Broaden the Reach of Your Social Media Marketing

Social media has become the hub of conversations on the Internet. Whether it’s in Facebook groups, Twitter threads, Instagram comments or Snapchat stories, that is where people are talking. They talk about new movies, celebrity gossip and the reason you’re here: brands!

Social media marketing—specifically with the help of influencers—is a powerful tool that needs to be in your strategy. Social media influencers are important because they broaden a brand’s reach to similar audiences who may not have heard of the product or service. But instead of getting the advertisements from the brand itself, the audiences hear it from a trusted source: the influencer.

Finding the Right Influencer

In order to utilize the influencer, you need to find the right one. Scroll through the platforms that you have already deemed most effective for your brand. Influencers themselves typically live on Instagram. Alternatively, there are popular Facebook pages, Twitter accounts, and Snapchat Discover channels that rival the followers and impact of Instagram accounts. Search through these platforms to find influencers who already have a target audience like the one you have chosen.

After you find influencers who can speak for your brand, decide what kind of content you want them to post. Projects can range from a singular sponsored post to an entire campaign.

Track Your Progress

If you choose to do a small project, you should contact multiple influencers for a broader reach. The larger the campaign, the fewer accounts you want to use.

This tool is incredibly important currently despite how many posts you sponsor. In 2017, 78% of brands reported using influencers as part of their marketing strategy. Even though this strategy is vital to social media marketing, keeping track of your return on investment is very important. If you do a campaign with limited edition products specialized to the influencer, it’s easy to keep track of how much profit you’re making because the products or services are specific. But if you only do sponsored posts here and there with multiple influencers, tracking who is buying what for which reason gets sticky. To monitor your ROI, give influencers a code to give to their followers so you can see which sales are coming from influencer marketing.

Finally, remember that the bigger the project, the more money you must spend. Partnerships with social media influencers need to be two-sided. Your company makes a profit off their advertising efforts, but they need something in return, from discounted or free products to services and monetary deals. Businesses trying to optimize their marketing strategies know that in order to make more money and reach more people, they need to spend more money. Consider how much you are willing to spend when incorporating influencer marketing into your strategy before diving in headfirst.