As of 2022, the global influencer marketing market value had hit $16.4 billion, with platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube leading the way.
Influencers are a powerful tool for reaching potential customers, and top ecommerce brands can't afford to ignore their "influence" (pun intended).
In this article, we'll provide an overview of influencer marketing, a step-by-step guide to getting started with it as an ecommerce brand, and how combining it with custom SMS solutions can help boost ROI.
What is influencer marketing?
Influencer marketing is a form of digital marketing that involves leveraging the reach, influence, and trust of key individuals to promote products or services. It is about building relationships with influential people, like content creators, public figures, and social media celebrities, to promote your ecommerce business.
By working with the right influencers and creating campaigns that resonate with their followers, ecommerce businesses can build brand awareness, increase trust, drive more website traffic, and ultimately, boost sales.
Before starting with ecommerce influencer marketing, consider the four types of influencers.
Macro influencers. A macro influencer has a large social media following (over 100k) and is typically a celebrity or high-profile influencer.
Micro-influencers. A micro-influencer has fewer followers than a macro influencer (under 100k) but a more engaged following, often in the same niche as your ecommerce business.
Nano influencers. Nano influencers are the newest kid on the block, with fewer than 10k followers.
Mega influencers. Mega influencers are the biggest of them all, with a follower count of over one million.
When it comes to finding the perfect influencer for your ecommerce business, there are several criteria to consider: reach, engagement rate, relevance, and authenticity.
It's important to look beyond follower count and focus on how engaged their audience is—do they interact with posts, comment on stories and share content? Relevance is also key—are they already interested in or knowledgeable about your ecommerce brand or products?
Finally, make sure you choose influencers who genuinely believe in your product or service and can speak authentically about it.
A step-by-step guide to influencer marketing for ecommerce brands
Ready to take your ecommerce brand to the next level with influencer marketing? This step-by-step guide will help you create and implement a successful influencer marketing strategy for your online store. Let's get into it.
1. Set clear goals for your influencer marketing activities
Before you start any influencer marketing campaign for your ecommerce store, it's important to set clear goals. What do you plan to achieve with your campaign? Do you want to increase brand awareness or boost sales?
Knowing your objectives will help you determine which influencers are the best fit for your ecommerce business.
2. Create a budget for your influencer campaign
Creating a budget for ecommerce influencer marketing campaigns is a key ingredient for success. When deciding how much to pay influencers, consider each person's reach, follower count, engagement, and how much content they will be creating.
To get an idea of how campaign budgets influence the caliber of influencers and the quality of results you get, try this Instagram influencer campaign spend calculator from Inzpire.
3. Find the right influencer(s)
Once you have set your ecommerce influencer marketing goals and created a budget, it's time to find the right influencers for your ecommerce business. Search for relevant influencers in your ecommerce niche on social media channels like Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, and Snapchat.
Like employees, social media influencers are an extension of your company to the public, so ensure the ones you select align with your brand values and target audience. Also, look at their past brand partnerships and results to ensure they are a good fit.
Another great way to find influencers for your ecommerce brand is to explore an influencer marketing platform. There are many influencer marketing platforms, but this list by Influencer Marketing Hub is a good starting point: Top 10 Influencer Marketing Platforms to Boost Your Campaigns.
4. Develop your influencer marketing strategy
After you've identified the best influencers for your brand, it's time to develop your ecommerce influencer marketing campaign strategy. Think about what kind of content you want from them and how you can measure success.
If possible, provide them with some creative direction and personalize the content for their audiences. Remember to ensure that your ecommerce brand is at the heart of all content created.
5. Reach out and negotiate influencer partnership terms
Now that you have a plan, reach out to the influencers on your list and start negotiating. Make sure to be upfront about your ecommerce brand, the type of content you're looking for, how much you plan to pay, and any incentives you can offer.
For example, if your ecommerce business plans to offer free products or discount codes, let the influencers know. This information will make it easier for them to promote your ecommerce business to their followers.
6. Leverage SMS and MMS marketing
Once your ecommerce influencer marketing campaign is live, you can use custom SMS or MMS solutions to help boost ROI. Integrating text messaging into your ecommerce marketing operations allows you to automate messages, send notifications about upcoming promos, and track performance metrics in real time.
These messaging solutions provide an easy way to connect with ecommerce consumers and drive sales. Plus, text messages are more likely to be opened and read than emails, so they can help you get your ecommerce message across quickly and effectively.
For example, automated SMS reminders or MMS messages with a note or video from the influencer(s) can encourage customers to take advantage of exclusive offers or promotional codes. With SMS marketing software, ecommerce businesses can also target niche audiences and use segmentation to send personalized messages with high conversion potential.
7. Monitor and measure the results of your influencer marketing campaign
Once your ecommerce influencer marketing campaign has launched, it's important to track its progress and measure the results. Keep an eye on critical influencer marketing metrics like impressions, engagement rate, and website traffic to identify which types of content perform best.
This insight will help you optimize your influencer partnerships for future campaigns.
Upgrade your influencer marketing campaigns with Emotive
Influencer marketing is an effective way to drive awareness, build long-term relationships with potential and existing customers, and boost ecommerce sales. But by combining influencer marketing efforts with SMS marketing strategies, ecommerce businesses can create even more successful influencer campaigns and increase brand loyalty.
Enter Emotive, a conversational SMS marketing software that lets you send text campaigns to customers. What's more? The app also allows for two-way communication, meaning customers can reply to your messages too!
Ready to drive urgency, stand out and boost sales with SMS marketing? Book a demo today!