Want to be successful on Social Media? Follow these tips from the Experts.

As an entrepreneur, it is my job to travel the world, a lot. Get introduced to new individuals, learn new things and implement those new ideas for reaping all the benefits involved. Social media is the latest addition to rising entrepreneurs under the list of factors of production and ability to utilize it effectively can guarantee the best possible returns.

Credits:http://thetechnews.com/2016/08/27/want-to-be-successful-on-social-media-follow-these-tips-by-heart/

Which social media sites are popular for business ?

Social media marketing revolutionised the digital marketing scenario across the Globe. It not only provided low-maintenance and cost effective platforms for marketing but also opened up ways for small businesses to interact with their existing and potential customers. To create an effective social media marketing strategy, it is important to identify the social media sites that are most suitable to your industry, product and customer base and create a strong presence on such social media websites. Below are some major social media sites which have good reach and have proved useful for businesses.  

Facebook

With more than 1.55 billion active users, facebook is the biggest social networking website today. Since its launch in 2004, facebook has transformed from being just a social interaction platform to a website where large number of people connect globally. Facebook has become a versatile tool for businesses through its various features like the Pages Feature and Ads Manager.  A simple like or share on your Facebook page can help your business to increase its reach with the people who may not known you. You can use it to share photos, videos, important company updates and more.   

Twitter

Twitter is a micro-blogging website launched in 2004 with more than 300 million users worldwide. The messages conveyed are short precise and in 140 characters or less. Twitter is all the rage amongst youngsters, celebrities and big brands alike. Because of its wide reach, Twitter is not only a great way to market your business but also an effective channel for handling customer service.   

Youtube   

YouTube is a video sharing social media site where a new video is uploaded every minute. It is a great platform for small businesses to incorporate videos in your online marketing strategy and embed videos to your website. These videos can be infomercials, tutorials, product launches, offers, blogs etc.   

Linkedin 

Launched in 2003, Linkedin has become the premier B2B social networking site. Linkedin is a great platform for Networking with local professionals and Connecting with people in similar industries. And like other social networking sites Linkedin aides in Lead generation & reputation management for your business.   

Pinterest 

Pinterest is a very powerful image-based social media website. It consists of digital bulletin boards where users can save and display content they like in the form of pins. Pinterest connects users and boards with similar interests and thus helps boost the business in amongst a potential customer base.  

Instagram 

Like Pinterest, Instagram too is an visual based social media platform. Instagram started out as an image sharing site, but has now morphed into a site which has more advertising power than any other social media site. Instagram is used by businesses for sharing pictures and short video clips, creating their brand image by sharing company culture and “behind-the-scenes” insights. The main factor which boosted Instagram's acceptance amongst users were its filters and tools to easily edit pictures.  

Google+ 

Google Plus’s popularity is partially due to its SEO value. Google+ is great for getting customer reviews to show up in search results. Google+ has many features crafted with keeping the user in mind such as Hangouts, Circles, Messenger, Instant Upload etc.

The Top Dos and Don’ts in Effective Social Media Management

Social media is the Swiss Army Knife of businesses in the 21st century. We use social media to drive our branding efforts, connect with customers, generate new leads, gain insights into buying habits, manage reputation, and bolster our digital footprint.

Credits:https://www.searchenginejournal.com/top-dos-donts-effective-social-media-management/169626/

Have thousands of followers on Twitter? How social you are affects your work life

While social media checks were common in the job market, the number of people who follow you is a new criteria. 

Credits:www.hindustantimes.com/business-newspaper/how-social-you-are-affects-your-work-life/story-HWOt96gVW27rhhNfEMHICO.html 

Social media: a modern style marketing

Until some time back, marketing was a monologue system where the marketers involve multiple sources like print, billboard, TV commercials to promote their products. Now the world is changing. The development in the technology has brought in the changes we look at marketing. It has now changed from monologue to dialogue. Mass media plays its role but in a different way. 

The social media has changed the definition of marketing. Today it is everyone's job. The customer is no longer separated from the product. They don't differentiate online stores from in-store experience. It is the experience. The shift is good but challenging. 

