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Wednesday 26 October 2016

The future of influencer marketing: 3 tips to boost brand loyalty and reach


HEY! I wrote a little blog post for Bite, the agency I work at. Check it out and let me know what tips would you give for influencer marketing?




Influencer marketing is powerful. When an influential Insta-fashionista posts a picture of their freshest outfit on the gram and tags the retailer in their post, the store can expect their item to sell out within a matter of days or even hours.
However, influencer marketing is a relatively new practice, and brands and marketers are still adjusting to it. 84% of marketing professionals worldwide are planning to start influencer marketing this year, and those who are already doing so have plans to prioritise it even more, according to marketing research company Schlesinger Associates. There has also been a 76% increase in Google searches for “influencer marketing” since April 2013.
Take a look at my three tips that can help you boost brand loyalty, and accelerate your brand messaging with your influencers:
1. Dark social and untapped platforms
The most obvious place to look for social influencers is across the major social networking sites, such as, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram. But what about the others? Have you checked out alternative platforms such as SoundCloud, Vine, Pinterest and Spotify?
It’s also worth exploring dark social (sharing of content that occurs outside of what can be measured by analytics programmes) and private social networks like Snapchat, WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger. Marketers and brands are putting more focus towards dark social. Why? RadiumOne recently discovered that 80% of UK mobile clickbacks are happening via dark social. WOAH.
2. Don’t be just another ‘pay-for-play’ partner
Sure, you can just post your products to your influencer network, but there are other things you can be doing to ensure you’re achieving maximum brand loyalty. Why not get more collaborative with your influencers?
Work together on content ideas and ask for their opinion. If they feel like they’re helping you lead on ideas for content, it might make them more excited about working with your brand. This collaborative approach will also strengthen the closeness of your relationship.
3. Be campaign-led
Aimlessly sending products off to your influencers doesn’t necessarily guarantee you’ll get a blog post that’s consistent with your brand messaging. Be more campaign-led. What’s the purpose behind your wider marketing plan? Does your influencer plan stand for anything? It should.
Be clear in your communication with your influencers. Tell them what your brand believes in, the purpose of the campaign and why you think they would be a great influencer to get involved. Marry up you brand beliefs with theirs; you’ll get a better chance of being featured, and you’re more likely to get coverage on their platform with something that is bang on brand message.

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