In today’s article, we are going to talk about whether influencer marketing is worth the hype (or not) for B2B businesses. But first, let’s address why brands are investing in influencers. 

Why Are Brands Investing in Influencers?

The rise of influencer marketing has been a hot topic in the social media space over the past few years. In fact, the influencer industry is projected to reach $16.4B in 2022. 

As the industry continues to project forward with new apps emerging on the scene like TikTok and other apps, influencer marketing is one strategy your brand won’t want to miss out on. 

So, why influencers? A few reasons why B2B brands are looking to influencers to be part of their marketing strategy include: 

• They Make Your Brand Relatable– Influencers have been able to create relationships with their followers and have become trusted voices within their niche. This makes them an important tool for B2B brands looking to reach new audiences and make their products more relatable. In the B2B space, it is common to see many brands that can come off as “unrelatable.” Don’t let that be the case for your brand. 

Influencers add that human touch needed to elevate your brand forward and stand out amongst the competition in today’s social media realm. 

• They Spread Brand Awareness – Instead of remaining dependent on your current audience for traction, you can spread your brand message even more so with the power of influencers. By utilizing influencer marketing to its fullest potential, you can give your target audience a taste of who your brand really is. 
• They Bring in More Sales – Lastly, influencers can bring in more sales! People trust influencers because they feel as if they know them better than anyone else. 

They feel that by following an influencer, they get to know more about them because they’ve developed a relationship with them over time — digitally. When they buy something recommended by an influencer, they feel like they are making a personal decision rather than just buying something based on advertising or promotion.

Now that you know why B2B brands are leveraging influencers to scale their businesses, where do you begin your influencer marketing journey? Here are our top tips. 

How Can Your B2B Business Leverage Influencers?

Influencers have the power to change your business growth for the better. The key is to build relationships with them so that they can help you get your message out to the right audiences.

Here are some ways you can leverage influencers to boost your B2B business in 2022. 

• Create Influencer Marketing Goals

What do you want to achieve with your influencer marketing campaign? Are you looking to increase brand awareness? Get people talking about a product or service? Or, perhaps you want to increase sales? Setting clear goals will help ensure that your campaign is successful. 

• Reach Out to the Right Influencers

After establishing your goals, it’s time to reach out to the right influencers in your industry. Try reaching out to those who are 1) in alignment with your brand voice 2) post consistently 3) have engagement on their posts. Quality is better than quantity so be sure to only reach out to those who you believe are a great fit for your influencer program. 

• Consider Different Sizes of Influencers

When reaching out to the right influencers, don’t forget to look at all of your options! Just because someone may not have a ton of followers, they still may bring in more leads to your site compared to the mega-influencers. 

Another thing to note is that you shouldn’t only set your sights on social media influencers. Bloggers and podcasters also have a great influence over your target audience too. So, be sure not to neglect to add these people to your list of prospective influencers as well!

Are Influencers Worth the Hype?

Now for the moment, you’ve been waiting for…..are influencers worth the hype? 

Yes! Influencers are worth the hype — but only if you choose the right influencers in your specific niche. 

A few key takeaways from today’s message include: 

• To have a goal. Without goals, it can be hard to understand if your influencer campaigns are successful or not. 
• Reach out to the right influencers!
• Not to be afraid of different types of influencers, like micro-influencers, for example. (They may not be able to send traffic your way like a mega-influencer, but they’re a lot easier to get in touch with and they can sometimes send referrals in your direction.)

All in all, there are many benefits to incorporating influencers into your lead generation efforts—you just have to get started!

 So with that being said, what influencer marketing goals do you have for your business in 2022?  What steps are you going to take to kickstart your B2B influencer marketing program?

Freelance contribution especially written for Find Your Influence by Ryan Gould. Ryan serves as Vice President of Strategy and Marketing Services with Elevation Marketing. From legacy Fortune 100 institutions to inventive start-ups, Ryan brings extensive experience with a wide range of B2B clients. He skillfully architects and manages the delivery of integrated marketing programs, and believes strongly in strategy, not just tactics, that effectively aligns sales and marketing teams within organizations.

