Did you know that 4.48 billion people worldwide (or 56.8% of the total global population) use social media? In Australia, there are 20.50 million (79.9% of the total population) active social media users as of January 2021.
But what do these numbers mean to ecommerce brands?
With so many people on social media, it pays for brands to have a strong presence in this space, no matter their niche.
Most of today’s consumers depend on reviews or word-of-mouth marketing before making buying decisions, and this is where social media fits right in – specifically influencer marketing.
What is influencer marketing?
Influencer marketing entails the promotion of products or services through social media influencers or people who have a significant social media following. Their social media prominence gives them the unique advantage of having an effect on the character of a brand.
Influencer marketing may be popular right now, but it isn’t new at all. And although influencer marketing sounds like a trendy term, it actually combines the power of celebrity, word-of-mouth and content-driven marketing.
But you don’t need to invest hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars in a celebrity endorser. Instead, you’ll be collaborating with a relevant influencer that has a loyal and trusting audience.
How does influencer marketing help a brand in the ecommerce space?
Young consumers like millennials and Gen Z trust brands they can engage with directly via social media. You can leverage this by working with a social media influencer whose audience fit the buyer persona you want to reach.
Influencers that have built a reputation of trustworthiness can help you gain the mileage you need to market your products or services effectively. For this to happen, you need to find the right influencer.
For example, if you're in the fashion accessories business and your target market are Gen Z or teenagers, then you should be looking at influencers whose followers fit your buyer persona. In this case, influencers like Suede Brooks, Faith Schroder or Allison Teng would be worth considering.
What should you look for in an influencer?
Although it’s tempting to only look at high-profile influencers for your campaign, it's more important for you to focus on:
• The relevance of the content they produce: The influencer you want should publish content that's relevant to your brand.
• Their level of audience engagement: Check some of the influencer's posts to see whether their followers are actively engaged.
• The frequency and quality of their posts: If your influencer marketing efforts are going to gain traction, the influencer should post high-quality (well-written and edited) content regularly.
• Audience data: Visit your prospective influencer's website and social media profiles to get a fair idea of what type of audience or followers they attract. Do their audience demographics fit into your desired audience qualities?
• Professionalism: It's crucial to know from the get-go that you're working with a professional you can trust and rely on. You should get a feel of this during your first meeting and even through emails and phone calls.
Successful influencer marketing campaigns
Here are a few examples of successful influencer marketing collaborations:
• Natori and fitness trainer Sarah Dussault on Instagram
• Kate Spade NY and Naomi Davis (aka Love Taza), also on Instagram
• Various cosmetics brands and makeup artist James Charles on YouTube
• Ryderwear and The Rybka Twins on TikTok
• Olay’s #FaceAnything campaign with nine female Instagram influencers
With influencer marketing, you don’t need to be a big brand to be successful. All you need is to find the right influencer to steer your marketing campaign in the right direction.
Want to get the right influencer for you eCom store?
