market research Archives - AFLUENCER

Choosing the Right Influencer: Two Dos and A Don’t

Ana Vanevska — Wed, 03 Feb 2021 22:16:37 +0000

Over the years influencer marketing has become an essential part of the campaigns of many brands. A recent study shows that more than 60% of brands and companies involved with influencer marketing increased their spending.

Many brands know that partnering with influencers can be very effective for their marketing strategies and will attract potential customers. But there is one obstruction on this path of promotion that can affect the success of many marketers. Choosing the right influencer for a partnership can often prove to be quite the challenge.

Searching for the right influencers is challenging because there are so many influencers on social media platforms. For example, on Instagram alone, there are more than half a million influencers. Searching the entire social network in order to find the right influencers can take a lot of time.

1st Do When Choosing the Right Influencer: Prioritize Quality Over Quantity

Nano and micro-influencers gained a lot of popularity recently in the influencer marketing industry. Mainly because these influencers have a deeper connection with their followers and are creating original and authentic content. That being the case many brands choose to collaborate with the “smaller” influencers over the celebrity-level ones.

Macro-influencers are indeed dominant in the influencer industry. However, in reality, this can have a negative effect on the brand’s campaigns. Surveys show that in many cases the involvement rate of an influencer reduces as the number of their followers grows. Micro and nano influencers have followers that are more loyal and trustworthy. And that is why they can have a greater impact on them when promoting a brand.

2nd Do When Choosing the Right Influencer: Categorize Your Marketing Strategy to Your KPI

Increasing sales and website traffic is the job of an influencer, this will help your brand to improve its image and reach new potential customers. As a brand, if you determine your goals it will be easier to find the right people and the effectiveness of your campaign will increase.

To reach the influencers, first research their online accounts, like their locations, gender, hobbies, age, occupation, etc.

It takes a lot of time to do a deep search for an adequate influencer. However, this will give you the much-needed insight and it will be easier for you to choose the right influencer to partner with.

Here are a few tips:

Search Hashtags

Through hashtags, you can easily identify the suitable influencer for collaboration.

Check Who The Influencers Follow

By checking their activities and interactions on daily basis you can find other potential creators for partnership.

Know Who Is Tagging Your Brand

By discovering who is mentioning your brand or sharing information about your products you will most likely find your potential partner there.

Don’t Do This: Research Only the Influencer

The mistake that brands often make is that they only target the influencers, but many times there is a big difference between influencers and their audience.

The relevance of an influencer’s followers is crucial in order to see whether that influencer is a perfect fit for your brand.

There are a lot of factors that determine the success of your marketing campaign, choosing the right influencer is just one part of the mosaic.

For a more successful marketing campaign, you must do the right planning and implementation.

The post Choosing the Right Influencer: Two Dos and A Don’t appeared first on AFLUENCER.

4 Qualities All Influencer Marketers Need To Have

Ana Vanevska — Sat, 08 Aug 2020 00:32:15 +0000

When it comes to promoting a brand on social media, influencers are an invaluable part of a successful campaign. As influencer marketing grows and matures, influencers begin to rely more on the services of influencer marketers. They seek their help to coordinate workloads, find suitable partners, and ensure ongoing success. But what qualities do influencer marketers need? What will help them secure clients and create long, successful partnerships between influencers and brands?

Here are 4 important qualities influencer marketers must possess:

Influencer Marketer Quality 1: Professionalism

Professionalism is certainly an important quality for any industry. However, when it comes to influencer marketers, this is a quality that can truly make you stand out from the crowd. An influencer marketer needs to always make the client they’re representing their number one priority.

They are the link between the influencer and the brand. So they need to make sure they’re representing the influencer’s best interests. Even if they don’t agree with everything they do.

The same applies if they are not satisfied with a brand’s collab offer. They still need to remain professional and negotiate terms in a respectful manner. This ensures that you don’t close any doors prematurely as well as leave a good impression on your client.

Influencer Marketer Quality 2: Communication

Great communication skills are an essential quality of all influencer marketers. In order to avoid any potential misunderstandings, an influencer marketer should aim to be in constant communication with both the influencer and the company. This will allow them to solve any problems as they arise and prevent any missteps along the way.

Making sure a campaign runs smoothly involves a lot of moving parts. So having an open channel of communication can prevent mistakes. Since the marketer is someone who can understand both sides of a partnership they are also acting as a mediator between the brand and the influencer.

Quality 3: Flexibility

Even with a perfect plan, things can go wrong. Sometimes, an unexpected event can mean that all of the previous plans will no longer be viable. Should this happen, an influencer marketer should have the flexibility to handle the situation and minimize any repercussions.