Social media has provided the platform to people to search for information before actual purchase. The availability of content related to product or services to engage individuals acts  as authentic brand ambassador to win the prospective customer. In fact, billboards alongside the roads, TV commercials for working class or print media is struggling to gain the attention of the prospects who are absorbed in the screens of their smartphones and tabs. Social media has made customers more empowered, critical, demanding, price sensitive. They are hunting around blogs, social network, forums and other to quench their thirst for information. They prefer window shopping on screens rather physically visiting the stores. The brands who care for them are forming the relationship with them. In short, the avenues for interactions between customers and companies have multiplied.

How companies are adapting to change?

With the change in customers behavior towards marketing, the businesses need to amend their marketing strategies to accommodate in the market. Marketing is not confined to a team or a group of people. It is now a role of everybody which means that as more employees are engaged in the job means trusting more people who are not trained, marketers. Businesses have to change their organisational models to empower the employees by social training and increase access to  branding and product  information. The regular input provided to the employees and support can help to gain the confidence of the employees and loyalty of the customers.

Other than training the employees, they are focusing on responsive websites, tapping all relevant tools of interacting the customers, prompt responses to queries and providing informational content to the customers.

It is now vital for the businesses to adapt to the changes for their existence in the market. Although it may seem challenging but the rewards are overwhelming. 

The remote workforce: Virtual offices boost productivity, attract talent

Credits:http://www.knoxnews.com/business/the-remote-workforce-virtual-offices-boost-productivity-attract-talent-318dbe3f-16b9-5bfc-e053-01000-377741291.html

Ever Wondered What it's Like Inside a McDonald's Happy Meal?

The week-long film, music, and interactive media extravaganza known as South by Southwest kicks off in Austin on Friday. Event-goers will be treated to keynotes byPresident Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama. They’ll get to view Netflix’s Pee-wee Herman remake, among other film premieres, and listen to indie bands with weird names. They’ll also get to experience the inside of a McDonald’s Happy Meal.

Say what? Yes, McDonald’s will be on hand—this year marks the company’s second involvement and corporate sponsorship at SXSW—and so will a virtual reality “experience” they’ve put together that lets attendees feel like they’re stepping into a giant Happy Meal. According to the fast food chain, users will get to custom design the interior of a Happy Meal Box with virtual paint brushes, balloons, and lasers.

Here’s how it works: Users wear HTC Vive virtual reality goggles and step inside the “experience.” Using two hand-held controllers, they can then pick their brush or other tool and decorate away. When done, they’ll be able to share their creation across social media. The gimmicky exhibit, which was co-developed with a VR studio named Groove Jones, is just one example of the company’s recent efforts to transform its image (and offerings) via a new digital strategy, part of which is being more open to collaborations with smaller, more innovative companies. And, apparently, sponsoring SXSW.

“The main driver for our presence [at SXSW] is to demonstrate that we’re open for business with the tech ecosystem,” says Atif Rafiq, McDonald’s first chief digital officer, who joined the company about two years ago. “Being at SXSW makes that clear.”

In addition to the VR experience, McDonald’s has another, more practical techie demo at SXSW: self-service kiosks that let attendees order their own McNuggets. (The machines don’t actually make the food, which needs to be picked up at a nearby counter.)

“We see our mission as bringing a new level of everyday convenience and fun to the world,” says Rafiq. “We know where we have strength and what people know us for. We’re not trying to get into something that’s foreign for us.”

It’s not clear whether McDonald’s experimentation—and association—with the tech world will have any payoff for the company. (Unlike all-day breakfast, it is hard measuring the financial impact of branded VR experiences.) But CEO Steve Easterbrook has made it clear that digital efforts will be key to the company’s turnaround. McDonald’s  MCD 0.07%  already has several digital “hubs,” including a team in San Francisco and a new office in downtown Chicago. Chief digital officer Rafiq has been tasked with building a tech-savvy team to develop mobile apps and a digital marketing strategy. Case in point: In Sweden, McDonald’s is already experimenting with Happy Meal boxes that transform into virtual reality viewers. Apparently, VR experiences that let you step into a life-sized Happy Meal is just the beginning.

Credits:http://fortune.com/2016/03/11/mcdonalds-happy-meal-virtual-reality-sxsw/

How social media helps small business to win big

Social media is the hottest trend in the digital world for many reasons. For a general user, it is a medium to be in touch with the people they know or are from their interest field. For some, it is a medium to gather relevant information. Well, this is not just confined to the common man for its use. Of lately, it has emerged as a very powerful tool for promoting business and the small entrepreneurs or the newbies are the ones who look ahead for the maximum share of the business. But how it really helps them?

