There’s no denying that Instagram has taken over the world of digital marketing. From promoted posts to video ads posts that find their way into your feed, influencer marketing is no longer just a fad. It’s now become the way most brands do business.

But if you’re just starting out and not sure when or even how to approach an influencer, the process can be overwhelming. Knowing when to work with an influencer is almost more important than knowing who to partner up with. But the question that stumps most companies wanting to boost engagement and drive conversions is when to start.

To make the process just a little easier, we’ve broken down the who, the when and the way of influencer marketing.

Choosing an Influencer

Regardless of niche, every brand has a story to tell. A well-told story can transform people who just know about you into loyal customers who care about you. When your customers’ values align with yours, they then become advocates for your brand. When an influencer mentions your brand or product, they then become an extension of you. People trust influencers. In fact, when the right influencer mentions you online, it takes your brand from zero to hero literally overnight. However, being able to partner with such heavy-hitters isn’t as easy as it was before.

Refining Your Focus

Before the explosion of digital marketing, particularly Instagram, partnering with someone who had a notable following was easy. You sent them a message offering them free goods or services in exchange for a mention of your brand. If things went well, leads became conversions and those conversions became loyal customers.

However, as time went on and people realized that being an influencer wasn’t something people did just for fun, the game changed. Influencers realized they could make a considerable amount of money by creating content for their favorite brands and posting about online.

Now, working with influencers surpasses traditional marketing techniques, especially if a brand is e-commerce only. Brands need a voice that supersedes a brick-and-mortar location, and that’s where working with an influencer company comes in. When done correctly, they pair the right influencer with your brand to make sure your content is in front of the right people at the right time.

Next Steps

Understanding where your audience is important. To do this effectively, you need to understand your audiences’ wants and needs. Crafting your story and connecting with your target audience is more than just paying for ads. Influencer marketing is about bringing awareness to your brand and leveraging your new customer relationships as well.

What We Do

Working with your brand, we cut through the noise without disputing the customer’s journey. We pair your brand with influencers who want to tell your story. Using state-of-the-art tracking and analytics, together, we tell compelling stories that bring people together.

If you’re still wondering how to manage your influencer campaigns all in one place, you can contact Grin today to expand your influencer reach tomorrow.