Influencer Marketing: A #Bufferchat Recap

This week on #bufferchat, we discussed how to implement influencer marketing into our marketing strategy. The community shared advice about identifying the “right” influencers to work with, creative ways for influencers to showcase your brand/product, and much more!

Read on to discover all of the awesome insights that were shared during the chat!

Catch our weekly Twitter chat, #bufferchat, at TWO times every Wednesday for valuable industry insights and to meet hundreds of other smart marketers and social media enthusiasts. Same topic, same place, just at different times – feel free to join in to whichever chat time works best for you!

4 pm AEST (Sydney time)

9 am PT (San Francisco time)

This week’s stats:
1st Bufferchat: 26 participants; 148 tweets; reach of 1,047,734
2nd Bufferchat: 119 participants; 869 tweets; reach of 1,789,506

Q1: How would you define “influencer marketing”?

From the community:

• “An amplification of “word-of-mouth” marketing with people who have influence in their respectable communities.” @pjervis
• “Utilizing individuals who have the attention of your ideal audience/patron to call attention to your brand.” @TheBdgtBckpck
• “A form of marketing that engages key personalities who have a power to “influence” buying decisions to potential buyers.” @AMBAcomms

See all the great answers to question 1 here!

Q2: Why does influencer marketing have the potential to be a powerful marketing strategy?

From the community:

• “Influencer marketing is powerful because people trust the opinions of their peers and respond to authentic recommendations.” @SwayGroup
• “Next to trust, it also builds credibility – your message/product is tested & confirmed by an “authority” in the field.” @maikegrk
• “In an age where people hate seeing ads & obvious selling, influencers have ability to make a genuine connection to your brand” @_lblake

See all the great answers to question 2 here!

Q3: How do you identify the “right” influencers for your brand/product?

From the community:

• “The influencer should be aligned with your vision and goals. They should also have an audience you want to reach.” @ExpWriters
• “Research is key! Watch their content, that way you get a feel for the influencers philosophy and likeness to your brand.” @HinoIII
• “I like to start with the ones that are already engaging with the brand. Current customers that love a product are the best.” @cssndrlnn

See all the great answers to question 3 here!

Q4: What are creative ways for influencers to integrate a brand into their social media presence?

From the community:

• “Have them host a webinar. Good stories & conversation. No sales pitches allowed.” @MollyKoernke
• “Use the brands products. Demonstrate the usage in real life. Like product placement. Make it look natural.” @mowenranger
• “Have a social media takeover for your account – have the influencer host a chat coming from your account.” @Ben_Soup

See all the great answers to question 4 here!

Q5: What might you offer influencers in exchange for working with your brand?

From the community:

• “Free product is the norm but in my experience more influencers are looking for $$ over product. Pay accordingly.” @mintoreid
• “Ask them what they need for their business then go the extra mile within reason to help.” @SianApjohn
• “While compensation may work for some #influencers, others seek opportunities & experiences.” @traackr

See all the great answers to question 5 here!

Q6: How can you measure the success of an influencer marketing campaign?

From the community:

• “I would say use trackable links, coupon codes, and monitor social engagement. See if it leads to conversions.” @TheLarryWilson
• “Make sure you tie it to your KPIs. What goal were you driving toward? Engagement? Sales? Web traffic?” @RivalIQ
• “Provide them with a unique trackable link – Track everything, increase in profile and website views – Comments on their post.” @SidneywPearce

See all the great answers to question 6 here!

Q7: What is an example of great influencer marketing in practice, and why do you think it worked well?

From the community:

• “Nick Offerman’s “Yule Log” with Lagavulin whiskey was clever + fitting for his persona.” @MyCorporation
• “@Nike with @Cristiano, he is an icon to all little boys who love to play football.” @filipa_nasc
• “Last year @djkhaled was extremely popular w/ memes/gifs & the millennial crowd. As a result many brands collaborated w/him!” @LostenTorres

See all the great answers to question 7 here!

Thank you so much to our awesome community for sharing such great insights in this chat!

Do you have any comments or answers to these questions? Leave your thoughts in the comments! We’d love to hear from you!

Image sources: UnSplash