What You Need to Know About Influencer Marketing as a Key Digital Advertising Option

by Marelise da Silva | Jul 17, 2019 | Social Media Marketing

In the past, brands used to rely on celebrities to gain recognition, and in fact, they do it today.  However, not all brands are able to use the services of celebrities as influencers for their brand and only giant businesses can tap that resource. Today, influencer marketing takes a different face with the rise of social media channels like Instagram, Facebook and YouTube. These channels are propelling increased demand in specialised content expertise. That being said, there are things you need to know about influence marketing in digital advertising including the visual focus, content creators, rules of the channels used by influencers and the cost of influencers. 

There Is a Lot of Visual Focus

The reason social media channels like Instagram have created an increased need for influencer services is because of the visual focus. Having an effective Instagram content will require that you understand how the tools of the platform work and the skills needed to post content. This way, you will be able to create content that stands out. If your visuals cannot stand out, you will have difficulties in gaining traction in the channel and your brand won’t surface.

It Requires Skilled Creators

Influencer marketing requires you to have skilled creators behind your brand. Brands may try winging it, but without skilled content creators that will tell your story, it will be difficult for you to survive in those highly competitive channels. That is the reason you need to establish followings with influencers. People want to hear what the influencers are saying and the stories they are giving about brands. 

There is Confusion in Finding the Right Influencers

Since influencer marketing is uncontrolled and unregulated, it makes it hard for brands to find the right individuals to choose as influencers. Influencer marketing is relatively new in digital advertising so no rules have been set yet on how to go about it. This has led to a lot of confusion and most brands cannot find the right influencers. Also, there are no reliable numbers or data points that brands can trust. And, it is difficult to know how much to pay an influencer to post something about your service or product.

Niche, Nano-Influencers Have More Appeal

A report from Klear has tried to provide some transparency about influencer marketing.  Klear surveyed in excess of 2 500 types of influencers from three major social networks, namely Facebook, YouTube and Instagram. Klear wanted to gain perspective on what these influencers charge for sponsored content. Nano-influencers are not only highly connected with particular online communities, but they do charge less compared to celebrities. YouTube appears to be the most expensive channel for influencer campaigns having average prices beginning at $315 in the case of nano-influencers and extending to about $3 857 for celebrity influencers, according to the Klear report. 

Now that you know a thing or two about influencer marketing and what to expect, you also need to ensure that you conduct thorough research to understand the output of the influencers as well as their audience. When you cross-match the output and audience of the influencers against your brand strategic objectives, you are able to determine whether you should go for their services or not. When you find that there is a clear alignment of the influencer’s output with your objectives, you can reach out to them. Look at their presentation style and audiences so that you discover the opportunities available for you in the event that you decide to use their services. Finally, yet importantly, the cost of hiring an influencer will vary greatly depending on the kind of channel you need to use and the type of influencer.

At WSI OMS, we can help you with influencer marketing so that your brand gets noticed in social media channels. Talk to us today!

What You Need to Know About Influencer Marketing in 2019

by Francois Muscat | Jul 10, 2019 | Social Media Marketing

Influencer marketing is the hottest trend in digital marketing right now – with a benchmark report seeing a whopping 1 500% increase in web searches for “influencer marketing” since 2016. As the concept evolves, so your strategy needs to keep up to date. Here is what you need to know to have your finger on the digital pulse:

What Are Influencers? 

Social media users who create content that gains them a loyal following of hundreds to even millions of followers are known as influencers, and they have taken over the role of trusted confidant, friend or mentor – so much so that global surveys have found that 61% of people interact with an influencer at least once a day. Their appeal is in the trust they have built with their authenticity; 25% of influencers have declared that they would reject partnerships that are too restrictive. It follows, then, that they can sway the purchasing decisions of their highly engaged audience. As many as 87% of consumers have admitted to having bought something on the suggestion of an influencer.

What Is Influencer Marketing?

With the ability to wield such power, social media influencers are ideal brand ambassadors if they like what you have to offer. Up to 84% of marketers are reportedly confident that partnering with influencers is an effective marketing solution.

Although it is expected that the field of influencer marketing will reach between $5 and $10 billion (R75 – 150 billion) by 2022, it should be money well spent. The reported media value returns are as much as an impressive 18:1. In other words, for every rand you spend on influencer marketing, you can get up to R18’s worth of media value.

Not that influencer marketing likes to focus on money. When it comes to selecting an influencer with which to collaborate, their audience relationships are the key. Think of influencer marketing as your secret weapon in locker rooms and book clubs across the country.

WSI 

Need help with your social media campaign? Then contact WSI OMS today.

The Easiest Way to Get Started with Social Media Marketing

by Francois Muscat | Jul 8, 2019 | Social Media Marketing

Every which way you turn, there is something being marketed on the latest and greatest networking platform. If you are new to digital marketing, the prospect of implementing a social media strategy can seem overwhelming. Even seasoned social media marketing campaigners can begin to feel jaded at the task of keeping up to date. How can you keep it simple and manageable?

Before You Start 

Before jumping in the deep end, ask yourself if your business actually needs social media? Obviously, we at WSI would love to run your social media campaign for you, but not if your clients and prospects aren’t that into social media. Do not feel bullied because “everyone does it” – choose what will work best for you.

Assuming you do go ahead, consider which platforms are the best fit for you, your customers and your brand. Know your ideal customer inside out, and target the places where they research their purchases.

On Your Marks 

For the best results, it is essential that you know what you are aiming for. Is your goal to increase brand awareness in general? Is it to increase the number of viable leads? Or is it to promote something specific? 

Keeping your goal in mind will make it a lot easier to create an effective social media marketing strategy. Plan what type of posts you want to share, what mix you will be sharing and how often you will be posting.

Having a clear plan laid out allows you to set up and schedule all that you need for the next fortnight or month so that there is no “radio silence” when you are busy with the running of your business.

Get Set 

Prepare content in advance – from blogs to photos and everything in between. This ensures continuity, and again, it will take the pressure off you in busy periods.

Go!

Finally, spend a little time every day checking your social media pages rather than lumping it all together in one big batch. Quick responses are an appealing part of social media for consumers, so they want to hear from you within 24 hours. 

This also gives you a chance to evaluate (test and measure) how your strategy is working out, enabling you to tweak it as necessary.

Delegate 

If the world of social media marketing has become too complicated to manage, there is always the option of hiring a reputable digital marketing company to manage it for you. 

Contact WSI OMS today to learn more.