In the world of marketing; things change all the time! With many new ways to market your business by the minute; it is a tedious process to even keep up. One of the hottest and trendiest ways that will totally help you boost your online presence is using Influencer marketing.

Long gone the days where customers turn to companies to inform them about what they want or need. They turn to other people; people who influence and expertise regarding a certain industry. For instance, top bloggers on Instagram, Aimee Song and Julia Engel have millions of followers who are influenced by buying what they promote – fashion, beauty, etc. This is not only on Instagram but also on major social media platforms, Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest, and Facebook.

Influencers are the current and upcoming future. They are your key to success as a business – so don’t miss out on this opportunity. Here are 4 ways Influencers can boost your online presence:

#1 Trustworthy

Influencers are real everyday individuals who engage and interact with their audience on a frequent daily basis. They personally reply to comments and mentions directly, communicate their opinions and share their personal everyday life.

They are the ones who take the time to build real relationships and get to know their audience. This is an important aspect as they are building a genuine loyalty with their large following.

Influencers are also known to be great at networking – and have developed established relationships with their audience which will be the key to helping your brand increase in exposure and brand awareness.

#2 Helps to Build an Audience

Finding the right audience can be hard, but if you work with influencers it will be easier to build it. First, you have to figure out what type of industry you are trying to target, and then find the right influencer that already has the audience you want. Below are some tips on how to find the right influencers:

• Do their posts reflect compatibility with your brand, product or service?
• Do they have good engagement on their posts?
• Do they have an active social media presence and a decent following?

One thing to remember is that the size of one’s following should not be the reason you make your selection. A bigger following does not necessarily mean you will reach a good amount of people; it’s very essential to find influencers that are the most relevant to your company in order to gain value.

#3 Incredible Content

Creating content is what influencers are best known for – and is how they grow their following. Influencers and vloggers are experts in creating high-quality content with impressive skills in photography, videography, and editing.

When you use influencers for your brand’s campaign; you better believe you are going to receive unique, original and creative content that your business can repurpose.

#4 Grow Your Visibility

Is your brand just starting out? Are you coming out with a new product? Social media influencers are often used in the early stages of a product launch or campaign. They are the ones who create an awareness before the event to start a buzz around your brand.

When you work with social media influencers, you should expect a boost in likes, comments, and shares.

Depending on what your campaign is about – will depend on how you’d like to promote. You can ask influencers to review your product on a blog or capture a picture for a post on Instagram. There are many ways to maximize your visibility. You can also think of a creative hashtag the influencers will use when promoting your product. That way customers can easily find the campaign in one click.

While working with influencers should be on your to-do list; it’s important to consider the following:

#5 Find the Right Influencers

By this, we mean, not only do you have to find someone that has the right audience for you to target, but it’s important to identify influencers who are genuinely interested in what you have to offer. This person or group of people are representing your company so before all, make sure you do your research.

As a business, you also want to understand where your customers are active and how they are engaging. These are the three points you want to focus on:

• Reach – the size of the following and their active presence on social media
• Relevance – the reflection and Genuity with your brand, product or service
• Resonance – the number of comments received and interaction involved

Please note, the size of the following is not what should be your number one decision maker.

#6 Establish and Maintain Relationships With Influencers

So once you identified which influencers you want to work with, think about an influencer strategy. Some questions to ask, what do you want them to do? How can they help you? Here are some ideas:

• • Ask them to review a product and share it on their social media and/or blog
  • Write a guest post on their blog
  • Create a shout out video of your product and their experience on their Stories.

When you work with influencers, it’s important to also offer something of value in return. You are, after all, asking them to do something for your company.

In order to establish a working relationship with an influencer is to get to know them and vice versa. Before you jump the gun and reach out to an influencer; do your research by monitoring their feed or spend time reading their content to better understand them. A more personalized email can go along way.