Is Influencer Marketing Affordable for Small Brands?

If you've read our book then some of this topic will sound familiar. Rest assured, we’re dropping new gems on this blog! 

Think of it as marketing through human connection. The purpose of influencers is to utilize their audience in hopes of them converting into your brand’s #village. Influencers are like walking billboards who are opinion-based when speaking on a brand.

So, why does your brand need influencer marketing? With the strategies Our Sisters mastered with 10+ years of experience in the industry, we know these tips and tools will equip you with the confidence needed to have a successful influencer marketing investment!

1. Why Influencer Marketing?:

Drives traffic to your website:

When collaboration takes place, think of it as another avenue to drive traffic to your website, social media, and subscribers list. By collaborating with influencers in your niche or industry, you're leveraging a community of individuals interested in your brand or services. Keep this in mind when you're looking for the perfect influencer to promote your brand because not every account will be effective for you! With that being said, influencer marketing is an effective way to add credibility to what your company has to offer.

Brand Awareness & Purchase Power:

With the right kind of content being advertised; meaning quality images and videos; this is a great way to reach new people. Don’t be a push-over brand who accepts any quality of advertisement because the content your creators curate is a reflection of your company! Don’t forget that there's a method to the madness of choosing influencers. Just because they have 1+ million followers does that mean you will see any form of ROI. It’s all about their engagement rate, who follows them, location, and so much more. If this is something you're thinking you'll need help with, tap here for tools that assist with this!

UGC: (User Generated Content)

User Generated Content is more powerful than you think and it’s going nowhere no time soon. Not only does UGC establish credibility for your brand but it’s content you get to use forever! I remember working at Fashion Nova when Cardi B was still considered an influencer more than a celebrity and when she kept climbing the ladder of status, so did the company! Now, you can say it’s cheap or you just don't like the brand however, you can’t deny seeing every type of person from low-income to celeb-staus rich rocking the product! Knowing this information, try looking for influencers constantly on the move because you can own content like this forever!

2. How To Begin Influencer Partnerships:

Building relationships with your dedicated influencers is key to successful campaigns and here's why:

• They're real people and just like you, they can tell when a brand comes off more fake than genuine. Knowing this, be sure to start an organic conversation with the individuals that fit your brand. Think about how your products fit into this person's lifestyle and why your brand will benefit them. On our website, we have outreach templates and the responses needed once you get replies of interest. 
• How you choose an influencer for your brand comes with detail and strategy if you want to be successful or see a decent ROI. In our book 25+ Tips to Online Sales, we lay out the steps needed for successful influencer campaigns while providing you with the research tools necessary to choose the right people to represent your brand’s vision! In the meantime, here's a few things you can do on your own but we highly encourage you complete chapter 4 of the book where we detail out each step we’ve laid out below:

1. Create your brand’s personas.
2. Find and draft a list of influencers that fit your brand’s personas.
3. Check their followers for bots.
4. Check their engagement rate for fake impressions.
5. Check how often they post. (this is extremely important)
6. Begin outreach.

1. Social Blade - tells the entire story behind the account from past history to present. Goes as far as telling you how much each Youtuber makes per video.
2. Latergram - Scheduling and analytics tool.
3. Phlanx - Audit accounts, outreach automation tool.

With these tools, your brand will have a jump start on successful campaigns but remember to take these tips with a grain of salt because each company has a different goal!

3. THERE ARE 5 TYPES OF INFLUENCERS AS OF 2022:

MEGA INFLUENCERS

1. These humans have the highest visibility but are not going to be the highest for engagement rates.
2. Working with Mega Influencers is good for retention when it comes to the celebrities in the categories below:
1. TV
2. MUSIC
3. PODCASTS
4. SPORTS
5. OTHER FORMS OF ENTERTAINMENT:
1. COMEDY
2. MUSICALS/PLAYS
3. CHEFS 

MACRO INFLUENCERS
Accounts with 500k - 1 million followers.

1. More than likely gained their leverage from a social media platform. (It’s important to know which is their strongest)
2. This group will consist of mid-tier celebrities and professional athletes.
3. These influencers are going to be your heavy hitters when it comes to purchase power because they've built an online community based on trust and influence.

MACRO INFLUENCERS
Accounts with 100k - 500k followers.

1. You will find content creators looking to break into the mainstream media based on their industry.
2. Mid-tier influencers have a higher engagement average than Macro and Mega influencers.
3. Tay Tip!: Purchase 3+ ads with this group, analyze the performances of the ads, then make a judgment call. Not following? Download this today for more details on the topic! 

MICRO INFLUENCERS
Accounts with 10k - 100k followers.

1. As of 202 - 82% of consumers will buy products and services recommended by this group.
2. More affordable and can see ROI quicker than the first (3) influencers.

NANO INFLUENCERS
Accounts with 1k - 10k followers.

1. Can negotiate product exchange opposed to $$$
2. Great for small brands or low budgets looking to tap into the influencer space.

All in all, working with the right influencers will aid your brand in lead-generation, sales, and a more meaningful community.