How to Develop a Successful Influencer Marketing Strategy — from 7 Entrepreneurs

How to Develop a Successful Influencer Marketing Strategy—from 7 Entrepreneurs

From looking into platforms to researching more into your audience’s network, here are seven answers to the question, “Can you share your most effective steps in developing a successful influencer marketing strategy?”

• Identify Influencers, Research Platforms, and Align Cause
• Pursue Micro-influencers 
• Build Genuine Relationships
• Focus on their Engagement Rate and Niche
• Create Strategies Beyond a Social Media Post
• Define Your Target Audience 
• Find Out Who Your Followers Follow

Identify Influencers, Research Platforms, and Align Cause

An effective influencer marketing strategy should start by identifying potential brand advocates by researching the most relevant platforms. Taking the time to identify your audience and what drives them can help you select ideal spokespeople for campaigns. 

To further ensure success, create an agreement with influencers that stipulates the expectations of both parties, so all are on the same page. A widely used strategy is to align a cause-oriented hashtag or campaign to make sure organic promotion occurs beyond basic brand awareness activities. 

For instance, you could launch a hashtag where people share stories relevant to the cause or product with a preset hashtag, which emphasizes a unified theme across social media channels and creates appeal amongst online demographics.

Michael Alexis, CEO, swag.org

Pursue Micro-influencers 

Don’t undervalue the micro-influencers. Micro-influencers might not seem worth pursuing at first since they only have between 10,000 to 50,000 followers. But compared to the bigger fish with millions of followers, these smaller followings actually achieve higher engagement on each post. 

This makes sense because the influencers have a higher chance of building relationships and rapport with their followers than one with a far higher number. By engaging a range of micro-influencers rather than dropping your total budget into one, you can get closer attention on your brand for less of an investment.

Jonathan Zacharias, Founder, GR0

Build Genuine Relationships

One effective tip for developing a successful influencer marketing strategy is to focus on building genuine relationships with social media influencers who align with your brand values and target audience. 

This involves identifying influencers who have a genuine interest in your products or services and whose personality, style, and values are aligned with your brand message. Once you have identified your ideal influencers, you can reach out to them with a personalized message that highlights the common interests and values you share.

To build a genuine relationship with influencers, you should also be willing to collaborate with them on creative ideas and give them creative freedom to promote your brand in their own unique way. By collaborating with influencers in this way, you can create content that is both authentic and effective at engaging their followers and driving sales.

Brenton Thomas, CEO, Twibi 

Focus on their Engagement Rate and Niche

Focus on engagement, not follower count. Most businesses don’t have the budget to hire the top influencers out there for a campaign, so maximizing reach is important. 

The best way to do that is to focus your strategy on high-engagement accounts within your brand’s niche. You’ll get more of a return on investment from content creators who can actually generate clicks and sales than you will from someone who simply has a big audience. 

Additionally, by sticking with influencers who align with your brand, you’re more likely to convert their followers to become your own.

Brian Munce, Managing Director, Gestalt Brand Lab

Create Strategies Beyond a Social Media Post

It’s important to focus on other strategies than a social media post or story. While this is a basic strategy, there are other elements that can make it a more enticing partnership. Consider hosting an event and inviting influencers and encouraging them to interact with the product or service. Or create an exciting PR package that stands out amongst competitors. This strategy adds creativity to influencer marketing and is more beneficial for both parties.

Kenneth Lin, CEO, BOOP Bakery

Define Your Target Audience 

Know who you’re trying to influence. Who is your target audience? The answer to this question will dictate who you try to partner with. You want to partner with someone with a similar target audience to your own. They should share similar values, morals, and beliefs. I’d suggest finding an influencer who knows your brand, loves your brand, and can honestly give props to your brand without being inauthentic.

Andrew Meyer, CEO, Arbor

Find Out Who Your Followers Follow

In order to select influencers who align with your brand’s values, find out who users listen to and respect. Perhaps you can send out an off-the-record survey. 

To drive up sales, your influencers must be credible, or on social media terms, have “clout.” Aside from this, developing a successful influencer marketing strategy involves identifying your target audience, researching potential influencers, establishing clear goals, defining metrics for success, creating engaging content, and measuring the impact of your campaign.

Marco Genaro Palma, Co-founder, TechNews180