The influence of influencers on online sales

Who are influencers?

Influencers are individuals whose opinions, attitudes, and behaviour have an impact (influence) on a specific segment of the audience. They use social media and various forms of video, photo, and textual blogs to convey their messages. Influencer marketing represents one of the fastest-growing types of advertising and is utilised in almost all business spheres.

How does influencer marketing work?

The significance of "word of mouth" advertising, spreading chatters about a particular product, service, or merchant, is well known, and its impact on the growth or decline of sales of the discussed product or service is acknowledged. If you think about it, we have always trusted our friends who have tried a new cosmetic product, stayed at a hotel, or ordered toys from a specific online store more than paid actors in TV commercials and messages from labels.

Impressions of others are becoming more important as we live in a new, transformed shopping era, where customers purchase online, and cannot smell, feel or taste the product.

While Google, Instagram, and Facebook ads serve to raise awareness about a brand, merchant, or product, increase website traffic, present and remind customers of offerings, and boost online transactions, influencers play their part in confirming the quality and providing firsthand information. Influencers' messages reach an audience that may not have heard of you or seen your ad, and their recommendation undoubtedly encourages purchases. Influencers brought an additional channel through which marketing messages are conveyed, complementing traditional digital channels for brand, merchant, or product promotion.

Depending on their hobbies/occupations and the audience they address, there are influencers in various sectors – from fashion experts, bloggers specialising in food and beverage preparation and tasting, fitness trainers, gamers, athletes, musicians, entrepreneurs, and businessmen. Each of them addresses a specific audience segment and has a reputation in their sphere, and most importantly, the audience relies on their recommendations and trusts them.

How to find an influencer?

Global marketing agencies have recognised the power of influencers in a timely manner, and today their value is reflected in relationships with the most significant bloggers, singers, and athletes followed by millions of people online. The world's highest-paid influencers like Kylie Jenner, Selena Gomez, and Cristiano Ronaldo charge sponsored posts on their social media profiles ranging from $720,000 to even $1,000,000!

However, local companies prefer to turn to our popular Instagrammers, YouTubers, and Twitter personalities, both for the cost-effectiveness, geographical area they operate in and the segment of customers they address.

If you are looking for an influencer, think about the profile of a person who adequately reflects your brand and the values your company cherishes. Imagine your ideal customer—how old they are, what they do, how they behave, and what their hobbies are. When narrowing down potential collaborators, observe their audience. Is that your target market? What kind of relationship do followers have with the influencer? Do they trust them, share their content, and support what they do? Sometimes it is not the best solution to collaborate with the most popular ones; instead, opt for those with a smaller but loyal audience that fits your vision and marketing goals—so-called micro-influencers. They operate in smaller circles, but their word is valued, and costs would likely be much lower

How to establish collaboration with an influencer?

Once you have chosen an influencer to work with, you need to initiate the communication, briefly introduce your product, and propose your suggestion for collaboration. One way to initiate contact is by sending a direct message on social media. Some influencers have managers and marketing agencies that mediate, so they may schedule a meeting and provide an offer..

If you believe in the quality of your brand and are confident that the influencer will decide to recommend it for free, send them the product along with a message expressing your desire for them to share their impressions with their followers.

They can promote your product or services by mentioning it in a post, or create a standalone post/video providing a product review, giveaway posts (giving your product to followers for them to try), and similar. It's essential to provide information about your website within the post so that interested buyers can learn more about the brand and order the product. If you're new to this field of digital marketing, you can also consider the suggestions of the influencers you plan to collaborate with, especially if they are highly experienced in advertising.

Testing and Tracking Results

Once the influencer has sent the message, it's important to measure the achieved results. Internet marketing allows real-time reports and prompt responses if things aren't going in the direction you want. Reach (the number of people who see a particular post) is one of the most significant indicators of success in influencer marketing campaigns, indicating how many people potentially received your message. Also, pay attention to the number of clicks, likes, Facebook reactions, and shares, as they indicate the relevance of the audience you indirectly address, the interest and quality of the message, and the capabilities of the chosen influencer. Comments on the post provide direct insight into the opinions of potential or existing customers, so don't ignore them.

However, if you're involved in online sales, the question arises – how profitable is it, i.e., what is the number and value of sales that the influencer will bring? There are numerous possibilities for tracking conversions across various metrics through analytics. Another foolproof method of directly tracking sales is through promo codes shared by the influencer in their post. If you use the NB SHOP platform, you can easily create tickets that customers can use while purchasing.

Nevertheless, the golden rule of marketing is A/B testing – test, test, test! Influencer marketing offers endless possibilities, so why not try several at the same time? Employ two or more influencers, use different social networks, try different media formats, and track their results. In the end, you'll find the ideal combination that, along with other digital advertising channels, yields the best sales results.