The rise to prominence of social media and the important role it plays in society has seen the introduction and scaling of influencer marketing. Nowadays, consumers have become savvier about traditional advertising methods. They don’t buy into TV adverts with ridiculous budgets, and they can spot a Google Ad, Facebook Ad, or sponsored post a mile off. However, what they do like is seeing people just like them, their idols, or anyone they can relate to, using and recommending products.
One of our top eCommerce marketing strategy tips is to include influencer marketing, and we’re going to explain why.
What Is An Influencer?
An influencer is someone who has the power and presence to influence the behavior and buying decisions of an engaged community of followers, subscribers, or fans. Usually, they will have a particular niche or industry they focus on.
The Benefits of eCommerce Influencer Marketing
An Engaged, Trusting, & Targeted Audience
Over time, influencers have established a large following or engaged and trusting individuals. You know they are engaged because they have the choice to consume the content each influencer is producing, and they’ve actively hit the follow or subscribe button. Currently, no other eCommerce marketing channels can offer this level of audience engagement.
Additionally, you can choose to work with an influencer depending on the products your business specializes in. For example, you could provide clothing to a fashion and lifestyle blogger or a food processor to someone who shares recipes. Their followers are likely interested in the same topics that their content is about.
Cost-Effective Contracts
Influencer marketing contracts can be incredibly cost-effective, especially if you work with up-and-coming creators. There are a few types of contracts that are most common.
- Offer free products in exchange for content that promotes your brand and products with no further payment
- Provide a unique link for the influencer to use for directing customers to your products – they get paid a percentage of each sale from their link
- Agree a fixed fee, where you pay a one-off amount to the influencer for a specified amount of work
Other contracts can be negotiated, but these are the most popular and best place to start. To calculate the fixed fee, you need to assess how much value the influencer can bring to your business. The number of followers somebody has and their engagement, such as the views they get, is a good place to start.
Things To Lookout For
Be sure that the influencer you choose to work with is applicable to your products. If they aren’t, you fall into the possibility of working with someone who doesn’t have an audience interested in what you offer. Secondly, do an audit of their followers and subscribers. Fake accounts are a problem, disguising the true reach an influencer has. Finally, be clear with your brief. You don’t want a third party to misrepresent your brand and cause irreparable damage.
Overall, when done correctly, influencer marketing has the power to generate much revenue for your business.