Social media is known for connecting people. For the business, they play the same role but in professional means. It allows you to connect with your existing customers and convince them to join your groups or pages. The existing customers can also add a note about your business. This acts as digital word of mouth promotion where your customers indirectly become your brand ambassadors.

While engaging the current customers, it allows you to reach new or potential customers as well. Every post or tweet on your wall and every like or share of your post highlights your name in all the members available in the group of people you know. This helps your business to introduce itself to the new group and the interested groups can visit your link and subsequently your site for further information

Other than helping the business for its promotion, it also gives the business a platform to interact with the clients and understand their needs and resolve their queries. This helps the business to get suggestions for improvement and expansion while it creates a positive image in the minds of the people. In fact, you can post valuable information which you might have come across as a regular question or a way to use the product on their pages. People can gather the information and can share it with their groups. This can not only present you as an experts in the field but also assist people to get the information without actually interacting you. (And can have a good image of your business in their minds!)

Well, for the small business these medium is beneficial in one more way. To be active on the social media, you need not keep aside a portion of your budget. Most of the social site are available free of cost. You just have to create a page of your business on them and add your group to it. Additionally, you can drop an email asking them to join your group or add a business card to the products they have bought. You can even purchase an advertisement on the social media which is pretty much less expensive than TV commercial or print media and will be broadcaster on the walls of people with similar interest or profile.

Although social media has many advantages for small business segments, but anything that is been communicated or written on the wall or interaction must be watched carefully so that the promotion may not go another way round.

The Top 4 Social Media Myths Affecting Property & Casualty Insurance Agents

It seems like every week a new social media platform is born. Snapchat, Periscope, Instagram, Pinterest… the list goes on. It’s no surprise then that social media is often an intimidating marketing strategy for property and casualty insurance agents. But don’t let the ever growing technology world overwhelm you. Social media marketing has many benefits for independent insurance agents because it can enhance your brand, generate leads, and increase referrals from current clients.

Because the world of social media marketing is complex, it’s important to decipher some of the most common myths associated with the practice to help you get started with your marketing strategy.

MYTH #1: You need to be on every social media platform to make an impact.

FACT: Not all social networks are suitable for property and casualty insurance agents.

Your children may be on social media sites like Snapchat and Pinterest, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that this exposure will benefit your business. We suggest that property and casualty insurance agents take advantage of what we call the “big three:” Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

Facebook is the largest social network, with 1.5 billion active monthly users. This gives insurance agents a platform to expose their brand to a wide audience. Twitter is an excellent way to instantaneously update your followers because it is a feed of short, concise tweets that are updated often. You can use Twitter to share relevant content, reach out to followers, and connect with your clients in real time. LinkedIn is a platform ideal for professionals and businesses to constantly network and build relationships not only with clients but also strategic partners who provide other services their clients may need. Each platform offers unique benefits property and casualty insurance agents can take advantage of.

MYTH #2: Social media marketing takes too much time.

FACT: With proper planning, an automated social media strategy can be established without draining your time.

We don’t want to say that a quality social media marketing strategy isn’t time consuming because that wouldn’t be entirely accurate. However, with an automation platform, a marketing calendar, and a constant stream of content, you can significantly reduce your social media marketing time, and the benefits will greatly outweigh the cost.

A marketing automation tool allows you to consistently send out social media content throughout your channels, which means that you don’t have to set aside time everyday to manage them. A marketing calendar serves as an organization tool to schedule different forms of content. For example, you might post a blog once a week and share an article from a reputable insurance news source three times a week. Both of these tools will help you develop a constant stream of content, which will enhance your reputation as a knowledgeable expert in your industry.

MYTH #3: Property and casualty insurance agents should follow the social media models of big businesses.

FACT: You should tailor your social media strategy to your audience and specialities.

You’ve likely heard of the days when social media marketing went viral for big businesses. Exciting videos, emotional graphics, and inspirational stories may seem like good social media tools, but chances are they aren’t right for your business. Instead, focus on sharing content that is appropriate to your audience and that emphasizes how you can address their insurance needs.

