As a new business, one of your biggest goals is to create awareness, as such you will need to explore the basics of influencer marketing for startups. Because you will be at the awareness phase for a significant period, depending on your target group, influencers can help to power your business through different means.
Who Is an Influencer?
An individual who has the ability to affect decisions in his/her space is considered as an influencer. Typically, brands engage celebrities because of popularity but this approach has been changing in recent times. Influencers may vary from a high school student to the Jamaican athlete, Usain Bolt. Once the individual has the ability to make an impact on decisions, there is the possibility of utility as an influencer.
Why Does My Business Need An Influencer?
There are many ways in which influencers can impact your business. For the purpose of this article we will focus on the awareness phase.
- Leader for word of mouth marketing – it is all free. The influencer will simply build and maintain conversations about the function and value proposition of your business in his/her space.
- Credibility – if your business is fairly new and it will take some time for customers to gain trust. Have your influencers experience your products or services and speak on your behalf. It is important to use a trusted personality to achieve this goal.
- Entertainer and Communicator – Influencers may build your brand into their lifestyle and maintain the interest of your target group while playing the role of the PR guy for your startup. During this process, you can capture important customer feedback and concerns about your offerings.
How Many Influencers Should I Engage?
There is really no maximum or minimum number of influencers. As the entrepreneur, you have the responsibility of identifying the areas in which influencers can help and assign the roles accordingly. It also depends on your budget and negotiations with the influencers.
Using Influencers Online.
To support online marketing efforts, you may also use influencers for impact within that space. For example, you can drive your social media page growth through references from influencers. As a guide, in selecting an online influencer, be reminded that there are two main types. The micro influencer has a fan base of 10,000 to 100,000 and the macro influencer exceeds 100,000. Note that there are exceptions to the rules as you may be aware of an individual with 5000 followers and a high engagement rate and is able to affect the purchasing decisions of his/her friends. You have to assess your business and identify who is best suited.
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