One of the most popular trends in social media marketing is participating in an influencer campaign. Influencers come in all sizes, and they impact audiences on various platforms. Most influencer campaigns find the best success on Instagram as it is the most visual, attracts the youngest audience and is the fastest growing social media network. Although influencers are traditionally associated with products, services and destination marketing, trade associations can also benefit from leveraging influencers to promote their message and encourage membership.
But first, what exactly is an influencer campaign?
An influencer is a person who has your target audience’s attention on social media platforms such as Instagram and Twitter. An influencer campaign leverages their account to help promote your brand, cause or product through posts on their social accounts by featuring an experience with your brand. If the influencer is also a blogger for a blog that’s related to your brand, including a blog post as a deliverable is another beneficial asset. The influencer becomes a spokesperson for your brand as they share their experience of your product or message with their vast and related audience. The first step in choosing the right influencer for your trade association, is confirming that their audience matches your target audience. Second, make sure their audience is wider than your own. A nano influencer on Instagram has between 1,000 to 100,000 followers. As the number of followers increases, so does cost and deliverables. Before starting an influencer campaign, it’s important to decide if the influencer is worth the partnership.
And then, how will my trade association benefit from an influencer campaign?
Grain Foods Foundation
Typically when thinking about influences, product, services or destination marketing comes to mind. But influencers can also be beneficial to promote memberships and missions. Trade associations can benefit from influencer campaigns through the promotion of perks of a membership or supporting the association’s greater cause that by extension helps their members. These influencers can be industry thought leaders, those who benefit from the association’s mission or all-star members with a strong social media presence. Most associations support their members directly through networking opportunities, advocacy and a wealth of information through programs and services. An influencer campaign would be beneficial to get these benefits and the larger message of the association in front of a digital audience that doesn’t currently follow the association’s social media accounts.
It can be a challenge to decide how to best spend marketing funds, especially if you’re working with a limited budget. Lower-level influencers are more receptive to compensation in the form of freebies, vouchers and travel expenses, where higher-level influencers generally expect monetary compensation along with an all-inclusive package. Influencer campaigns should be considered if your audience is primarily found on a platform that has a strong influencer market, such as Instagram, and if your willing to partner with someone to spread your message, even if it’s a bit out of your comfort zone. The key to a successful campaign is to know your target audience and their social media habits, find the right partner and identify what you want to gain from the campaign. Influencers can aid in a human-to-human connection with a branded twist, especially when the trade association’s goal impacts their audience on a personal or professional level.
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