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Most companies today have some sort of presence on social media as part of their marketing efforts. If you\u2019ve spent any time online as a business owner, you\u2019d probably agree that building a following and getting meaningful reactions to your posts isn\u2019t\u00a0easy.<\/p>\n
One way that some companies rise above the din is to not only promote themselves on social media, but also engage someone else to do it \u2014 someone who already has a huge following and gets copious views and \u201clikes\u201d a day. These individuals are commonly known as \u201csocial media influencers.\u201d<\/p>\n
The case for and against<\/strong><\/p>\n The term isn\u2019t without controversy. Some people associate it with celebrities who are good at drawing attention to themselves on social media but come up rather short on substantive content. A few influencers have even said or done things that reflected poorly on the businesses they were endorsing.<\/p>\n What\u2019s more, influencers aren\u2019t evenly distributed across all industries. Companies in fashion or cosmetics, for example, have many potential endorsers to choose from. Other types of businesses may\u00a0have few, if any, \u201ccelebrities\u201d shouting their praises \u2014 though most industry niches have at least a few voices that ring out louder than others on social media. Whether it\u2019s worth paying one of these individuals to promote your products or services, however, isn\u2019t always an easy\u00a0\u201cyes.\u201d<\/p>\n So, this marketing strategy has its risks. And yet, if it didn\u2019t work, companies wouldn\u2019t pay social-media celebrities big bucks to tout their products or services. Those that do know that influencers have ready access to abundant followers. Just one image or video with a few positive words can lead to a sales\u00a0boost.<\/p>\n Why? For their devotees, influencers have a built-in credibility on certain topics. When an influencer promotes a product or service, the business that provides it immediately assumes an air of legitimacy. The person\u2019s followers may share the influencer\u2019s post with others, immediately visit the company\u2019s website or, in a best-case scenario, just start\u00a0buying.<\/p>\n Risk management recommendations<\/strong><\/p>\n Like any other marketing initiative, influencer marketing calls for careful research, planning and management. As mentioned, there may not be anyone in your industry or niche who can provide a suitable return on investment. In such a case, don\u2019t force\u00a0it.<\/p>\n If you do find a potentially viable influencer, ensure the person\u2019s background and posting history align with your company\u2019s mission, vision and values. It\u2019s critical that an influencer\u2019s interest in your business is genuine. Social media users can sniff out insincerity immediately and could make a viral mockery of an inauthentic endorsement.<\/p>\n When setting up a deal, establish each party\u2019s expectations in writing. Lay out the respective roles and responsibilities, with ground rules and timelines for objectives. If possible, determine the market rate for influencers in your industry and make sure the compensation involved won\u2019t strain cash flow. Ask an attorney to review the\u00a0contract.<\/p>\n Finally, don\u2019t treat the interaction as purely transactional. Take the time and effort to build a strong relationship with the influencer. Set up an in-person meeting (or at least a virtual one). Talk about the history and culture of your company. Send them branded swag, if possible, and keep in touch regularly.<\/p>\n No slam dunk<\/strong><\/p>\n Is influencer marketing a slam dunk for every business? Certainly not. But it could represent an overlooked way to boost your company\u2019s visibility in the marketplace \u2014 if the right partner is out\u00a0there.<\/p>\n \u00a9 2023<\/em><\/p>\n <\/body> Most companies today have some sort of presence on social media as part of their marketing efforts. If you\u2019ve spent any time online as a business owner, you\u2019d probably agree that building a following and getting meaningful reactions to your posts isn\u2019t\u00a0easy. One way that some companies rise above the din is to not only […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,14,10],"tags":[8,11,12],"class_list":["post-16536","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-articles","category-business","category-news","tag-articles","tag-news","tag-updates"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sfw.cpa\/news-and-guides\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16536","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sfw.cpa\/news-and-guides\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sfw.cpa\/news-and-guides\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sfw.cpa\/news-and-guides\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sfw.cpa\/news-and-guides\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16536"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.sfw.cpa\/news-and-guides\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16536\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16537,"href":"https:\/\/www.sfw.cpa\/news-and-guides\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16536\/revisions\/16537"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sfw.cpa\/news-and-guides\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16536"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sfw.cpa\/news-and-guides\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16536"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sfw.cpa\/news-and-guides\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16536"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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