Partnering with influencers

Wondering about partnering with influencers to increase sales?

Partnering with an influencer has been proven to rack up sales fast. But as with anything, there are both pros and cons. In this article we’ll go through the benefits and pitfalls of influencer marketing.

The first thing you need to remember when considering an influencer partnership is-

Influencers sell the sizzle, not the steak!

This can either be a wonderful or terrible thing for your brand and it’s important for you to weigh up the pros and cons.

Let’s get right into the benefits of influencer marketing-

Pros of influencer marketing

1. Influencer marketing quickly builds trust – according to Bizcommunity– “Most influencers have an audience that trusts them already. If the influencer trusts your business or brand, then chances are the influencers’ audience will follow suit.”
2. It improves brand awareness – influencer marketing expands your reach and online presence. Social media users will start to recognise your brand’s story, who you are and what you do, by who you associate your brand with.
3. Helps you reach your target audience – By partnering with relevant influencers, your content is presented to users who are already interested in your services. This proves cost effective for you because additional funds don’t need to be spent to test and find your audience.
4. Adds credibility to your brand – When an industry expert, social media personality or celeb shares content about a brand, it adds instant credibility to the company.

With an increase in businesses vying for attention online, many users are taking drastic measures and using adblockers and even media fasting. Partnering with someone who already has your ideal audience’s attention can be one way of increasing your sales, fast.

Cons of influencer marketing

1. It may harm your brand – You need someone who is passionate about your brand. This is the only way that your product will appeal to the right audience. Anything other than this and you risk annoying your customers and targeting the wrong people.
2. Legal aspect – Legally speaking, any content that contains a paid partnership needs to be disclosed to customers. This is especially important when protecting your brand and its reputation.
3. It can be costly – This all comes down to the size of their following and engagement rates. Higher followings and engagement rates can mean very high fees.
4. Fake followers – Forbes says:

…chances are you’ve heard about the growing problem of fake followers. Certain accounts on social media have skyrocketed to influencer status by purchasing fake followers, rather than growing real audiences over time. These accounts have no influence over their followers, which means your brand won’t get any results if you unknowingly partner with one.

Considering these points will help you make an informed decision on what’s best for your brand and customers. Want to know how to partner with the right influencer for your brand? Contact us – we’d love to help!

Looking for other tools that will help you market your business? If so, check out this article for some great resources.