follow these influencers don’t come to
watch a commercial. They primarily
subscribe to these channels for the
entertainment factor. The big draw here
is that influencers don’t endorse brands
with the core objective of selling.
Instead, it is about ensuring that their
viewers get an honest and unbiased
review of what the brand is offering and
the kind of value it provides to
consumers.
For brands, the gains come in the
form of high-quality content, fantastic
distribution, and highly influential brand
ambassadors. If you can get a George
Clooney or Jennifer Lawrence for your
brand, that’s great. But if you can’t, then
the next best option is to partner with
social influencers! Social audiences can
interact with influencers on the same
level, which builds relatability. And
relatability is what builds trust in a
brand.
Today’s knowledge economy
demands subject-matter experts. For
audiences, social influencers are just
that. Influencers motivate and engage
their audiences as they are as much
about educating their audiences and
entertaining them. The important thing
is, for a brand influencer to be effective
and impactful, they don’t have to have a
social following of millions. Influence
can be just as powerful within a little
tribe of happily engaged subscribers.
Here’s what Influencers bring to the
table:
l They are viewed as authorities on
specific topics of interest. Any
mention about your spa brand within
their niche community of influencers
can easily transfer their audience’s
trust in your favor.
l Local influencers can be easily
accessed. Because they are mostly
local, they can be more successful in
building relationships that are
authentic and highly relatable.
l If your brand aligns with the influencers area of expertise, their
following is already primed to receive
How to Find the Right Influencer for Your Brand
Partnering with influencers for your spa business needs to be a collaborative effort in the sense that
you encourage them to provide feedback on how or what will make your content resonate with their
audience. They know what works so their opinions will make a difference. Here are a few other things
to keep in mind:
l Ensure that the influencer’s brand aligns closely with your brand.
l If you are focusing on “niche” (specific product/service) marketing,
make sure the influencer’s niche is relevant to your brand.
l Be sure to check the influencer’s website, blog and social following
to see if your target audience and the audience of the influencer
are on the same page. Don’t go with an influencer simply because
he has a social following of more than one million. High reach
doesn’t always result in high conversions.
l A small interactive community of engaged fans is much better
than a big following of subscribers who are unresponsive or have
little interest in your brand. An engaged audience will be enthusiastic about their comments, retweets and social shares—this is the
kind of audience you want to engage.
l Collaborating with your influencer(s) will only work when you are
willing to be consistent in your relationship-building efforts. Focus
on consistently creating content that keeps your influencer’s
audience interested and engaged.
l Find out what kind of content, the kind of tone and messaging
your influencer uses to create a buzz and style your content to
match that format.
December 2016
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