It’s not rare for things not to work out according to the original plan, but this should not mean a halt to all work. An influencer marketer needs to be able to act and act fast in order to adjust to the new circumstances, which is why flexibility is such a key quality.

Quality 4: Informed and Thorough

An influencer marketer should go beyond the basics of social media, and be able to stay up to date with pretty much everything that is going on in the digital world. In addition to this quality, a marketer also needs to be thoroughly informed about the current situation of the influencer they are working with.

Successful influencer marketing is all about authenticity and having the ability to combine what the influencer is promoting with their current life situation will be a large benefit to the overall success of the campaign. Thorough knowledge of the influencer also includes knowing which brands and niches work best for the influencer.

The work of influencer marketers is invaluable for the connections they forge between brands and influencers. Here at Afluencer, we aim to take that connection to the next level. Sign up today and start building lasting partnerships.

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How Micro-Influencers Can Successfully Pitch Brands

Ana Vanevska — Wed, 08 Jul 2020 23:01:59 +0000

As the popularity of influencers and influencer marketing continues to rise, it can be tough to get started as a micro-influencer. There are so many influencers on the market that standing out and getting sponsored can seem like an insurmountable challenge. If you’re new to the world of influencers you may not know how to begin getting deals and pitching brands.

How do you know when to pitch a brand? Should you reach out first or wait for the brand to contact you instead? How many followers are enough for you to start taking part in sponsorships?

The good news is, that you don’t need a set amount of followers in order to reach out to brands. And you should also not be scared to reach out first! You just need to figure out the best way to do it. Use these tips to help you successfully pitch brands as a micro-influencer.

Pick the Right Brand Before You Pitch

Choosing the right brand to partner with is the essential first step. There are millions of brands out there, and not all of them will be the right match for you. Making sure that the brand you choose to approach is a good fit will help you make sure that the partnership you create is a mutually beneficial one.

Collaborating with the wrong brand, that doesn’t compliment your personal brand will send an inauthentic message to your audience and will cost you their trust.

Keep in mind that your small but devoted audience is the most valuable asset you have as a micro-influencer, and choose to partner with brands that fit your values and will offer something of interest to your followers.

If you’re not sure where to start take a look at brands that have already partnered with influencers in your niche.

Do Your Research on the Brands

When you think you’ve found the right brand to work with, start doing some research. Your research should be more in-depth than your initial assessment. You want to be certain of the brand’s values and message, its target audience, and its general reception.

This will help you avoid any miscommunications down the line about what they stand for and what partnering with them can offer your own audience. Doing your research will help you establish clear guidelines about the partnership and determine what your collaboration should look like.

Taking the time to research the brand will give you the knowledge to tailor your pitch to the brand. You should never use the same email to pitch multiple brands. Brands get dozens of messages every day. Approaching them with a message that has the backing of your research will help you stand out. It will also let them know that you are a person who does the work required.

Focus on your Audience

Don’t make it about you when you’re reaching out to a brand. Your audience is your biggest asset so make them the focus of your pitch. The quality of your followers will likely be the deciding factor when a brand is deciding whether or not to work with you. So avoid making it about you. Instead shine a spotlight on the audience, their interests, engagement, and the benefits a brand can expect when working with you.

Knowing your demographic will also go a long way in determining which brands are the right partners for you. After all, brands that work with micro-influencers are looking to expand their own audience. And if your followers don’t fit into their target demographic they won’t be interested.

Of course, one of the easiest ways to pitch brands as a micro-influencer is to get help from someone with experience.

At Afluencer, we help connect up-and-coming influencers with the right brands. Helping you get a running start on building successful partnerships.

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Tips For Developing Your YouTube Marketing Strategy

Ana Vanevska — Wed, 10 Jun 2020 01:50:13 +0000

YouTube is the largest video platform in the world and the second-largest search engine, outranked only by Google. It’s no surprise that so many companies and marketers are using it to connect with customers and promote their brands. Video marketing is considered one of the best, with the biggest ROI and the results it achieves are indisputable. If you’ve been considering getting started with video marketing on YouTube, these tips can help you develop your strategy.

4 YouTube Marketing Strategy Tips to Up Your Game

1. Research is Key to Any YouTube Marketing Strategy

As with any other marketing strategy, researching your YouTube target audience is the key to success. In order to deliver the video content that your target audience wants to see, you must first dedicate time to understanding what they want instead of simply diving in head-first.

The quickest way to discern what type of content is popular with your customer base is to take a look at what your competition is doing. Understand the type of video content they’re producing and gauge the audience’s reaction to it.

This will also make it easier to spot any gaps in their strategies. Allowing you to come in and create content that fills this gap. It will also give you a better idea of what to avoid and what to focus on when producing videos.

