Imagine if you could engage your customer at the right time, with the right data, and the perfect offer. Is that even possible? It is, and it’s commonly referred to as personalized marketing. Companies using personalized marketing leverage their marketing data so that they’re delivering customized solutions, messages and promotions. Success requires an in-depth understanding of different buyer personas and the ability to segment your audience into different customer niches.
The ultimate goal is to customize the buyer’s journey so that your digital marketing team can engage different buyer personas with tailored offers. Influencers are used because they can provide your company with a constant stream of new leads. A single mention of your product by an influencer on their preferred social media channel is enough to drive up lead generation and sales. However, does that mean that your digital team should only focus on the most popular and widely-recognized influencers? Well, not exactly.
Don’t make the all-too-common mistake of trying to attach your brand to the most popular influencer. First, there are too many competitors vying for the same piece of the pie. Your message will get lost in the noise. It will be extremely difficult to secure that all-important endorsement. Second, it takes longer to locate, initiate interest and convert large influencers to your cause. Third, there is ample evidence that shows that influencers with smaller social media audiences actually do better than those with larger social media audiences. Surprised? Don’t be. Micro-influencers offer great opportunities to reach your market.
A recent study by Markerly covering social engagement found that the volume of likes declined substantially with the volume of followers an influencer had. Micro-influencers with fewer than 10,000 followers had likes of 4%, while influencers with 10,000 to 100,000 followers only had a 2.4%. Finally, influencers with 1 million or more followers only had 1.7%. Ultimately, micro-influencers achieved a higher number of likes and more engagement. Why does this happen? The following reasons explain why.
Your message becomes saturated when you focus on too large an audience. Micro-influencers have more devoted followers. These followers care more about their lifestyles, brands, and interests than a larger influencer with millions of followers. In the end, micro-influencers are more focused on a key subject and it’s that specificity that makes their followers so devoted.
Think about what it must cost to secure an endorsement from someone who has a million or more social media followers. They’ve built that following over time and they see their endorsement of a given product or service as marketable. That means you’re paying for that popularity. The costs for a single mention or endorsement can be substantial. This isn't the case with smaller influencers. Many of them do it because they love what they do, and a large number of them have no profit motive. Now, that’s not to say that you won’t have to pay for an endorsement. You will. You'll always have to pay for lead generation. It simply means the costs won’t be anywhere near as high as they would for someone with millions of followers.
Again, smaller influencers are more passionate about a specific cause, lifestyle or trend. They focus on a specific topic and are devoted to that topic. This means their followers are just as passionate. This is largely why there is more engagement within the audiences of smaller influencers. Their audiences are more focused, concentrated and committed to a cause. Aligning your product with that passion will improve your brand.
Smaller influencers allow you to focus on specific areas of interest and align your product to those interests. This means you’re reducing your costs of lead generation across the board and reaching audiences that are more invested in what you have to offer. Reaching a more engaged audience means you’re increasing your brand’s relevance. You can segment your products along multiple micro-influencers so that you’re covering every one of your buyer personas and touching the things they care about most.
A personalized marketing strategy is all about getting to better know your customers and what they care about. Having influencers as part of your digital marketing strategy allows you to connect with customers in ways that content, email marketing, and digital advertising can't. Followers respect the opinions of influencers. They value their insight. Take advantage of influencers' position and reach.
A digital marketing agency is the ideal partner to help you come up with a personalized marketing strategy and leverage the impact that influencers have to offer. They can get your products and services endorsed by influencers with devoted followers. You can then track the lead generation and increased engagement that results from having well-known influencers endorse your brand.
Want to know more about how a digital marketing agency can put this kind of plan together? Contact us.