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Supplementing Your Current Marketing Strategies

When looking to integrate influencer marketing into your overall marketing strategy, influencer marketing is an extremely powerful tool for businesses, and can bring a variety of different benefits to the table. For starters, the use of influencer marketing can aid in increasing brand recognition, help your products/services reach a wide and targeted audience, and most importantly, bring a sense of personality and authenticity into the equation — especially when the influencer is given creative control in tailoring the content to their liking. That said, the integration of an influencer will aid in not only supplementing your current marketing efforts, but will create a new element that will only add to your credibility as a business. This is primarily because the influencer will be the one to relay content on your product, while touching on their own personal feedback and experience (aka testimonials) — something that will provide relatability in relation to your brand and is difficult to achieve through other marketing efforts.

The Connection Between Influencer Marketing and Content Marketing

While it may not appear obvious, integrating the use of influencer marketing can further help to positively influence your overall marketing strategy, particularly when it comes to your SEO efforts via content marketing. While influencers are well known for creating content in the form of social media posts, pictures, and vlog style videos, making the connection between influencer and content marketing can pay off greatly in the long run.

Getting in touch with an influencer who is willing to provide a testimonial or by collaborating with an influencer who is also a blogger can be creative ways to get new written content on your site. With such content playing a key role in ranking higher in search engine results and garnering organic traffic, learning how to write for SEO can seem difficult, though not impossible. By listing content ideas that are tailored to your target audience, researching associated keywords and collaborating with an influencer/blogger, you’ll be able to get the message out there in a way that benefits your overall marketing strategy.

Where to Start

When looking to get started with influencer marketing, it’s important to first create a budget that will determine how much you’re willing to spend, and can also help in determining what kind of influencer you’ll likely go with. Starting small is a great way to test the waters, especially if you’re already allocating a significant amount to other marketing channels. After creating a budget for your influencer marketing endeavors, taking the time to research and reach out to potential influencers who are a good fit to promote your product/service is equally as important before reaching out. From there, collaboration and building a good business relationship with the influencer will ensure that you’ll be able to continually advertise through the channel.

While influencer marketing is becoming more and more popular, understanding how the marketing method works and positioning it into an already established marketing strategy can be overwhelming. However, the benefits that an influencer can bring to the table can allow you to reap unique benefits, like bringing authenticity and personality to your brand through testimonials.

Freelance contribution especially written for Find Your Influence by Karoline Gore.

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70% of Teens Trust Influencers More Than Celebrities

Influencers create a unique trust with their audience, oftentimes even more than well-known celebrities. Teens feel as though they can relate, trust, and find comfort in their favorite influencer. 4 in 10 Millennials reveal that they believe their favorite influencer understands them better than their friends. When an influencer creates a trusted relationship with their audience, it is most beneficial for brands to utilize the influencer’s voice when getting the brand’s message out to the public vs. scripting what they want the influencer to say.

People Rely on Influencers Opinions When Making a Purchase

The importance of brands expanding their relationships with influencers has been increasing. According to the Digital Marketing Institute, 49% of consumers depend on influencers’ opinions prior to making a purchase. Along with this statistic, 40% of people have revealed they have purchased an item after seeing an influencer use it on Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram. With statistics like this, it is a strategic business move for brands to employ influencers when looking to promote their product.

Influencer Marketing Creates Brand Awareness

According to a blog published by Lexington Law, 74% of Gen-Z spend their time online, and with the many micro and macro influencers in the social media world, social media users are bound to stumble upon influencers. It is typical to say that these influencers have some expertise in this niche market. Influencers are typically drawn to create content that they have an interest in. For example, beauty, lifestyle, sports, health, cooking, and much more. When brands find influencers that they are confident can promote their product, they are ultimately creating brand awareness.

Different Niches Successful in Influencer Marketing

With the recent rise of influencer marketing, there have been different niches that influencers gravitate towards. Between tech brands and construction, there is no discrimination of what an influencer can promote. For instance, a tech company offers a variety of products, which gives them the option to work with various influencers. Within the technology business, it would benefit the brand to work with macro-influencers because they have a vast outreach. Tech products like phones and cameras, along with mobile apps, generally have mass appeal, which means they need to be advertised to a large and generic segment of consumers. Influencer marketing makes partnering with macro-influencers with big followings the ideal way for tech brands to achieve maximum brand awareness.

When a construction company is considering where they should start with their influencer marketing they can look toward partnering with known construction influencers. For example, partnering with Bjmacwoodwork can give you access to his 150,000 followers interested in woodworking while a partnership with Drywallnation gives you access to 235,000 followers interested in drywall construction.

