The word influencer marketing is almost everywhere these days. But if you’re like most, you’re not really sure what it is or how to use it to your advantage. 

This blog will discuss the different types of influencers and how they are used, the different platforms they use, and how they can be a game-changer for your e-commerce business.

Today, people are beginning to realize that this type of marketing is one of the best forms of spreading brand awareness. Today, Influencers have the power to turn a brand image with a single 10-second story or post. This is because so many people trust influencers when it comes to mentioning products.

What is Influencer marketing?

Influencer marketing is a method of promoting your product or service by working with online celebrities known as influencers to provide recommendations and endorsements in order to direct and boost your sales.

Advantages of Influencer marketing

⋆ Increases brand awareness and reach
⋆ Builds trust
⋆ Long-term partnerships
⋆ Drive purchases decisions
⋆ Increase sales
⋆ Cost-effective
⋆ Unlimited Sharing Potential On Social Platforms
⋆ Suitable for any Business

Nine out of 10 brands are using some form of influencer marketing today to reach new customers and deepen their connection with their existing audience.

5 Types of Influencers you need to know

⋆ Mega-influencers with more than a million followers (think celebrities)
⋆ Macro-influencers with 500K to 1 million followers
⋆ Mid-tier influencers with 50K to 500K followers
⋆ Micro-influencers with 10K to 50K followers
⋆ Nano-influencers with 1K to 10K followers

Using an influencer type is a personal choice. Below mentions the most commonly approached influencer types:

➛ Mega influencers are the people with a vast number of followers on their social networks. Although there are no fixed rules on the boundaries between the different types of followers, a common view is that mega-influencers have more than 1 million followers on at least one social platform.

Mega influencers are mostly movie stars, sportspeople, musicians, reality TV stars, etc.

Their services will be costly, and they will most likely be extremely fussy about with whom they choose to partner.

➛ Macro-influencers are one step down from mega-influencers and maybe more accessible as influencer marketers. You would consider people with followers in the range between 50,000 and 1 million followers on a social network to be macro-influencers.

Macro-influencers generally have a high profile and can be excellent at raising awareness. There are more macro-influencers than mega-influencers, so it should be easier for a brand to find a macro-influencer willing to work with them.

➛ Micro-influencers are ordinary everyday people who have become known for their knowledge about some specialist niche. As such, they have usually gained a sizable social media following amongst followers of that niche. Of course, it is not just the number of followers that indicates a level of influence; it is the relationship and interaction that a micro-influencer has with his or her followers.

Although views differ, you could consider micro-influencers as having up to 50,000 followers on a single social platform.

Some micro-influencers are happy to promote a brand for free. Others will expect some form of payment.

There are also tools for Influencer marketing. Such as:

➛ Upfluence
➛ Aspire
➛ BuzzSumo
➛ GroupHigh
➛ HYPR
➛ Dovetale
➛ Influence.co
➛ Discover.ly

and more…

Tips for creating an Influencer marketing strategy:

⋆ Define your USP (Unique Selling Proposition)
⋆ Define your Target Audience
⋆ Define how your Products or Services will solve the Target Audience’s Needs, Desires, and Pain points.
⋆ Find out the best Influencers from Instagram, Facebook, or from other channels as per your budget and product niche.
⋆ Create an innovative and simple-to-understand post or video with influencers and your products/services.
⋆ Determine which platform is to be used.
⋆ Start and monitor the Campaign. 

Note: The best platform for fashion is Instagram, if you use Instagram, you must use the proper hashtags and tags to the Celebrity and also use the Collaborator option. 

How to choose the right influencer

It’s important to do your research and plan around any influencers you might decide to bring to your team. These people will be the first line of communication about your product so it’s vital that they’re someone who has an engaging audience of people interested in what you have to offer.

9 Factors to Consider to Pick the Right Influencer for Your Brand

⋆ Check Their Audience
⋆ Post Engagement rate
⋆ Relevance
⋆ Check Authenticity
⋆ Values
⋆ Content quality
⋆ Frequency
⋆ Reliability
⋆ Audience quality

How influencer marketing can be the game-changer for  your E-commerce business:

The influencer marketing market is estimated to grow to $10 billion in the next decade (Source: Forbes, 2017). More and more brands are starting to get these influencers on their side. 

Typical ways that influencers could help you include:

⋆ Create an article/blog post or video about your product or service.
⋆ Sharing information promoting you on their social media accounts.
⋆ Post pictures on Instagram or videos on YouTube showing them using your product.
⋆ Writing testimonials and reviews for your products or services.
⋆ Giving out discount coupons upon using the influencer’s reference.

Best Ways to Contact Instagram Influencers

➛ Send an email. Emails are the most common way to communicate.
➛ Direct Message. You can send a direct message to an influencer on social media.

Expert Advice for New E-commerce Store Owners:

If you are selling Fashion, Lifestyle, Travel, Health Fitness, Luxury, and animal products or services, Instagram is the best platform for you. Choose the right Influencer according to your product and service niche.

Instagram Influencers’ costs are generally affordable.

Learn from the Real Success Story: Take watch company Daniel Wellington.

Founded in 2011, by 2015, the brand managed to earn a revenue of $220 million, which is impressive considering it was just a $15,000 startup. They successfully launched a social media campaign with the help of top Instagrammers, who promoted the brand through eye-catching images and branded hashtags.

As Shopify experts and eCommerce consultants, I highly recommend you go for influencer marketing. The costs depend on whom you go for and are affordable compared to physical advertisements.

As per Google, the influencer marketing industry is to reach $16.4B in 2022. The market grew from $1.7 billion in 2016 to $9.7 billion in 2020. In 2021, it soared to $13.8 billion, indicating steady growth.

Thinking of getting an Influencer to help out with your E-commerce business?

Feel free to get in touch with us if you have any further queries at hi@mswebdesigner.com. We’ll be glad to help.