An example may be sharing an article about a recent change in the insurance industry and clarifying how that change will affect your clients. Or, share a statistical report about how individuals can significantly save money when they combine their insurance policies. You will become a go-to source for information by sharing content that your followers and fans are interested in learning about.

MYTH #4: The goal of social media is to get as many likes, followers, and fans as possible.

FACT: Social media users should strive to make meaningful connections.

Marketing experts know that “vanity metrics,” or metrics that are often misleading or unhelpful, are extremely common in the world of content marketing. It doesn’t do you much good to have 10,000 Twitter followers if only 10 of them are prospective clients.

Whether you want clients to sign up for your email newsletter, follow your blog, or contact your office to schedule an appointment, your social media strategy should act as a way to encourage engagement, not merely to rack up fans. A simple way to encourage action on your social media platforms is to clearly express what you want your viewers to do. For example, if you share an article about the rising cost of automobile insurance, ask your viewers to contact your office to learn more about how you can help. Ultimately, you want your strategy to help you get clients and prospects to take action, not just “like,” “share,” or “retweet” your post.

By debunking a few common social media myths, you can get a better sense of what social media marketing is and isn’t. Instead of drowning in the web of likes, follows, comments, and changing technology, develop a robust social media marketing strategy for your business and reap the benefits of increased leads and referrals.

Credits:http://www.insurancejournal.com/blogs/fmg-suite/2016/02/01/396922.htm

Role of content marketing for small businesses

When I talk about the term content marketing, the first question that I have come across is about the meaning of the word content. I usually explain stating content can be anything; any form the information is passed whether it is written, graphical, image or video. Taking this concept the content marketing includes articles, blogs, videos, infographics, webinars or images- any form through which the publisher is providing the information to the people who are seeking for it. Well, this is in the benefit of the user. But how the publisher or the company who post it gets the benefit?

In the digital world everything revolves around content marketing. When used tactfully and with creativity it can become a fair field for both new and established names. In this post we will gather information on its role in promoting small businesses.

To increase website traffic:

Website traffic is the number of people visiting your websites. More the number, more are the chances of converting them from visitor to prospective buyer. If the content published on your site or other media gains the attention of the search engine, then whoever is looking for the information can get the link of your post.  This can help in generating inbound visits.

 If the post is having information that can be shared, the people automatically start sharing it amongst their groups and help you to get the online word of mouth promotion. This is again beneficial for the company as it gives an exposure to introduce itself to new groups.

Help to promote your expertise:

When you post some informational content on the website, visitors notices you as an expert in the field. Every good post establishes your expertise and strengthens your position in the industry. This also means that you have to be careful in sharing the knowledge as well as the frequency of sharing. Remember, if a good post can help you gain the market, it can go other way round too.

Keep you updated about your industry:

When you start posting the content frequently, you need to look for the latest updates and valuable information to post. This helps you gain the insight of your industry and understand the progress of the market. In fact you are not just sharing information for the people; you are gaining valuable information as well that can help you to introduce new technologies in your business or to introduce new product line.

Content stays longer:

Whenever you post something on the website, it stays there.  As I earlier said, if it is shareable, it can give benefits for a longer period of time. There are scenarios that the content posted in, say, two years back that are still worthy to be shared and can be seen active on the social media.

Helps in building loyalty:

Content marketing helps the small business to gain attention and engagement. When you regularly share something informational, it deepens the relationship between you and the visitors. The repeat visits can be seen when people come again looking for more.

We can say that content marketing is a two way tool. While it helps the users to gain the information, it helps the business to gain the traffic which in turn leads to increased sales and also provide the detailed knowledge of the industry to the businessman.  For a business to gain the full benefit of the content marketing, they must be regularly updated and are prompt in sharing the useful information on their websites before their competitors grab the opportunity.  If the business does not have much knowledge about the process, various digital marketing companies are available for them who can help them to plan their digital marketing strategy and work on their content marketing. Just the step forward is needed.

We help you connect with your customers virtually: Sanicon Digital Solutions

It is important for a business to understand the needs of its customers. For this the businessman needs to get in touch with them. Social media has proved its importance in this scenario. Every business that step in the digital market can take the benefit of social media. We at Sanicon digital solutions understand your business needs and help you to mark your presence on social media and talk to your customers. After all business is what people want and we help you to know what they want.