Takeaway

Influencers create meaningful and trusting relationships with their audience, which leads consumers to look toward them for opinions on products. With the use of social media on the rise, when brands utilize influencers’ voices, they are creating brand awareness. 

Freelance contribution especially written for Find Your Influence by Alice Wholey.

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Whether it’s a YouTube star like James Charles advertising for a makeup brand, or a podcast host like Joe Rogan advertising for a tech company, the popularity of influencer marketing is growing fast. Add the unprecedented growth of the gaming industry on top of this already booming marketing plan and you’ll have a real recipe for success.

Online Gaming Industry Ripe with Marketing Potential

Not so long ago, there was a real crusade against Let’s Play YouTubers and streamers. Multitudes of people were asking why gamers were watching other players play, instead of playing themselves. Fast forward to 2022, and not only are many more people playing video games themselves, watching influencers and online personalities play video games has also become one of young America’s most beloved pastimes. The gaming industry has officially completed the move from the dark ages of non-acceptance and demonization to a new dawn in which it’s the face of worldwide entertainment.

Any preconceptions about gaming being harmful to young minds and being a weak form of entertainment is completely outdated. The modern cultural landscape has now fully accepted gaming. Gamers are not a special breed of people, they buy cars, houses, food, and drinks just like anyone else. Influencers in this area are thus perfect for absolutely any product advertisement, as they are not bogged down to a specific industry and audience base. In the first quarter of 2021 8.8 billion hours of gaming content was streamed, demonstrating the immense audience potential that these online gaming celebrities have.

Gaming Influencers Making Big Waves

PewDiePie for example currently boasts over 110 million YouTube subscribers and has partnered with G-Fuel, promoting their products to his droves of fans in each and every video. G-Fuel benefited immensely from this partnership and now has a social media footprint of over 1 billion followers. The brand has recently launched a global retail campaign as PewDiePie’s fanbase has millions of people from a variety of different locations.

Another example of influencing making waves in the gaming industry is the survival of the Fire Emblem series. The series was launched by Nintendo back in 1990. It’s endured until the present day due to fanatics of the series and influencers who promote their love for the game. There’s now rumored to be a new Fire Emblem game scheduled for release in 2022.

Capitalizing On The Influencer Trend

Gaming influencer marketing is unique in that its proponents and potential partners have the space to market for whatever they please. Their fans are global, and their popularity is only increasing with each passing month. The technological advances in the mobile sphere of gaming are also producing fantastic results for brands who make use of this industry.

Freelance contribution especially written for Find Your Influence by Karoline Gore.

The post Gaming Influencers: The Next Generation of Promotional Superstars appeared first on Find Your Influence.

In order to gain a better understanding of how women are a vital asset in the influencer marketing industry, we talked with President and Co-founder of Find Your Influence, Cristine Vieira, about how she got started and co-founded such a successful company.

Tell me about how you started Find Your Influence. What was your vision? 

“Jamie (Reardon) and I co-founded Find Your Influence (FYI) when we were in search of an Influencer Marketing Tool to help us expand our own influencer marketing campaign. When we couldn’t find one, it was our “aha” moment. At the time, our campaign was producing tremendous results, but we also experienced the difficulty with searching, managing and reporting on influencer marketing programs, so we knew we had to build a tool that would help with just that.”

What does influencer marketing mean to you? How did you get into it and why?

“We were introduced early to the concept of influencer marketing (although it was called ‘Blogger Outreach’ at the time). We saw the amazing results of utilizing an authentic voice to tell a brand’s story. At the end of the day, influencers are exactly that, people we follow and trust. When they recommend a brand, product or service, we’re more inclined to listen, rather than just watching an ad. The space is only going to continue to grow as more people choose not to engage in traditional advertising. For me personally, all I have to do is watch my kids interact with their favorite YouTubers to see how powerful influencer marketing can be.”

As a woman, what does it feel like to be such a pioneer in the influencer marketing industry and the Co-founder of FYI?

“It’s an incredibly humbling experience having the ability to build and watch our business grow. We love building and surrounding ourselves with an amazing team. I’m beyond grateful for this journey.”

Would you say the influencer marketing industry is mostly dominated by women? 

