Smart Ways to Make Influencer Marketing Work for Your Business

Influencer marketing can be a tough nut to crack for many businesses. It's not just about finding the right people to promote your products; it's also about making sure that those promotions actually lead to sales. Sometimes, businesses spend a lot of money on influencers only to see little engagement or sales. But when done right, influencer marketing can really boost a brand's visibility and success. Take Poppi, for example. This better-for-you soda brand became so popular on TikTok that PepsiCo bought it for a whopping $1. 95 billion this year. That's the power of influencer marketing when it's done well. There are now many social media startups and PR firms that are making it easier for brands to navigate the world of influencer marketing. These companies are using technology to help businesses find the right influencers, track the success of their campaigns, and even automate payments. For instance, Agentio is a platform that uses AI to match brands with pre-vetted YouTube creators. Brands can bid for ad reads in the creators' videos and track the performance of their ads. This has led to some impressive results, like sock brand Bombas seeing a 5. 3 times higher return on ad spend after switching to Agentio-powered ad reads. Another company, Superfiliate, helps marketing teams spend their budgets more efficiently. It allows brands to find creators, manage partnerships, view performance analytics, and automate payments. Superfiliate has also introduced new technology that allows brands to track high-consideration purchases influenced by creator-led campaigns, even up to 30 days after the initial exposure. But not all influencer marketing has to be about paid posts. Analog Events, for example, plans brand events and gifts products to influencers. By giving influencers the freedom to create their own content, Analog has seen great success, with 85 percent of influencers posting about their experiences without being paid. Traditional PR firms are also getting in on the action. Kite Hill, for example, works with journalists, content creators, and podcasters for the same campaign. They've also seen a rise in demand for executives to be influencers in their own right, helping them create social media posts that can sometimes be more effective than traditional press pages. Illumination PR, on the other hand, focuses on the healthcare and wellness industry. They vet influencers carefully and aren't afraid to tell clients when they're making a mistake. For example, they convinced a medical spa client to work with a local mom influencer instead of a celebrity, resulting in the client's biggest-ever influencer marketing ROI. The key takeaway here is that influencer marketing isn't just about finding the most famous influencer you can afford. It's about finding the right influencer who can genuinely connect with your target audience and drive sales.