10 Steps to Leverage Influencer Marketing to Reach New Audiences and Increase Trust

In the beginning, there was word-of-mouth marketing. There still is, but because of the internet, there is now a different word-of-mouth strategy. Family and friends or colleagues do not carry this kind out; rather, it is spearheaded by a new growing section of the internet, specifically the social media space: influencers.

Influencers are people who have built a large following and have gained the trust of their audience through consistent engagement. As a business, if you want to tap into that audience base, the only way is to win over the person on top of the chain. Their credibility rubs off on your brand and helps you achieve your goals.

However, this is not as simple as sending a DM to an influencer and hoping for the best. It has to be strategic, and this article presents a strategy you can follow in ten simple steps.

Why Influencer Marketing?

In recent years, influencer marketing has become an increasingly popular way for brands to reach their target audience and build brand awareness. Influencers typically have a strong and engaged following on social media or other online platforms. Partnering with them can help you tap into their audiences and gain exposure to potential new customers.

Additionally, followers trust their opinions and recommendations because influencers are often considered experts or thought leaders within their niche or industry. This can help to increase the level of trust that consumers have in your brand, as they are more likely to believe positive messages about your brand when they come from someone they respect and trust.

1. Identify your target audience

Before you launch any influencer marketing campaigns, you need to know who you want to reach. It would be best to consider things l gender, location, interests, and buying habits of your ideal customers.

That way, you can choose influencers with a similar audience to yours and can help you attract more leads.

2. Define your goals

Successful influencer marketing must be goal-driven. If you don’t know what you want your campaign to achieve, then you won’t get any results. Your goal might be to build awareness or get more website visitors. Invest in influencers who have delivered those results to other clients.

To set realistic goals, use the Eye10 Industry Checker to evaluate your industry, determine competitors, and set a plan to stand out.

3. Identify potential influencers

Social media analytics and influencer marketing platforms can help you search for influencers who align with your brand and have a large following in your target audience. They can help you choose influencers who are ideal for your campaign.

4. Evaluate influencers

Evaluate each potential influencer based on engagement rates, reach, audience demographics, and past sponsored content. Look for influencers with a high engagement level with their followers, a large reach within your target audience, and a track record of creating high-quality sponsored content that aligns with your brand’s message.

5. Define the terms of the partnership

Once you have determined that a certain influencer is fit for your campaign, this is the next step. Defining the terms of the partnership goes beyond purely business activities such as compensation and the like, even though you have to discuss that too.

More importantly, you must clearly explain what the influencer wants and ensure that they also understand your requirements. This might take a series of discussions to arrive at a definite point, but it is worth the effort to avoid misunderstandings later during the campaign.

6. Develop a content plan

An actionable content plan will be the natural product of such a series of discussions with your influencer. This is where you determine the type of content you want to focus on, whether it’s purely social media posts or blog articles. Or whether you want to infuse some video content or there might be photoshoot sessions.

You also get to determine the specific topics and themes the campaign will focus on. As much as you want the content to match your brand message and goals, let the process be collaborative and glean ideas from the influencer. Remember that they do the work and must choose what they are comfortable with.

If you need keyword suggestions to target, use the Eye10 Keyword Planner to enhance your strategy.

7. Create engaging content

Once the content plan has been developed, it’s time to create engaging and high-quality content that resonates with the influencer’s audience and promotes your brand.

Work well with the influencer to ensure that the content matches your brand’s message and goals while still feeling real and natural to the influencer’s voice.

8. Monitor and measure results

Throughout the campaign, it’s important to monitor the performance of your influencer marketing efforts and measure their impact on key metrics such as engagement rates, website traffic, and sales conversions.

This will help you determine your campaign’s effectiveness and make any necessary adjustments as you go.

9. Maintain transparency

Maintaining transparency throughout your influencer marketing campaign is essential to build trust with your audience. Be sure to disclose any sponsored content as such clearly, and avoid making any false or misleading claims about your brand or products.

10. Foster ongoing relationships

Finally, fostering ongoing relationships with influencers who perform well and align with your brand’s values is important.

These relationships can help to sustain the impact of your influencer marketing efforts over time and build a network of advocates for your brand. Consider offering additional opportunities to work together or inviting influencers to exclusive events or product launches to build long-term partnerships.

Conclusion

Influencer marketing is a great way to reach new audiences and increase trust in your brand. Following these 10 steps, you can create and execute a successful influencer marketing campaign meeting your goals and budget.

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