“While the influencer marketing industry is still dominated by women, we have definitely seen a shift over the years. When we started Find Your Influence in 2013, the blogger space was very much dominated by women like, ‘Mom Bloggers’ and ‘Fashion and Beauty’ influencers, but we’ve seen quite an increase in influencers across a variety of industries.”

What is one thing you would tell women who want to become their own boss and start a company? 

“I would say take the reins and go for it! And more importantly, don’t give up. The challenges of owning a business are inevitable, but you need to continue believing in what you’ve built and know that whatever challenge you’re currently facing you can get through it.”

Do you feel like there is a lot of pressure owning such a successful company as a woman?

“I feel like there’s a lot of pressure owning a business – whether you’re a woman or not. I think both Jamie and I would say that from an investment standpoint, it may have been harder to raise money a few years ago as a female, but thankfully even that is shifting.”

What is your favorite part about being the Co-founder of Find Your Influence?

“My absolute favorite part about owning a business is building a sense of community and family within the organization. We are always incredibly grateful for the passion, hard work and dedication that we see from our FYI Family. It’s been an amazing experience watching the team grow and shift.”

As our world begins to adapt to the idea of women running it, we will continue to see an increase in female leadership in certain industries. Women have the ability to do so much good, if given the liberty to showcase our strengths. Influencer marketing is only the beginning. Cristine showed us that women really can do anything they set their minds to. With tenacity, dedication, and resilience, women can change the world.

Freelance contribution especially written for Find Your Influence by Jordan O’Connor.

The post Influencer Marketing: A Female Dominated Industry appeared first on Find Your Influence.

Focus on macro-influencers 

Although micro-influencers can have immense value, macro-influencers (who have follower numbers ranging from 250,000-1,000,000) are where it’s at for tech companies — especially for app and electronic brands. Tech products like phones and cameras, along with mobile apps, generally have mass appeal, which means they need to be advertised to a large and generic segment of consumers. Influencer marketing makes partnering with macro-influencers with big followings the ideal way for tech brands to achieve maximum brand awareness.

Take Advantage of IGC for Paid Ads

Influencer generated content (IGC) is a powerful and cost-effective influencer marketing tool. In fact, consumers consider IGC to be 50% more trustworthy than other types of content. This is because IGC tends to be more honest, relatable, and authentic than impersonal, professionally-created content. Moreover, new tech products, including software products, can often seem intimidating to consumers who either aren’t tech-savvy or simply lack industry knowledge. But, by using IGC for paid ads, you immediately benefit from having a friendly, familiar face representing your product, which in turn helps your customers feel at ease and encouraged to try it out. It’s also essential to develop a tech or software product you can be confident users will love and want to pay for. Fortunately, product development agencies work with companies to develop meaningful, in-demand products with the help of an efficient product-led development strategy.

Partner with Influencers in Different Niches

As a tech company selling a wide variety of products, you have the luxury of being able to work with an endless list of influencers — so there’s no need to limit your influencer marketing campaign to one segment. However, tech products can also be promoted by less-obvious influencers. For instance, you could team up with foodie influencers to market a food delivery app, or with interior design influencers to advertise home gadgets. It’s also important to rely on the “test and invest” strategy throughout your various influencer partnerships. Trackable links can monitor each influencer partnered with and the performance data can then be used to assess which influencers generate best results, so you know what moves to make for your next campaign.

Influencer marketing can help tech brands gain a competitive edge in a saturated market. By partnering with macro-influencers in various niches and taking advantage of IGC for paid ads, tech brands can effectively increase brand awareness and boost sales.

Freelance contribution especially written for Find Your Influence by Karoline Gore.

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Influencers Are So Much More Than What Is On The Surface

I am not going to lie, before I began this internship I did not think there was that much work put into being an influencer. This could not be further from the truth. Through my time with Find Your Influence, I have learned that they are so much more than the stereotypical internet celebrity. They are real employees doing work, promoting the brand and putting effort to help a brand sell a product through the art known as influencer marketing. They additionally have to partake in contract negotiations while simultaneously networking to gain more brand deals, create content, and keep their following engaged.

Follower Count Is Not The Most Important Thing in Influencer Marketing

Prior to starting this internship, I typically only saw value in influencers with a large following. After curating lists of influencers to sign to management and writing a blog on nano, micro, macro, and mega influencers, I found that there is much more than meets the eye. While nano and micro influencers may have less followers, their engagement with their audience is so incredibly valuable. They create a community with their followers and create a personal connection. All of these different influencers display a varying range of specific niches and serve a purpose inside the influencer community.

