Influencers are one of the most relevant digital trends in the world of marketing and social networks. Because content creators have gained unique value and relevance due to their versatility and persuasive abilities. They entertain their audience through posts, pictures, videos, reels, or stories. They create educational or entertaining materials that respond to the interests of their audience every day. 

It is rumoured that the end of the dominant empire is not far away. The truth is that influencer marketing is still one of the most effective strategies for companies. It seems, then, that influencer marketing still has a lot to offer. And it, like matter, is neither created nor destroyed, but destined to change. 

If you've started researching influencer marketing before, you may find conflicting information, including recommendations that using social influencers is absolutely essential or that there's no need to grow them. 

But then what benefits can you expect from influencer marketing? What place should the relationship with these professionals occupy in marketing strategies? 

As a brand, navigating the many influencer marketing strategies today is harder than ever, but here's a guide to making sense of it all. 

Read our tips to determine how to set up an effective marketing strategy for you.

 

What is influencer marketing?

At a basic level, influencer marketing is a type of social media marketing that uses endorsements and product mentions from influencers or individuals who have a specific social audience and are viewed as experts in their niche. Influencer marketing works because social influencers have built a high level of trust among their audience, and recommendations from them serve as social proof for potential customers of your brand.

 

How to create an influencer marketing strategy?

Now that you know what influencer marketing is, it's time to create your own influencer marketing strategy. 

Here are the steps you need to follow:

 

Define your goals

The first step is to set your goals. What do you want to achieve with influencer marketing? Will it increase your brand awareness? Increase traffic to your website? Increased sales? 

It is important to be clear about your goals from the beginning. This will help you choose the right influencers and measure the results of your campaign

 

Identify your target market

The second step is to identify your target market. Who are your potential customers? What are their interests? Where are they hanging out online? 

This information will help you find the right influencers for your campaign.

 

Find the right influencers

Now that you know who your target market is, it's time to find the right influencers. There are several ways to do this: 

●      Use influencer marketing platforms: These platforms allow you to search for influencers by category, location, etc.

●      Use Social Media: You can use social media to find influencers in your industry. Just search for relevant hashtags on Twitter, Instagram, etc.

●      Connect with influencers: Once you've found the right influencers, it's time to reach out to them. Send them an email or post on social media and tell them what you're looking for

 

Negotiate the terms of the collaboration

Once you've found an influencer who wants to work with you, it's time to negotiate the terms of the collaboration. These include things like: 

●      The type of content that will be created

●      Content format (e.g. blog post, social media post, video)

●      Promotion period

●      compensation

●      Measure the results 

Once the campaign is over, it's time to measure results. Includes things like this 

●      The number of views/impressions

●      The number of clicks

●      The number of sales

 

The efficiency of Influence Marketing: How do you measure it?

To do influencer marketing, it is necessary to determine what factors will be measured to determine the success or failure of this strategy. We need to have a plan with measurable and achievable objectives that will help us in two possible situations:

●      the minimum attainable and

●      the maximum possible attainable. 

Consider the minimum the brand should achieve based on the estimated average reach per influencer's publication.

 

Indicators to be considered for Influence Marketing.

Reach

It indicates how many people or users we can influence, and who will receive the influencer's message that will create the stimulus needed to achieve sales and conversions. The opportunity needs to be estimated to justify the advertising investment in the influencer.

 

Cost per thousand

This factor is often overlooked by brands, but it is important that brands have a cost-per-thousand reference. Thus, it measures the influencer's efficiency relative to their normal cost. This cost can be deducted from your regular investment in the platform you want to influence.

 

Engagement and Relevance

It is important for the brand to be clear about what percentage of engagement the influencer has. Similarly, alike is not the same as a comment or a share, knowing how your followers react to your publications will help brands understand the quality of content published by influencers and its relevance to other influencers. This way you will be able to determine the average index and influencer value of your community. 

So, it is not enough to communicate the publication, but what kind of interaction is achieved? Well, if the interaction is about a product or service, it's more valuable than the influencer's status.

 

Price and Budget to hire an influencers

Before starting with this point, it is important to know our budget because most influencers ask for financial remuneration. Although there are others who do it because of brand affinity or reciprocity, which would be an exchange mechanism. This is why we must be clear that the investment is determined by the number of followers, reach, and engagement that the influencer achieves through their publications. 

A contract with an influencer under exclusivity can be as expensive as a marketing campaign. So a reference cost cannot be given, but the first contract can always be open or uncertain. Thus, after measuring the results, you will get a clear idea about the value of the determined brand influencer.

 

Measure the Results of the Influencer Marketing Campaign

As the last step in completing a good influence strategy, the influencer needs to measure or ask for all indicators of all their actions. For this, the influencer must act responsibly and provide transparent data. This way, the brand will be clear on things and will be able to see a return on its investment. While it is clear that this performance factor should be considered over a period of time, ideally it should be within 30 days of every month. It can be up to 30 days after taking the first step. 

By measuring results, you can see if your influencer marketing campaign was successful and make adjustments for future campaigns.