, Inc.; and the world’s richest man. (Could not say it all in one breath…Phewwww)

The impact was such that due to millions of signups, the Signal server experienced an outage, to which Signal responded, saying, “We’ve been adding new servers and extra capacity at record pace everyday nonstop, but today exceeded even our most optimistic projections.”

If done well and in the right way, this is the kind of impact influencer marketing can have on any business.

Decoding the concept of influencer marketing

While getting hands-on on digital marketing, we have often come across this concept called “influencer marketing.”

Doing complete justice to its name, it literally means marketing done by influencers.

Now, who are these influencers, and how do they play a vital role in marketing?

Technically, influencer marketing is an aspect of social media marketing that uses endorsements and product mentions from influencers or individuals who are viewed as experts and have a dedicated social following.

This type of marketing works because of the trust factor that social influencers have built with their audience over time.

How to leverage influencer marketing to surge web traffic and conversion?

I am sure almost all of us love watching fitness videos that talk about exercises, diet, and nutrition to get into that sleek body, even though we never manage to hit the gym. And I am sure we all have a personal favorite (mine is a channel called “Fit Tuber”).

Since people like these influence many interested audiences, a lot of them are sponsored by companies to showcase their product in these videos. And since these YouTubers are credible, it is easier for the audience to trust the products and services advertised by them.

How to do influencer marketing right?

Concentrate on your audience

As every business’s ultimate goal is to convert visitors into paying customers, it makes sense to build strategies around them. This is the reason why marketing efforts should lead in a direction that gets your business to know your audience first and anticipate how they react. Doing this homework right will help your marketing team decide which influencers your audience will prefer to follow.

PS: People are more prone to the opinions of actual people rather than companies.

Decide on the type of influencers

Once you have zeroed down on the right type of audience, step number two demands deciding on the kind of influencers that can serve your campaign the best.

Here is a checklist of aspects to consider:

  • The tone (in which the influencer addresses his/her followers)
  • Persistence in value
  • Focus on mass engagement with each post
  • Content relevance
  • Audience data
  • Responsive quotient
  • Professionalism
  • Post frequency

Reward/incentivize your influencers

Is it compulsory to pay influencers?
The answer is “not necessarily.”

Well, this is one of the biggest misconceptions about influencers or brand ambassadors. A more relevant question here is, “should you reward/incentivize/compensate your influencers?”
YES.

It is time to give back. Remember, a little thankfulness can go a long way. If you have influencers doing an awesome job by spreading a positive word about your brand, the best you can do is give them more reasons to talk about it.

Take influencer marketing seriously

Unlike traditional advertising, which presses on selling the product or service using not-so-subtle techniques, influencer marketing adds a different flavor to the concept of marketing. Enriched with more useful, effective, and clever techniques, working on influencer marketing adds to the chances of placing the brand or product within a more organic context.

Do not waste time

In an era where the internet is considered a rich and reliable source of information, delaying influencer marketing adoption might slow down the process of converting visitors to customers.

How influencer marketing strengthens brand visibility?

As per a study, out of 81% of marketers that deployed influencer content, 51% were convinced that it outperforms brand-created content.

Therefore, it would not be wrong to claim that nothing works better than influencer marketing in terms of brand awareness.

And the cherry on the cake is the fact that influencer marketing is cost-effective; hence any and every enterprise can go for it to promote their brand.

Here are a few tips to strengthen the grip of influencer marketing and increase brand visibility:

  • Encourage influencers to create engaging content
  • Find and partner with influencers
  • Run contests and add giveaways
  • Launch brand ambassador programs

Conclusion

“People do not buy goods and services. They buy relations, stories, and magic.” -By Seth Godin, Marketing Pioneer and Serial Entrepreneur

Believe it or not, but people most often run behind buying experiences, and therefore it is extremely essential to connect. And what better than influencer marketing.

For more such exciting content, download our latest whitepapers on digital marketing.