Influencer marketing is more than a buzz word – but what the heck is it? Find out in this episode of The Thoughtful Entrepreneur featuring special guest Susana Yee.
Influencer marketing is a form of marketing where the focus is placed on influential people rather than the entire target market on social media. Is now the time for your business to try it?
“Influencer marketing has actually been around a long time, it’s just been called other things,” Susana Yee said.
Before, influencers were primarily celebrities and socialites. But now, influencers are leaders within their field that people trust, Susana said.
Susana is the founder of Digital Everything Consulting and the creator of the Influencer Marketing Roadmap course. She helps companies and brands learn how to create effective strategy driven influencer marketing campaigns. She’s also witnessed first-hand the explosion surrounding influencer marketing in recent years.
“It’s definitely growing,” said Susana. “I think it’s going to double in 2019.”
Susana said she believes the growth of influencer marketing has to do with the fact that more people are understanding what it is and more businesses are seeing the benefits.
For example, influencers will create content themselves.
“That content would cost a lot more for companies to produce on their own,” Susana said.
The company would have to hire copywriters to write the content and then spend money figuring out how to get it in front of the target audience. With influencer marketing, Susana said it’s like “renting an audience.”
Some businesses are still shying away from influencer marketing, despite the benefits. Susana said that the industry has gotten a bad wrap because “everybody is calling themselves an influencer.”
“That doesn’t necessarily mean they’re an influencer, right?” Susana said.
She said it’s important to do your research. Look closely at an influencer's audience, of course, but also their engagement. An individual could have 100,000 followers, but if there’s no engagement on their content, they’re likely not a good choice.
So how do you find an influencer that’s worthwhile? How do you connect with them? Find out those answers and more by listening to the episode above and don’t forget to subscribe on Apple Podcasts – Stitcher – Spotify – Google Play – Castbox – TuneIn – RSS.
To learn more about Susana, visit her website. Be sure to check out the AMAZING Influencer Marketing Roadmap Course!
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