You need new and inventive ways to connect with your customers and prospects. Social media is currently a very powerful tool to reach the masses.There are many ways to utilize social media. A highly utilized method is through influencer advertising. If you think it won’t work, just look at the thousands of companies that are having successes with it. Every organization and business is now connected via social media.
Having owned Physical Therapy clinics in the past, I wish I had known social media marketing strategies as I have now. Looking back on what was accomplished with conventional marketing, (advertising in local papers, radio, bringing lunch to doctors, distributing flyers and business cards, etc.) I would have grown my private practice better with this powerful tool. Being a business owner opened my mind to self sufficiency and to always seek out better ways to position myself towards my lifestyle goals.
WHAT IS INFLUENCER MARKETING?
The best advertising method of all times is word of mouth. It costs nothing for someone to tell someone else about your products or services. Another advantage of word-of-mouth marketing is that it keeps you on your toes. You must ensure customer satisfaction for them to refer your company to others. Influencer marketing goes along the line of a friend telling a friend about an experience with a product or a service.
First you start by identifying strategic individuals within your target market. These people are going to influence others. The idea is unpretentious- instead of Taco Bell telling you how amazing their new Taco is, a spectacular review from a famous food critic can do more. The food critic is the influencer. In this hypothetical scenario, Taco Bell uses them to generate influencer marketing.
HOW TO BEAUTIFULLY EXECUTE INFLUENCER ADVERTISING
One example of influencer marketing is a company called Fab Fit Fun. This company sends out monthly box subscriptions to those who love their products. Now, you never know what is in these boxes. It could be anything from a scarf, to a throw, and even some make up and perfume. Many people are leery about monthly subscriptions that charge directly to their credit cards monthly. These boxes automatically ship whether you want it or not. So how does this company overcome this hurdle? Well, they get celebrities like Rhianna and Tori Spelling to do influencer advertising for them. A simple video of Tori Spelling opening her box subscription, going through each item enthusiastically and then sharing it on her social media network just made this subscription system a hit.
Another company came up with an idea. The Younique cosmetic company came up with a product, a mascara that gave a dramatic lift to the eyes. Now, there are more companies out there who have the same product. How did they step up their game? Their Moodstruck 3-D fiber lashes looks great on just about anyone.
To prove their point, they gave out free mascara tubes to the general public. All these recipients had to do was to post a video of themselves on social media using the mascara. What happened next was history. The company had so many orders that they were on back order for six weeks. Every woman wanted to increase their lash volume. By showing how well this mascara does, the company created a hype. The demand was overwhelming.
Now, I kind of went all girl here. Mascaras and Fab Fit Fun. However, this is just a few of the many creative ways that companies conjure to move their product on the market. What made their strategy work?
It was providing VALUE. By providing more value than the other companies and being talked about on social media gave them an edge over their competitors.
THE POWER OF SOCIAL MEDIA
We have heard of ordinary people posting simple funny videos on You Tube, Facebook, Pinterest, on Instagram which goes viral by simply being shared multiple times on all social media networks. This just proves that people are watching. They are hanging out on social media. They see products, events, and they share it on their social media circles. This is very powerful.
It is no wonder that during the past few years, big online retailers like Amazon, Wayfair, and the rest have utilized social media advertising. Even brick and mortar businesses like Best Buy, Target, Walmart, have gone online to expand their market. It is sad to contemplate that it is also due to this era of online advertising that many companies have to close their doors. The competition has become rabid. Those who do not step up to the plate lose. The most recent one closing as you might have heard is Hhgregg.
FINDING A KEY PLAYER
What if you can be the influencer in your online business? Yes, you can be the Key Player in this success. Yes, it is more than possible. This is how many online entrepreneurs have positioned themselves as the experts, coaches and founders of online business systems which has created wealth for themselves and others they have mentored.
How many times do you see pop up on your Facebook page “sponsored” ads of webinars, free E-books, free courses, free videos or free reports? This is the power of social media at work.
The new era is here. An average entrepreneur can leverage his advertising budget by effectively using social media to his advantage. This is because customers hang out on social media networks. This is a very effective way of reaching out to to prospects and introducing your product or services.
Moreover, if your ad also comes with an added value, customer response is overwhelming. It is going above and beyond what everyone else offers. This has been proven many times by local businesses offering products and services. A free dental cleaning coupon from a dentist can end up in a 4-5k sales in orthodontics or other dental services because of the one free offer.
Online coaches and online business experts who offer free webinars have been known to make thousands of dollars from memberships or purchases made by participants in one webinar alone. I sure have attended some of them, and although I have never really purchased a product or a system initially, it had opened my eyes to the possibilities. There are ways to earn income online and work your way to a passive and residual income.
Whether your goal is just to make extra income to supplement your current one or to make it a full time occupation, there are multitudes of systems and programs that you can get started with online. Many have plunged into online businesses full time and never looked back.
The key is to find your niche, find what feels good and right for you. Explore your passion, your talents and your goals. Then act on it. That first step is always the hardest.
Most successful online entrepreneurs not only “engage” in their business; they also “live” it.
After all, it is up to us to explore all possibilities and take advantage of opportunities presented to us. With the onset of the Social Media Marketing Evolution, the future of digital marketing is here.
