4 things entrepreneurs can learn from influencers
Influencer marketing just might be the most effective type of marketing right now. Brands need to take a page out of the influencer playbook and apply it to their marketing strategy. As entrepreneurs, here's a few things we can learn from them...
#1: Authenticity
There is no doubt about it, influencers have created a level of trust that brands will never be able to replicate. Even without ever meeting them in real life, their followers trust them & their opinions of products and services to a degree that blows celebrity endorsements out of the water.
So how do they do this? Influencers are great at being so authentic that their followers feel like they truly know them. This level of authenticity translates to trust among their followers, which in turn, leads to their purchasing products that they promote. They don't just stick to the highlight reel of their lives. They show the good, the bad, and the ugly. This makes them more relatable and trustworthy. Just check out this bio of an a popular influencer. If that's not relatable, I don't know what is!
How to implement in your business: Being authentic can go a long way. It's very easy to tell when someone is being genuine or not, so don't try to fake it. Be yourself. Give a look into your daily life. Talk about your own values and interests. Work on creating a true connection with your followers and your product or service will sell itself!
#2: Personal Brand
Another thing that influencers are great at is personal branding because simply put, they are their brand.
One of the main things that I mean when I say "personal brand" is that they show up and they are "themselves". Day after day, they are on their stories giving their followers a look into their daily lives, talking about themselves and what they like or dislike. They show off their personality and their followers reward them for it with engagement.
Just like we put time and effort into our company logos and how we want our brands to look and feel, influencers spend their effort on their own aesthetic and how their followers will portray them. The difference is that they are the face of their "company" and we hide behind our logos.
How to implement in your business: We need to be more than just a faceless brand hiding behind a logo or a computer. Until we have brand equity, our logo essentially means nothing. Show up for your audience. Stop using stock photos. Get on camera and put yourself out there! If you're a service provider, people want to know YOU before they do business with you.
#3: Provide Value
There are influencers in every industry these days and they all provide some type of value to their followers. That value can come in the form of recipes, DIY tips, teaching business tactics, or even discount codes. Whatever it is, influencers are giving their followers a reason to follow them.
I stress the importance of providing value all the time, but I hope this helps put it into perspective that "value" doesn't necessarily need to have a monetary value. Your followers just need to see the importance in what you're providing them.
How to implement in your business: Work backwards. What service are you offering and what problem does that solve? From there, speak directly to your followers' problems and lay out the solution for them.
For example: Are you an online trainer that trains working moms? Try writing down all the problems that your clients might run into. Busy schedules, can't make it to the gym, poor diet... Then speak to those problems.
"Are you a working mom that feels drained by the end of the long work day + trying to keep up with your kids? My client *Barbara felt the same way when she came to me. After just 3 months of working together, she said she's noticing that she has more energy and she's able to keep up with her kids and she's actually performing better at work!"
#4: Keep Up With Trends
Last but not least, influencers are great at keeping up with trends as they arise. Just scroll through your favorite influencer's feed and I'm sure you'll see reel after reel - because that is what all the cool kids are doing these days!
Did you know that back in June Instagram actually announced that they no longer view themselves as an image sharing platform. They want to be seen as a general entertainment app. This should scream loud and clear that in order to grow using Instagram, we have to play by their rules - and that means incorporating their new features in our social strategy.
How to implement in your business: Give Reels a try! Test out long form videos with IGTV. Use stories to boost engagement. Go live! Don't be afraid to try new things. Stay consistent and watch as the algorithm rewards you!
I hope these 4 tactics are something that you can take and apply to your own Instagram strategy. Always remember that you're building brand awareness with every single post and conversation. These take away items are high-level. I'd like to offer a free 15 minute phone call if you need help nailing down specific ways to implement these in your business. Use this link to book a call or send me a DM on Instagram.