Anyone Can Be an Influencer, No Matter What Your Niche Is

Curating these lists of influencers has allowed me to see that the influencer world is not just open to the typical fashion and lifestyle influencers. From farming to pickleball, there is a space for endless amounts of niches to partake in being an influencer. Just because there might not be that many influencers in that space, it shouldn’t stop someone from sharing their passion with the world.

 The Influencer Marketing Industry Has Only Just Begun

Although the influencer marketing industry has had sustainable growth over the course of the last decade, there is so much more room for it to grow. With Millennials and Generation Z entering the workplace, I foresee that there will be a shift in how brands value influencers. They will begin to recognize the power that influencers hold and utilize their skill sets in new ways. Additionally, as more social platforms are introduced, there are going to be innovative ways for influencers to make their mark.

Currently, I am about to embark upon my final year of college. This newfound knowledge I have about influencers and the industry will greatly enhance my coursework. I now know how much value and expertise an influencer can bring to a brand. I hope to utilize this skill set throughout my public relations practicum courses, integrating influencers into campaigns.

Freelance contribution especially written for Find Your Influence by Gemma Weinstein.

The post 4 Things I Learned About Influencer Marketing appeared first on Find Your Influence.

Dr. Joyce Costello

Dr. Costello is an extremely decorated professor with over twenty years of experience in the world of public relations. She is currently the program director for marketing management at Cardiff Metropolitan University in England. Prior to that, she spent nineteen years as a broadcast journalist and public affairs specialist with the United States Army before entering academia. She was a senior lecturer and BAPR Program Director at Bournemouth University in the United Kingdom for six years and an Adjunct Instructor at Quadriga University of Applied Sciences in Germany for almost five years. Along with her impressive career in academics, she has written a number of textbooks, including the first influencer relations textbook in the United Kingdom along with Dr. Sevil Yesiloglu.

Why did you feel it was important to create the first influencer relations textbook? How did you see that fitting into the world of public relations and communication?

“In public relations we would teach about influence, but it was all about media relations, how to influence the media. I used to fight with my colleagues in academics and say look, influence is more than that. You need to look at different aspects of society that make change.”

During a revaluation of courses at Bournemouth University, Dr. Costello revamped a course to focus on influencer relations but quickly realized there were no textbooks. She partnered with Dr. Yesiloglu and created the first influencer relations textbook in the United Kingdom to fulfill her students’ desire to learn more about the industry. She noted that, “..we see that there are a lot of things to teach students about and they want to have a bigger understanding.”

Dr Joyce Costello is the program director for marketing management at Cardiff Metropolitan University in England.

What have been the biggest growths and impediments to the influencer industry in the last decade?

Dr. Costello primarily focuses on what she calls the “dark side” of influencer marketing. Meaning, the dangers that come along with the industry, including false engagement and clickbait. As a result of this focus, she believes the biggest impediment to the industry is “maintaining internet cleanliness”. As for the growth, she explained that “there is a lot of potential for the future, it just depends if we want it to be a profession or something that we enjoy doing and want to monetize.”

Do you think that with the rise of influencer culture, there will be more influencer related courses taught on college campuses? What might those look like?

“In the academic world, it’s more about the power of influence and power of change. There’s so much opportunity when it comes to digital and online adoption, but academia tends to be behind in professions in certain fields,” explained Dr. Costello.

How do you see the influencer industry growing over the next decade?

“I do see the market itself growing in ways we haven’t even anticipated. Computer generated influencers have opened a whole new can of worms”. Dr. Costello recognizes that the industry is ever changing and that “as the industry matures, it will define itself”

She believes that “brands that can tell a long story thread are able to build interest and are personable and believable for the long-term audience. If brands have longer term relationships with influencers, it looks a bit more authentic and creates brand advocates.

Greg Jarboe

Greg Jarboe has had an extremely extensive career in the world of communication with over forty years experience. He first began his career in 1986 as the Director of Corporate Communications for Lotus Development. Since then, he has gained over thirteen years of experience at Ziff Davis, was the Vice President of Marketing at DotCom, and co-founded  and is currently president of his own public relations company, SEO-PR. In 2010, Professor Jarboe began his career in academia at Rutgers University as an Executive Education Instructor. He teaches a number of courses including digital marketing, social media marketing, video marketing, and content marketing modules in their Mini-MBA programs, as well as their Influencer Marketing Strategy course offered by Coursera. In addition to that course, he additionally teaches a course at the New Media Academy in Dubai to content creators on how to build a successful brand.