Is digital marketing all about social media?

The terms digital marketing and social media has been interwoven together in a manner that they appear to be utilized reciprocally. Most of us think that by promoting on social media they are using digital media, but this not totally true.  In a more extensive prospect, these are two unique ideas in which social media is a part of the digital media umbrella and as there are numerous more segments that make up digital marketing. Let us perceive how the two differs and what part do they play in promoting the business.

What is digital marketing?

Digital marketing is in fact characterized as building awareness and promoting a brand or product utilizing all accessible digital channels. Digital marketing goes past the Internet and tries to contact individuals in the offline world. The significant parts of digital marketing are:

Web Marketing – The Web, Search engine optimization, Smartphone, Mobile applications market like play store, Google play, apple store, and so forth, email promoting, online banner publicizing and Social Media.

Non-Internet digital media– Television, Radio, SMS, digital billboards.

What is social media?

This term has developed in the business sector in the late years and has opened new channels to the digital marketing. The achievement of social media can be figured by the way that it has given the new importance of socializing, shopping, interfacing, and has changed the way we think also.

Social media is the term we use to depict stages that unite individuals for the trading of data. The most prominent social media platforms are Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, Tumblr, LinkedIn, StumbleUpon and YouTube.

Digital marketing VS Social media

If we need to think about both the terms next to each other then we can finish up on the accompanying contrasts

• Digital media is a marketing strategy as a whole while social media is a part of digital marketing strategy.
• Social media focuses on specific group of people who have common interest while Digital media focuses on all the target audience who respond according to their interest
• Social media is about online individuals while digital marketing concentrates on offline world as well online.
• Social media needs platforms such as Facebook, twitter though digital marketing needs channel like mobile ads, billboards, TV and so forth.
• Social media is subject to content strategy. You require a content to post on online networking, whereas, digital marketing relies upon banners for promotion.

What creates more effect in the business sector digital marketing or social media?

It relies on upon the sort of brand, products or services you need to promote. There are situations where different types of digital media will be more suitable to spread awareness than social networking. Social networking is an absolute necessity for the product, brand or service that has a wide group of audience. It is vital to know the difference between the distinctive promoting tools with the goal that you can choose the most suitable devices to use in your campaigns.

Give Traditional Marketing Techniques A Spin In The Digital World

Over recent years, as digital has grown, our attention has moved away from traditional advertising such as print and even TV towards electronic devices, as much more time is spent on mobiles and tablets.

Smartphones have played a huge role in this and they have increased at such a rate that the number of global smartphone users will surpass 2 billion in 2016. This growth of smartphones means that consumers can be reached on various different platforms instantly - as they allow access to the internet and brands apps 24/7.

There are many ways technology has changed marketing such as being able to reach a wider audience, target individuals, deliver timely content quickly and the list goes on. But, most importantly, it has also created new forms of marketing that enable these to happen.

If you are more of a traditional marketer and are primarily using original, but now slightly outdated, marketing techniques, here is how you can give them a spin in the digital world:

Leaflets Through Doors – Text Messages to Phones

To target people directly and make the communication seem personal, leaflets were often dropped through doors so it became part of the home owner's post.Now, rather than landing on their doormat, the information can land in their inbox. Through the likes of Global Messaging companies can connect, communicate and engage with customers via an SMS campaign.

Billboards – Ad banners

Traditionally adverts were placed on billboards, so that you could see them as you drove or walked down a road. These are, of course, still a popular form of advertising. However, as large as these are the time you spend in front of them is limited (unless you are stuck in a traffic jam) and therefore the time you have to read them is also limited.The spin on this in the digital world is the ad banners that appear across websites. The benefit of these is the customer has the time to read them and, rather than having to remember information, they can click straight through to the website to find all the information they need and purchase immediately if they wish.

Word of Mouth – Social Media

Before digital you had to rely on your customers having conversations with their friends, telling them about your company and how great it is and why they should use it themselves. However, with the rise in social media you can now spark these conversations yourself and then watch as customers discuss, even being part of the conversation yourself, if you wish.

TV adverts – You Tube Videos

TV adverts again are still a key part of an advertising campaign, however their spin in the digital world is that they can be uploaded to YouTube. As many adverts are becoming more a mini film than an advertisement, such as this one, they can show a longer version if they wish. This can then be shared and discussed as part of the conversations on social media.

