With social media channels such as Instagram, Facebook and Twitter becoming new norm of the once delivered newspaper. Many brands are looking at new ways to capture as much share of the market via social media. One approach to this is social media influencers. Used in conjunction with other aspects of your social media strategy, a social media influencer provides a different kind of marketing arsenal. Like all business investments it is however very important to track and have a very clear sense of a social media influencers return on investment.
Return on investment
Used in conjunction with other aspects of your social media strategy, a social media influencer or ambassador provide a different kind of marketing arsenal! It is however very important to track and have a very clear sense of a social media influencers return on investment.
While brand ambassadors are not new to the marketing game (in fact they have been a large component of many brand’s marketing strategies for well over a century!), social or social media influencers are changing the way brands choose to interact with their target audience. Where a brand ambassador may be featured in advertising campaigns and is very clearly paid for the endorsement, often a social brand ambassador is recommending a brand to their followers.
This subtle form of marketing can have a tremendous effect on brand exposure and in turn sales. When TV reality star, Kylie Jenner posted a lengthy SnapChat story wearing an item from an Australian brand, their online store sold out of it within hours.
Before you rush out and contact the rich and famous, it is essential that proper research be carried out. Once you’ve selected your ambassadors, it is equally important that negotiations for what is expected of an ambassador are made. If these measures are not taken you can end up losing money, being taken advantage of, falling short of your expectations or even worse, tarnishing your brand. To help with your social brand ambassador marketing strategy, we’ve provided some considerations for you to ensure you get the best out of your ambassadors.
Selecting an Influencer / Ambassador
When choosing a brand ambassador or a social media influencer, you want to look for the following qualities:
- Who is a living, breathing example/icon of your brand.
- Loves what your brand is about and would be eager to promote your brand regardless of the perks.
- Someone who has a strong, loyal and engaged following. Remember it’s not necessarily all about how many followers a person has, but the influence and connection they have.
- Consistently active on social media, consistency is key.
- Is effective at marketing in a subtle, authentic manner – the best ambassadors appreciate the importance of authenticity in modern marketing!
- Has a passion for growing and building relationships. Your ambassadors should not only be passionate about the product or service, as well as being skilled at making deep connections with others on your behalf.
- A public figure that connects with people outside of the online/social media realm. This is not essential but it is a huge asset! Personal trainers, business coaches, yoga teachers and health mentors are great examples of people who make real life connections everyday. Having these people wear your product or endorse your brand while out there doing their thing is the best form of subtle marketing!
It is easy to get caught up in the amount of fame or followers a social media personality may have, but if they do not accurately possess a number of the above qualities, they will not make the connection you are after and in turn, their referral will not be listened to.
Social media influencers return on investment – Ambassador Agreements
It is equally important and essential to negotiate an agreement with your influencer so that you have clearly defined expectations. Expectation on what they will be delivering and in return receiving. An action plan is needed to address concerns if terms of the agreement are not met.
Below are some examples for what you could negotiate for an ambassador:
- One free product to test out and share an introductory post about.
- Discount off all purchases for their followers by using a unique code. Also allowing you to track their influence and also your return on investment.
- Depending an ambassador’s influence, you could offer them an on going contract. For example, they mention your brand in a post in return for negotiated incentives (discounts or free products).
- One free product to offer as a prize for a competition they may want to run with their followers.
- And often the biggest agreement at the top end of town – paid ambassadorship.
The Magic of Repetition
In any form of marketing, repetition is key.
It’s essential that you use the power of repetition when it comes to your social brand ambassador strategy.
It’s essential that you use the power of repetition when it comes to your social brand ambassador strategy. Finding multiple brand ambassadors and build an ongoing relationship. This will continue to promote your brand, will provide far greater results than one off posts. The best bang for buck with social media influencers return on investment is repetition, repetition and more repetition.
If you have any questions on finding a social media influencer. Alternatively would like us to step you through the Social media influencers return on investment process, please contact us.
