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What Is Influencer Marketing?

Ever wonder how some businesses seem to expand into the stratosphere with marketing and networking success? Oftentimes, the key is simply a matter of who you hire and whether their influence on social media and beyond can attract more consumers to your business. Entering into the world of influencer marketing has the ability to take your bottom line from zero to hero.

And who is best poised to engage readers and inspire consumers than someone who knows the ins and outs of influencing the general public? If your marketing department is struggling and searching for strategies to gain prominence and a higher rank on Google Search, hiring an influencer would not only inform the team that you’re serious about your goals and mission statement, but would also show you’ve done the research to inform and educate the widespread public. 

What is influencer marketing?

Influencer marketing is a type of word-of-mouth marketing strategy that uses affiliates (or key leaders) to amplify your brand message to a wider audience. As popular as influencer marketing has become in the digital space, it’s imperative to build trust with those who are working to promote your brand. Sometimes, an influencer is a celebrity, an Instagram or YouTube personality with enormous followers, or other social media channels that can steer their audience towards your brand or business. 

The huge niche that influencer marketing boasts is on the upward trend as they are typically more of an authentic presence than corporate advertising. If you hire one onto your team, chances are they will boost clicks onto your website, they will lure otherwise wary customers to your brand with their viral messages, and they’ll promote via guest blogging and hyperlinking your message to death, if need be.

Social media becomes mainstream

The trend for social media sites is astronomical and growing every second. People are glomming onto those who inspire and create waves with a vengeance. To earn a follower on your social media site is almost similar to a badge of honor–you reap what you sow.

Depending on the site, whether it be Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, and a host of other prominent (but perhaps less notable) social media accounts, the person or business who accumulates a mass amount of followers are considered the influencers. These same people market themselves in such a way as to appeal to trends by remaining relevant within their message.

Hiring a social media influencer within your marketing plan vital to overall success. They are keen to their audience and which marketing tactics work best to deliver their missive. The key is to know what an influencer is good at, understand the market they’re trying to engage, and allow them to unleash their storytelling wittiness that sends a jolt to people listening or reading.

It’s a strategic puzzle to put together factual information that tugs on heartstrings or makes your audience think. Therefore, the influencer has to keep some pointers in mind:

Research trends – Remaining one step ahead of competitors goes a long way in the marketing world. If your influencer has a concept and is well-versed in that arena, let them go for it! The more they stay on top of the pack with captivating words, images, and wit, the more their influential circle widens.

Choosing which platform works to their advantage – There are numerous social media sites that cater to different generations, and to be popular amongst peers isn’t the only direction; an influencer also has to broaden their notifications and intelligence to grasp more people wanting what they have.

Timeliness – It isn’t so much what an influencer is posting and how politically correct–or incorrect–it may be, it’s documenting traffic through analysis that secures their place in the SEO ranks. Key words, key phrases, what time of day or week or month an influencer’s message becomes available, these are the boosts that help their influencer standing.

The Marketing Conundrum

When a prominent business or startup decides they want an influencer on their team to drive up sales and consumerism, they look no further than statistics. Who’s doing what and when. Typically, a business has a clear cut direction on their target audience, and if hiring an influencer to a team of already highly skilled professionals is warranted, the business improves their marketing presence twofold.

The influencer’s primary goal is to increase sales, no matter the type of business. They have the savvy, the extroverted tendencies, and the quality to improve your bottom line by bringing in people to your website. How do they do this, you might ask yourself? Since marketing and advertising are the established protocols to send out your announcements, the influencer is front and center on your account page. They bring in the traffic with their followers.

Because a marketing campaign is strategic and planned, it’s vital during the interview process of hiring an influencer to make certain that you’ve scoured their own social media accounts and pages for actual followers versus anything fake or overly embellished. A true influential person is one who genuinely understands the market they are soliciting and what brands to communicate to for their bottom line.

It doesn’t have to be difficult. In fact, an influencer’s collaborative efforts can motivate others on the team to up their game as well. SEO strategy gets a personal touch with proper influencer communication. That alone is something any business can benefit from when hiring a topnotch influencer.

Why now is the time

As marketing teams are evolving into more automation and more social media presence by businesses and entrepreneurs, the marketplace can become saturated if the influencer on your team hasn’t done their homework. The time is now to be on the cutting edge of culture and prominence, especially where marketing is involved.

Relying solely on past performances and measures doesn’t do your business justice. The influencer has to be one step ahead in creating catchy phrases coupled with images that have strong eye appeal. A strong and outstanding social media presence can be the boon your marketing team needs.

Go for brilliance, go for unique, go for the gold. Hire an influencer and watch your returns jump into a category of business marketing beyond your wildest dreams!