What are the primary topics you cover in your courses?

Jarboe notes that his course topics change year to year as “the industry is constantly evolving.” He explained that he actually created a system to track this change and found the industry changes one third each year while a few topics have remained the same, including many guiding principles of the industry, storytelling, how to produce content, and how to create a viral video.

Jarboe teaches influencer marketing strategy courses with Coursera, Rutgers University and New Media Academy in Dubai.

Do you think that with the rise of influencer culture, there will be more influencer related courses taught on college campuses? What might those look like?

Unlike Professor Costello, Jarboe doesn’t believe that there will be college courses specifically about influencers anytime soon. He explained that “higher education is not suited to teach ever-changing industries. Faculty in higher education are still teaching 20th century marketing. Unfortunately, higher education is not preparing students to be successful in this particular field.” He believes those who do teach influencer related courses will be an “exception to the rule.”

Professor Robert Kozinets

Professor Kozinets has had a wide range of experience in the world of marketing. He has worked at several well-respected colleges across the United States with his primary focus on marketing. These institutions include the Kellogg School of Management, York University, and University of Wisconsin-Madison. He is currently the Principal and President of Netnografica, a marketing research firm, and a Professor at the University of Southern California. In 2006, he began teaching a course focused on word-of-mouth marketing which has evolved to  an influencer marketing course today.

Can you share your background that led you to teaching this course about influencers?

Professor Kozinets’ interest in the power of influence began He explained that in 1994, while working on his PHD, he wrote a dissertation on media fans and in that he discussed social media and how there were implications for marketers inside communities. When bloggers started in the early 2000s, he started writing about how to integrate them into marketing. Then in 2006, he taught a course in the Schulich School on “word of mouth marketing”, which is now known today as social media marketing. He found that this specific type of marketing became “a way you could target a small group of influential people.” As the terminology of influencers grew and as the industry changed, Professor Kozinets built out another course about influencer marketing. Today, he is writing one of the first influencer relations textbooks.

Professor Kozinets began teaching a word-of-mouth marketing course in 2006 which has evolved today into influencer relations.

What are the primary topics you cover in your influencer marketing course?

Due to his many years of teaching, he has created an extensive course that covers basically anything and everything in the influencer industry. These topics include: ethics, legal responsibilities, regulations in the industry, platforms, persuasion, the culture, power dynamics, and diversity and inclusion issues. Being successful and ethical in the influencer marketing world is a primary topic in his course.  He also discusses the global market, the future of the industry, algorithms and their effect, the world of virtual influencers, and how marketing and public relations look differently at influencer campaigns.

What have been the biggest growths and impediments to the influencer industry in the last decade?

Kozinets considers the biggest growth potential in the industry to be in B2B marketing and influencers outside of the fashion and beauty space. He additionally believes that “almost everything else that has not been big in using word-of-mouth techniques, has the potential to be big.”  Even moreso, he sees the potential for technology use, including virtual influencers, to play major roles in the field.

As for impediments, he believes that many managers lack knowledge and confidence with word-of-mouth techniques. Professor Kozinets explains, “There’s a generation dynamic in companies right now. There are a lot of people in decision-making positions of authority who are still on the steep learning curve with social media. This manifests as a fear of shifting from mediums like television and magazines to influencer and social media marketing.”

Do you think that with the rise of influencer culture, there will be more influencer related courses taught on college campuses? What might those look like?

In short, Professor Kozinets thinks there will be more influencer courses taught and is hopeful that they will be using his textbook. He explains that “Influencers are a big phenomenon. Each academic field can have a different spin on it. You could look at it from a media studies or cultural studies perspective, use psychology or sociology to explain how and why it works, at the history, diffusion of innovation, how we understand word of mouth as a communication process, what role an influencer plays vs what role a manager plays, how industries work in different countries, how to build a campaign, ethical case studies, challenges of working in this space, and how artificial intelligence will come into play.”