Column in the Paper – Blog

Written communication and announcing news about your company was often done through a column in the newspaper. Now, this can be done through a company's own personal blog – which again can be shared across social media or text messages, to reach a wide audience quickly. This can include images and videos as well as the written content and can link back to the company website.The most important thing with marketing is to combine and link all these techniques, both traditional and digital together, to create a powerful and successful overall campaign.These are only a few of the ways that traditional marketing techniques can be given a spin in the digital world, and with the speed that it is changing, we can only imagine how these will develop in the next few years.

Credits: http://minutehack.com/guides/give-traditional-marketing-techniques-a-spin-in-the-digital-world

How to Use Influencer Marketing to Boost Your Traffic and Conversions

Especially when it comes to business, where it is arguably changing the game each day. In the past, companies could use their influence to convert potential consumers through paid ads or some other marketing strategy. Social networks have changed all of that, which is best evident by the recent emergence of influencer marketing.

People no longer turn to companies to inform them about what they want or need. They look to other people, people whose influence and expertise regarding a certain industry is valued among the users. Take for example, YouTube vloggers. They have millions of followers, their videos have hundreds of millions of views, and companies are lining up to collaborate with them. And it’s not just YouTube. It’s pretty much the same story when it comes to Twitter, Instagram, or Pinterest.

As you can see, the focus has shifted to individuals, and people respond better to being addressed directly, as opposed to being served some marketing strategy by a faceless company. This is definitely the era of influencers, so let’s take a look at 11 ways you can make influencer marketing work for you in order to attract more visitors and boost your conversion rate.

1. Put your audience front and center

Since your ultimate goal is to convert your visitors into paying customers, it’s only logical to build your marketing strategy around them. This means you should literally focus all of your efforts into getting to know your audience first and anticipate how they might react. It will also help you figure out which influencers they would follow and the type of content they would prefer. That would also include checking out appropriate blogs, articles, tweets, YouTube channels, or forums.

People are more inclined to value the opinions of actual people, in this case influencers, instead of those of a company, because they are more likely to be genuine. They are independent third parties, unlike the companies trying to sell them their products.

Here’s what Carter Hostelley, CEO and Founder of Leadtail, has to say about it:

“Building relationships with influencers can be a very effective way to reach your target audience in a more credible manner than simply buying advertising. With that said, “influencer marketing” is not an overnight process.

It starts with knowing who the most relevant influencers are in your industry segment. There are now a number of software tools available to help you do that. My firm Leadtail also puts out reports which are helpful if you’re targeting influencers of the C-Suite.”

2. Decide what type of influencer you need for your campaign

Once you’ve figured your target audience, it is time to decide what sort of influencer would best serve your campaign. There are numerous aspects to consider when doing this, such as the tone with which the influencer addresses the readers/viewers. Depending on your niche, you may need someone who’s efficient at getting them to take action, or a thought leader, or perhaps even an industry insider.

Aside from choosing the niche, the topics, and the number of influencers you want to get on your side, you also need to decide on what sort of reach you are after. Is your goal to use influencer marketing to drive traffic to your website or blog, or do you want to strengthen your social media presence and increase your reach? This one is highly dependent on what you think is best for your brand.

Ted Coiné, CEO of The Extraordinary Influencer Network gives his input:

“Once you’ve identified potential influencers, and you’ve vetted them closely for relevance (there is a lot of bad advice out there, and hundreds of tools designed to help you in this, not all of which are worth much), we’re ready to address your two questions. I’ll start with why it’s important.”

3. Seek out influencers

After you’ve fleshed out the mythical beast that is your influencer, you can take steps toward establishing some sort of contact with them, and the best way to do that would be to pay attention to what’s happening on social networks. If you can manage to get an influencer to act as an advocate for your particular brand, your job is pretty much done.

While this seems simple enough in theory, in reality, you will have to work hard in order to line up your brand with the content that influencers are providing for their audience. Once you manage to pull that off, nearly everything else will fall into place by itself.

There is a flip side to that coin, too. You can use social media to find out which influencers are already spreading word about your brand, so you can fortify your collaboration.

