How would you compare Influencer Marketing with digital advertising?
Digital advertising has had a bit more time to come into its own with established benefits like YouTube and Google Ads. Influencer marketing is relatively new. Influencer marketing, in my opinion, gives promotions a more personal touch. It is also more cost and time effective because the loyalty between the digital influencer and your potential customers has already been formed.
Which social platforms do you think will be the most used by influencer marketers in the next 5 years?
Instagram/ YouTube/ TikTok
How do you currently find relevant and high-quality influencers for your marketing campaigns?
Competitor analysis
How would you decide which influencers to work with?
Manual audit of their accounts
How should brands use Instagram influencers to grow their business? What is your personal experience with Instagram influencing?
Many influencers, in my experience, are becoming increasingly aware of their purchasing power over potential clients. As a result, brands should treat working with influencers as a collaboration between businesses. Also, allowing influencers to try out your products (or services) for a period of time and leaving an honest review has been shown to have a positive impact for both brands and follower engagement.
What are some common tools and strategies to help grow your presence on Instagram? Are you currently using any tools?
Basic tools that every social media marketer should be familiar with include Hootsuite, CoSchedule, Pexels, Canva, and Google Sheets and Docs. However, if you want to stand out, I believe that using tools like Google Analytics (to track your progress), Dashthis, Brand24, and Adobe Photoshop, VSCO, and other well-known editing programs would be extremely beneficial to you as a brand.
What advice would you give to a new business that wants to gain and grow its paid sponsorships?
I would strongly advise against taking a cliche, meme-focused strategy. Inauthenticity typically does not elicit a response from users. The entire concept of social media, in my opinion, is founded on relatability through creativity and authenticity. If you want to increase your paid sponsorships, you must stand out from the crowd while adhering to the “game’s” rules and current trends. Investigate what’s currently trending and find a way to authentically connect your brand message to it. Avoid overt advertising and instead try for a creative answer to a topic that is relevant to your company.
How do you think Influencer Marketing will grow among small businesses in the near future?
You want to stay current and innovative as a small business owner while responding to the changes that are occurring now and to the changes that may occur in the future. I believe that influencer marketing is a future trend that will greatly benefit small businesses.
How do you currently collaborate with and pay Instagram influencers? Name any tools and strategies that you use.
I prefer to reach out to influencers through their agencies. It’s easier to get an agreement and a standard rate with a potential client that way. However, influencers are frequently self-managed and prefer to handle all sponsorships themselves. As a result, setting up a virtual meeting is important to discuss terms and get a sense of what your influencer is about. Use this meeting to guide your decision.
