Millennials, now more in numbers than Baby Boomers, are transforming how Canadian companies operate, from the way they market their services to providing personalized experiences. The power has shifted into the hands of the consumers, who can now type, click, and swipe their way to the products and services they want, looking for customized interactions and stellar experiences.
Influencer Marketing Boost Your Brand’s Engagement
As Millennials become a rising power, they bring their unique set of values and expectations to the marketplace. For Canadian companies, the shake-up caused by this generation requires a new strategy in the way they attract, engage, and retain Gen Y’ers.
Connected 24/7, they’re shopping faster, smarter, and they are making educated decisions. According to different studies by a digital marketing agency, young adults value authentic communication more than anything. So, today’s marketers must learn how to meet Millennials’ expectations and demands with cutting-edge technologies.
Without a doubt, the world is changing. The question is, can marketers keep up with the new rules of engagement?
One way to do so is to work with influencers. An influencer is a blogger, social media personality or Internet star whose opinion values more than any marketing or advertising campaign. People trust their opinion more than they trust an ad.
Influencers are a great marketing tool, and they can help you gain exposure, increase your customer base and boost your sales. But, how do you go about finding the right influencer for your brand? Here are some helpful tips.
1) Identify Your Audience
Before you can even begin to start sending emails to top bloggers, you need to think about your audience. Who are you trying to influence? While you probably already have a good idea of who your audience is, you should keep in mind that you’ll most probably need different influencers for different audience segments.
Imagine that you sell photo cameras. You’ve got two major audiences – professional photographers and casual users who pick up a camera when they go on holiday. These are the two audience segments for which you need to seek influencers.
2) Figure out the Typical Influencer in Your Industry
A lot of businesses fail at using influencer marketing because they don’t filter. Instead, they send emails to influencers that seem to fit their audience’s profile. To be successful at this marketing tactic, you need to research and select influencers based on strong criteria, such as content resemblance, engagement, audience, reach and so on.
There are several tools you can use to find influencers that fit your brand message. Buzzsumo, for example, is an excellent tool that will help you discover who’s writing the most popular posts about the topics that matter to you.
3) Can They Add Value to Your Audience?
Once you’ve made a list of possible influencers, see if you can turn them into brand advocates.
Check their social media profiles and see if people consistently comment and engage with them.
4) Reach Out
You’ve created a list of top influencers that are relevant to your audience. Now comes the hardest part: reaching out. You can use social media to befriend industry influencers and introduce yourself. Don’t bore them too much with details about your brand. Instead, try to build a mutually beneficial relationship. Offer products, special discounts, vouchers, and so on in return for a brand mention or a share.
But, make sure to let them know that they should disclose when payment has been made for content. Advertising Standards Canada plans to introduce anew disclosure rule by 2017 that will ask internet personalities to reveal when they’ve received money or other benefits when posting a branded message.
5) Build Trust
Internet influencers have created a loyal fan base due to their unique opinions and engaging ways in which they express them. The beauty of influencer marketing is that when a blogger writes about a product, it doesn’t look like paid endorsement. Instead, it feels as if you are getting a suggestion from a friend. That’s why, instead of paying for occasional sponsored posts, it’s better to establish a long-term relationship with influencers and find the right balance between paid and native content.
Influencers are a great marketing tool that can boost sales and improve engagement. The only problem is that finding the right ones is hard, and many businesses shy away from it. But, with the right approach, you can get influencers to promote your products and increase your revenue. 🙂