Mark Fidelman, who is a managing partner over at Fanatics Media and Forbes columnist points out the following:

“For Fanatics Media it’s critical that we get to know the influencers because of three main reasons. First, we typically get 20-25% lower rates than the average agency. Second, they are more likely to go the extra mile for us. Third, they’ll help our clients better position the product based on their understanding of the market. Once the relationship is established, everything becomes easier”

Joe Griffin, co-Founder and CEO at ClearVoice shared his take on the matter:

“Influencers are at the top of the heap when it comes to social currency. You aren’t going to gain an influencer’s respect unless you are participating in the same conversation circles, and actually adding value to the narrative. Once you catch their attention, you can begin a relationship by becoming a contributor on their website, and requesting their contribution to yours. We’re all about promoting the heck out of their content when they contribute to our site through both earned and paid social media. The more you can amplify their message, the stronger that relationship becomes, and the more repeatable their contributions can be.”

4. Become a driving force behind content creation

We are not just talking about content you’ll create, but also about content created by influencers and readers alike. It’s very simple: the more content there is out there about your brand, the more visible it is, which means more traffic, better conversion rate, and more leads. Now, there are several different ways you can get influencers and readers to generate content for you.

For instance, everybody is on Instagram nowadays. You can use this to your advantage by uploading images of users using your product to your brand’s official Instagram account. Also, with YouTube vlogging being all the rage nowadays, you can give away stuff for free, or coupons, and receive a mention that way. Take part in Facebook and forum discussions, and publish some of the user-generated content through your official channels. They will love it. Carter Hostelley, CEO and Founder of Leadtail, expanded on his previous comment by adding:

“The next step is to get on the radar of these influencers. You can do this by following, sharing, and referencing them on social media, and getting introduced via your LinkedIn network.

Now it’s time to establish and build a relationship. This comes from helping them first. Make them look good on social media, provide them with quality introductions, use and purchase their services, etc. Overtime, these influencers will be more than happy to recommend and promote your company’s brand, too.

At Leadtail, we’ve also been successful in building strong relationships by collaborating with influencers in crafting truly unique content pieces… since influencers have the same challenge as everyone else in developing quality content”.

5. Realize that paid ads have lost their mojo

There is only so much a person can take in terms of ad exposure before they have had it, and with people’s reliance on TV, internet, and social media, all of which feature ads, that margins are getting narrowed every day. Naturally, people respond to this exposure by getting used to the ads, and tuning them out, which renders them almost useless.

What you should aim for as a marketer is providing useful content for the readers, because that’s the way they are getting their information these days. Instead of having services and products forced upon them through ads, they turn to those brands which are more subtle about their sales pitches and which provide information they can actually use. Those brands are also more likely to have influencers promote their product.

Brett Relander, founder of Launch & Hustle, talks about the importance of that approach in his article 5 Metrics to Measure Influencer Marketing:

“The main reason that an influencer campaign can be so successful is that it rests on the ability of the influencer to obtain buy-in from the audience. Consequently, it is vital that you measure the sentiment regarding your businesses marketing message. Through evaluating the way in which your brand is perceived by your target audience, you will be better positioned to identify areas that may not resonate as well with your target demographic and adjust your marketing message accordingly. Along the same lines, you can also see which messages receive the most favorable reaction, giving you the opportunity to increase awareness around that message the influencer is delivering”.

Ted Coiné shared another crucial bit of advice:

“People don’t trust marketers (do you?). But people trust influencers by definition – that’s what makes them influential. If you want potential customers to buy from you, then you have to get their attention in such a way that they’re open to learning more about what you might sell them. Influencers are the key to that. You tie your brand as closely with your influencers as these people will let you, and mindshare opens up among a whole population of prospective customers whom you probably had no “in” with before. Mindshare leads to marketshare. The why of influencer marketing shouldn’t be much of a question by now.

The how, though, is surprisingly confusing for most of the brands I’ve studied. That’s why there is so little engagement with influencers currently in a brand’s program – they’re on the rolls, but they aren’t doing much for your brand. That’s also why turnover is so mindbogglingly high among influencers – they practically quit as fast as you can recruit them.”

6. Reward your influencers

While you have no legal obligation to do this, a little thankfulness goes a long way. If you have influencers spreading positive word of mouth about your brand, the smartest thing you can do is to give them yet more reasons to talk about it. How? You can reward or compensate them for their efforts.

