Can influencer marketing fit in your marketing plan?

influencer.jpgWhen we say influencer marketing, you probably conjure up an image of a celebrity (or insta-famous celeb!) promoting brands to their mass following. And while this is a huge form of influencer marketing, it is by no means suitable for all business types. Celebrity endorsements are definitely a go to for B2C marketing to raise brand awareness and boost product sales; but how do you feature influencer marketing in your plan if you’re a B2B organisation?

Types of influencer marketing

There are so many types of influencer marketing you can consider as part of your marketing mix. Here’s some of them:

  1. Customer referrals/reviews: don’t forget your customers are your biggest advocates, your biggest influencers! 93% of customers are influenced by reviews they read online. If you’re not capitalising on this by getting Google reviews (which will also help your SEO) and social media reviews - then you’re missing a major trick.
  2. Influencer blog content: do some research around the most popular content hubs your target audience uses, pay for some sponsored blog content to promote your products and services, then link back to your website.
  3. Sponsored social media content: again, find out where your target audience ‘hangs out’ on social, and start paying for influencer sponsored social media content.
  4. Guest blogging: find influencers who can guest blog on your website either as an ad hoc thing, or on a regular basis.
  5. All of these tips will provide backlinks and traffic to your website, which will also help to boost your search engine rankings. A win, win!

How to find the right influencer for your business

Everything we’ve said here is all well and good, but how do you go about finding the right influencer for your business? You do need to tread carefully, as getting involved with the wrong influencer can bring negative connotations to your brand. Your objectives need to be clear and finding an influencer that harmonises with your brand is crucial to your success. You can use this