I often get asked by many businesses how to work with influencers as they see the impact that they have on their audience, and the relationships they have built. 

And as a photographer and marketing strategist, I know that photography and content are a key component to being an influencer and developing a brand. Without compelling, beautiful imagery, video, and authenticity consumers won’t be attracted, interested, or begging to open their wallets. But with the right content, an influencer is empowered, elevated, and shines on behalf of the brands they represent. Keep in mind most Influencers only work with brands they love so that the authenticity and excitement is real. 

After all, who doesn’t want to work with the hottest marketing trend (influencers!) that generate millions!

Businesses are realizing the importance of influencers to get their message across to consumers that haven’t connected with yet. Influencers aren’t just Instagram famous, they are businesses that generate leads, sales, passion and excitement for your products, services and brands.

 

What is an Influencer?

According to Wired magazine, an Influencer is, “someone with the power to affect the buying habits or quantifiable actions of others by uploading some form of original –often sponsored– content to social media platforms.” They truly influence the decisions of their followers.

What is The Difference Between an Influencer & A Blogger?

A blogger is someone with a website where they host a blog and publish their own original, valuable content. An influencer is someone with an online platform who has a massive following and therefore a large impact on an audience’s buying decisions. 

With social media,  bloggers used the platform to highlight their blog and their original content with collaborations on their blogs. With time it has evolved that social media has developed opportunities to create and turn social platforms to the initial connection and now directing their audience to their blog for full details. Some Influencers that have a large following do not even have a blog. 

In my professional opinion I ALWAYS promote having a website or a blog as your hub and letting social media be tools that direct your audience and consumer to your website and blog for longevity. Curating blogs produces SEO that’s vital to your brand awareness. You can read 6 Reasons Why it’s important to blog here, no matter the type of business you are in. 

What is Influencer/blogger Marketing?

As the founder of Rewards Style Amber Venz Box so brilliantly described, it’s BFF marketing. Influencers are like a best friend that shares their latest favorite products and in-turn, consumers are “influenced” to make a purchase, buy those earrings, book that trip, have that procedure, the list goes on!

Influencers connect with their audience in an authentic way just like a friend. They share their lives, their opinions, likes and dislikes. They build trust and rapport with their followers that makes them able to recommend products and services that results in sales.

Love it or hate it this is a prosperous industry that has helped millions of people from the largest aspects in life to the smallest. 

Why should my small business want to work with an influencer or blogger?

The right influencer can generate brand awareness and generate sales for your company. A study found that 86% of marketers and ad agencies used influencer marketing. And a Forbes article stated that recent market research indicates influencers will continue to be invaluable in trust building. In the new decade, influencer marketing is expected to surge, accounting for an increasing share of the marketing budget.

Want some of the latest Influencer Marketing statistics that will make you and your business jump on board? Click HERE and read The State of Influencer Marketing: 10 Influencer Marketing Statistics to Inform Where You Invest 

What types of sponsored content can an influencer or blogger provide?

Instagram Stories: This is the perfect way to organically showcase your brand via a short video of the influencer talking about your product and providing a link to your website. Stories are more informal and less styled, and quicker for influencers to produce (and therefore less expensive for the brand, too!)

Instagram Post: These showcase your product in a more styled environment, which takes more time, and possibly professional photography to create, which makes it more expensive. However, the post will live on their feed forever.

Social Advertisement: A Facebook or Instagram post that is “boosted,” meaning the influencer will pay to have it reach more people. These can be targeted to certain demographics and can be very effective if you have a specific target audience.

Blog Post: A dedicated blog post is a post written entirely about your brand. This includes copy and several styled photos, which is more time consuming to create, and therefore more expensive for brands. However it can be very effective because influencers will share their posts across social platforms.

Email Marketing: Email provides the chance to direct access to an influencer’s most engaged followers– email subscribers. A highly engaged audience is more likely to buy!

Giveaways: This is a great tool to gain brand awareness and grow your social following. An influencer will require entrants of the giveaway to follow your brand on instagram, so you’ll get more followers, too!

Brand Ambassadorship: This is a long-time partnership, more like a brand spokesperson, who organically shares the brand in their day to day life for several months or even years. This allows the audience to get to know a brand in a genuine way.

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A fabulous read that I highly recommend is insight from another successful blogger and friend Cassie with Hi Sugarplum Blog. She recently takes all the questions head on and gives insight on her lates blog post You Ask, I answer| The Business of Blogging. 

To See a List of some of the other fabulous Bloggers/Influencers I have the privilege to work with click HERE!

Thank you for reading and I hope this post and our blog can continue to be a resource for you! CAPTURE.BRAND.ENGAGE.