You can give them money, although be careful with that one, not because of the cost, but because you want the content they put out about your brand to be as honest as possible, otherwise it just turns into a paid ad, and that approach, as we pointed out earlier, has largely ran out of juice, because users can spot it a mile away.

You can also give away free products, discounts, commission, or share their content on your website and even publicly thank them for promoting your brand. Remember, nobody asked them to do it, so the decent thing to do would be to thank them and respond accordingly.

Michael Brenner, CEO of Marketing Insider Group, put it this way:

“The best way to establish strong relationships with influencers is to start by helping them. Share their content. Like and comment on their posts. Re-tweet their quotes. And write 5-star reviews for their books on Amazon. It’s really important because influencers have established not just authority but also massive social followings. So if you can get them to want to share your content as well, you can gain some nice organic and social traffic and engagement with your target audience. One note of warning: don’t ask influencers to do you a favor before you’ve built a relationship. If you follow these guidelines, they will be much more likely to come and speak at your events or participate in your content efforts. And then try to earn their support of your content marketing efforts”.

Yet more advice from Ted Coiné:

“The same thing that would make a top-notch customer service professional would make an all-star influencer program leader as well: empathy, and the honest desire to serve. Want to know what will best motivate your influencers? Ask them! In as many words. Say, “What would make this relationship a big win for you?

Then shut up. Listen. Take notes. And give your influencers what they told you they want! Note that this will have to include financial compensation commensurate with their influence and the services they provide you, but you’re a professional: you wouldn’t do it any other way.

Simple, yes, but extremely rare. If you can pull this service-first habit off, you will have your industry’s most influential influencers eating out of the palm of your hand for years to come. In fact, their friends will line up around the corner to join your program.”

7. Think of influencer marketing as seamless advertising

As opposed to traditional advertising, which is focused solely on selling the product using not-so-subtle techniques, influencer marketing is more efficient because it places the brand, or a product, within a more organic context. The brand promotion is still there, but it’s not the only thing being offered to the readers. They are also provided with actionable and useful content they can read and apply the information they’ve received to solve their real-life problems.

Overall, it’s a lot more pleasurable and natural experience for the readers. It does require for some extra effort on your part, but it’s worth it, because you will earn their trust for real, and not through some convoluted marketing ploy.

8. Get involved right now

And we’re not just saying this to get you riled up, either, because influencer marketing is the fastest-expanding method of turning visitors into customers, according to marketers. Its growth is faster than that of organic search. Email and organic search have been around for a while, which means if you are looking for a way to aggressively, yet naturally expand your influence, influencer marketing would be your best bet, which means you need to strike the iron while it’s hot.

This, of course, doesn’t mean you should neglect organic search and email. In fact, you should use them, just as you would use every other method out there which can help you elevate your brand’s recognition.

9. Don’t be afraid to be wrong

We are not talking about overcoming your fear of making a mistake. We are talking about the wide margin of error you are allowed when it comes to influencer marketing. Let us elaborate. According to research, influencer marketing is currently the most cost-effective marketing strategy there is, with marketers being able to generate revenue that is several times larger than their investment.

This means you have room to experiment and figure out what works best for your brand, because you are very likely to at least break even. And if you succeed, you will have a bigger budget at your disposal, which opens up even more possibilities. This is the best time to get in on it.

10. Use influencer marketing to boost your SEO results

Although Google has changed its algorithms recently and shifted their focus to seeking out high-quality content, SEO is still a viable option. So in addition to creating content for your brand, you need to get both influencers and readers to participate in the process of content creation. The biggest brands in the world rely on user-generated content and social media mentions heavily, because it makes them more visible on Google. You can do the same for your brand.

11. Keep track of everything

One major advantage of digital marketing over its analog counterpart is that you can keep track of everything and use all that information to develop and fine-tune your marketing strategies. Not only can you immediately access every single post, share, or like, but you can analyze every single aspect of influencer marketing using software such as Google analytics, which is free, yet amazingly powerful. You can even monitor the demographic aspect of influencer marketing, and time of day/days of the week which have been the most fruitful in terms of visitors and shares.

Credits : http://www.business2community.com/marketing/use-influencer-marketing-boost-traffic-conversions-01444268#7PXqgJwwQhDEP6Ei.97