Prior to conducting these interviews, I was certainly intrigued by the work of these individuals. What I did not realize was how much value there was in influencer industry courses on college campuses. Although the industry is ever changing, these professors add their own unique perspective of the industry and prepare their students for successful careers. The world of influencer marketing in academia has only just scratched the surface. I hope that in the future, courses similar to those taught by Professor Kozinets, Professor Costello, and Greg Jarboe are more widespread. That way, we can better prepare future generations to grow this business further than we have ever thought possible.

Freelance contribution especially written for Find Your Influence by Gemma Weinstein.

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As many restaurants have already done, partnering with influencers to create different types of marketing on social media can increase your restaurant’s business in measurable ways.

Find Your Influence offers six tips to keep in mind if you are looking to start working with an influencer to market your restaurant:

1. Look for influencers that have been to and have enjoyed your restaurant. Influencers, such as Jane Ko, are known to produce the best content when they are posting about food or a restaurant they truly enjoy. Trying to hire an influencer who is a genuine fan and supporter can benefit both the restaurant as well as the influencer and lead to a successful influencer marketing campaign.
2. Partner with an influencer for a contest or giveaway. Building partnerships for contents or giveaways is one of the best ways to attract new customers. With prizes of a free meal or a gift card, the restaurant can gain additional traction from this influencer’s audience.
3. Search for influencers with a variety of social media platforms. While each social media platform has its own benefits, different influencers thrive on different platforms. Getting your restaurant in front of audiences on multiple platforms maximizes the amount of exposure you can receive.
4. Stick to local influencers. When trying to increase awareness for your restaurant brand, a new menu item, a new location or even a special event, targeting customers who are nearby or within a certain range is the best way to go. Geo-targeted campaigns perform best when you hire a local influencer whose audience is often in the same area.
5. Work with an influencer for an ongoing period of time. One post from an influencer is better than nothing, but an ongoing relationship is the best way to gain the greatest awareness. Have the influencer highlight monthly specials, start a weekly blog, or another creative way to maintain a consistent posting schedule to keep your restaurant brand top of mind.
6. Be sure to analyze each influencers’ engagement rates and demographics before hiring. When researching influencers, you want to have specific criteria and qualities identified before beginning your search. Make sure the influencers you choose reach the audience you desire.

Influencer marketing has already proven to be one of the most effective and fastest marketing strategies to date. Considering these tips can help both your restaurant and influencers build a unique, fun and successful campaign together.

Looking to jump into the business of finding influencers but need some help? The Find Your Influence team is here to help. Request a demo today.

Freelance contribution especially written for Find Your Influence by Madelyn Schloss.

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TikTok Creator Fund

The TikTok creator fund was announced in July 2020 and creators were invited to join the next month. The fund allows creators to be paid for the content they produce based on the number of views they get. When TikTok announced the fund, they noted that, “The US fund will start with $200 million to help support ambitious creators who are seeking opportunities to foster a livelihood through their innovative content. The fund will be distributed over the coming year and is expected to grow over that time”. Since then, TikTok has projected that the fund will grow by over one billion dollars over the course of the next three years. There is no cap on the amount of creators who can join, so it is open to anyone on the app, as long as they meet the qualifications. 

Qualifications

In order to join the Tik Tok creator fund, users must fit specific qualifications. According to Tik Tok’s community page, the creators who join must be based in either the United States, France, Germany, Italy, or Spain. Creators have to be 18 years of age, have at least 100,000 followers, and at least 100,000 views on their posts in the past thirty days. All accounts must additionally follow Tik Tok’s community guidelines and terms of service. Want to join the fund but struggling with engagement? Check out a recent blog post by Piper Martin with best practices to grow a TikTok account.

Getting Paid

According to influencers enrolled in the TikTok creator fund, they can receive between two to four cents per thousand views. It all depends on a number of factors including total followers  compared to total likes. So, if a creator has half a million followers and has good engagement in both the comments and likes, they would be getting around $450 a month. 

How to Join the TikTok Creator Fund

To join the fund, creators can access the application through their pro or creator account. In settings, select “creator tools” and then “TikTok Creator Fund” to find the application.

Ready to jump into TikTok, but need a helping hand? Reach out to our Influencer Management Team with your questions today. Send us an email at info@findyourinfluence.com

Freelance contribution especially written for Find Your Influence by Gemma Weinstein.

The post A Beginner’s Guide: TikTok Creator Fund appeared first on Find Your Influence.