2. Be Useful and Keep It Interesting

People tend to interact with video content on a larger scale than other content types. Understanding why is crucial to your marketing strategy and deciding the type of video content you want to produce for your brand. Video is so popular because it’s a more engaging and personal way of sharing information. And not to mention, that videos are more entertaining than written blogs and social media posts.

When people choose to watch a video they are looking to gain some form of value whether that’s to be entertained or to learn something new. Even if you’re making a straightforward tutorial try to avoid boring monologues. Instead, look for a way to keep things interesting. Make sure your content fulfills at least one if not both of these categories and you will see your engagement soar.

3. Have CTAs and Link To Your Website

Since you can’t add CTA buttons to YouTube videos, you must find ways to include them in the video itself. Consider what you want your audience to do once they have finished watching your video and tailor your call-to-action for each one.

If you’re looking to grow your channel, ask them to like and subscribe. If you want to drive website traffic, let them know to check out your website.

A good YouTube marketing plan is to ensure you always have a link to your website readily available. Either by adding it to the description box or by adding an annotation within the video itself. Adding annotations leading to related videos is another great way to keep viewers interested and watching more of your content.

4. Keep a Consistent Quality

It is often harder to maintain a YouTube channel than a blog or Instagram account. Especially when you consider all the tasks that go into creating a video. Such as scriptwriting, filming, video editing, and production.

This is why it’s very important to plan your video creations ahead of time. You can then make sure you’re producing content that will be posted consistently while still keeping its quality.

Don’t jump in and start posting Youtube videos without a strategy for your content and marketing efforts. Even if you start out strong, as soon as the quality drops, the risk of losing subscribers comes along.

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Cashing in on Valentine’s Day as a Business Through Social Media Marketing

Aaron Tylor — Mon, 03 Feb 2020 18:23:28 +0000

The response from regular people to world leaders’ calls for war has proved one thing: that the younger generation stands by the idea of making love, not war. And this younger generation is likely going to be the majority of your potential customers—right now, and in the future.

Speaking of love, Valentine’s Day is right around the corner and businesses should start getting their marketing game on.

While we know that it’s absolutely appalling that we think that one day out of 365 (366 this year!) should be reserved for love, it is what it is.

Plus, sales numbers on Valentine’s Day are truly staggering.

Valentine’s Day Spending

Last year, $30 billion was collectively spent on spouses by Americans. From heart-shaped trinkets to cheesy poetry books, there’s no telling what the infatuated lover might buy—but it’s pretty much a given that they’ll buy at least something. No one wants a breakup on Valentine’s Day, after all.

Data shows that husbands were the highest spenders, with the average husband spending $357.96 on their wives. Next in the line were parents buying for their kids. And third on the list were people buying gifts for themselves.

Yep, single people spent more on Valentine’s Day last year than boyfriends did on their girlfriends. So keep that in mind for your Valentine’s Day marketing campaign.

Thinking about all those possible singles in your audience who would be looking to buy gifts? Then check out our awesome post on gift brand partnership opportunities. You’ll find plenty of wonderful gifts that you can promote to your singles community.

What the Sales Data Tells Us

There are a couple of deductions we can make from the data. For one, we know that people aren’t turned off by the idea of spending money in the name of love.

We also know that people are partial to heart-shaped goods. And we know—since even single people spend a great deal—that everyone wants a little love in their lives.

And that’s exactly why Valentine’s Day is such a great day for business. We wonder why there is only one of these days in the year!

Given how willing we know people are on the 14^th of February, no business should sit idle this time of year. Here are some of our favorite marketing ideas to incorporate into your social media strategies:

Partner with an Influencer: The only thing couples like more than… coupling, is posting about it on social media. Single people, too, prefer vociferating IN ALL CAPS their single status on social media.

A social media influencer, therefore, can keep your potential customer base hooked with the right content. Although we would suggest that you choose your influencer based on your preferred target base: if you sell single beds, don’t advertise to couples.

Be Inclusive: Even if you aren’t being overtly politically incorrect, you might find yourself in trouble if you fail to represent everyone. And insensitivity is a great no-no. For this reason, you might want to team up with a social media influencer who’s just as inclusive as you’re aiming to be.
Expand the Idea of Love: Your ultimate object, as a business, is reaching out to as many people as possible. No rule dictates that Valentine’s Day marketing should only be aimed at couples and pairs and twos. You can appeal to anyone—love exists in many shapes and hues. Use this to build a campaign around your product.

Love the Idea?

Start your campaign for this Valentine’s Day by teaming up with some of the best social media influencers you can find online. Head on to Afluencer and sign up today, and give it some time. Because wise men say only fools rush in—but once you’ve found the right voice for your brand, we’re sure you’ll fall in love with the sound of social media success!

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