With growth comes change (and sometimes the other way around). 

As marketing is looking at some major changes into 2022, one of the main players in the social media marketing scene is that of influencers. Influencer marketing in the past few years has proved itself to be a powerful marketing force to be reckoned with, and here to stay as a strategy that can offer big rewards to those who are brave enough to invest in it. 

As a digital marketing agency based out of Africa, we are always on the lookout to bring the best of Africa to you, including some of it’s best influencers. Making friends is easy (and good for business), and influencer marketing means influential individuals act as brand ambassadors by recommending their products/services to their huge follower bases to boost sales and profit for the company. 

Influencer marketing works on the concept of social proof – a psychological phenomenon where people conform to the actions of those who they see as performing ‘correct behaviour’. In the marketing world, this means a larger reach into your target audience via someone they see as credible and legitimate in that field. 

Image Source: BigCommerce

Ask the Experts 

Everyone trusts a person who knows what they’re talking about. Welcoming experts and thought leaders from your field into your online events, discussions, and Live Stories can help you take advantage of their credibility and social impact in order to appeal to your target audience, and simultaneously give them something great (for free) to log into. 

Who Are You Working With? 

Once you’ve decided on the targets you want to achieve with this campaign (and the metrics to track its progress), do some research on which influencers would be the best fit not only to meet these targets, but also who aligns with your brand image. Look at their followers and who they’re following, how they engage with their audience, and the kind of content they post.

Review, Review, Review 

We say it’s crucial that you have a content review + approval process before your influencer posts something about your brand. Not only does this give you content consistency, but it also maintains deadlines between parties. It also allows you to constantly improve on your first draft so that by the time it’s out, it’s the best version it can be. 

Go Beyond the Campaign

Influencers aren’t just pretty and impactful faces. They are also clever, creative content creators. Use their great content and repurpose it for future use, such as in your website, paid advertisements, podcasts, etc. to stay cost-effective and relevant. 

Work with Micro-Influencers 

They are authentic (and sometimes niche). While micro-influencers might not have as many followers, the ones they do have are far more engaging, and these influencers’ content is usually more genuine. Their followers are more likely to trust their opinion about things because these people are themselves everyday consumers, and this can be an amazing opportunity to earn the trust of your audience. 

Look out for influencer fraud.

This is something we all watch out for: ‘fake’ influencers who have artificially inflated their follower count to increase their social media standing and asking rates. Make sure to look into the content and background work of your influencer to make sure your brand isn’t pulled into authenticity and accountability concerns.  

We know how to connect businesses with affiliates and influencer partners. Tribe of Brands can help you stay on top of trends to effectively navigate the complex waters of the internet. Our marketing agency can help you with further ideas on how to design world-class websites, seamless user journeys, and digital marketing campaigns.