“ Partner with influencers who not only align with your products and services but also look at how you can use their influence to talk about other topics that are of relevant interest to your customers .”
content that focuses on a particular topic — in this case “ spa experiences .” This makes it easy for local influencers to connect with target audiences who can be easily converted .
Partner with the Right Kind of Influencers Social channels such as YouTube deliver a more personal brand experience than a department store consultation because the viewer knows that what they are watching is not a brand / sales pitch . This is why consumers are increasingly looking to social influencers for product and service information .
In a lot of instances , the community members will ask the influencer to create a video or write about a service or product that is of interest to the subscriber . This is the level of trust and honesty between influencers and their fans . So it makes sense for brands to collaborate with such consumer movers . However , you can expect to gain this kind of brand engagement traction only if you partner with the right kind of influencer .
Engaging with the right kind of influencer also matters when you consider audience demographics . Women will respond readily to female influencers while male customers would most definitely prefer a male perspective on massages and manscaping . Age is another factor to take into account . A 22-year-old fashion blogger from New York and a 35-year-old mom from Massachusetts will vary in their interest and subscribe to a different content . So it makes sense to spread your net wider and focus on collaborating with a network of influencers .
Partner with influencers who not only align with your products and services but also look at how you can use their influence to talk about other topics that are of relevant interest to your customers . For example , if you have a customer coming in for facials and skin treatments , rope in your influencer network to talk about do-it-yourself skincare routines to build authority .
You don ’ t always need to work with A-listers to build brand exposure . It is , however , important that you look at ways in which you can natively include your messaging with the content of the influencer so it sounds natural and authentic . Also , keep in mind that when you collaborate with less popular or lesser known influencers , the socialsharing potential of your brand messaging , while being smaller , will yield higher conversions . This is because the interaction is more personalized , which means the audience will be more receptive to your content and branding .
Who ’ s Doing it Right ? As an example of a company doing influencer marketing right , Sephora used its Beauty Talk initiative to encourage honest and genuine conversations about its products . Beauty Talk , which consists of a community of insiders , not only provide product reviews , but also share opinions and thoughts and help other consumers make decisions that best meets their needs . The company offers influencers free product samples in return for honest and unbiased reviews . In a time when consumers are actively avoiding in-your-face advertising , this kind of honest and transparent branding is what will grab their attention .
Campaigns such as these not only win-over brand advocates in the form of “ almighty ” influencers , but also extends brand influence in ways that primes consumers for conversion .
Have you reached out to leading influencers within your local market to promote your spa business ? Do you have other strategies for getting your material shared by influencers ? It ’ s about time you do . n
NAREN ARULRAJAH is president and CEO of Ekwa Marketing , a complete internet marketing company which focuses on SEO , social media , marketing education and the online reputations of medical , aesthetic and anti-aging professionals in cutting-edge spa-based practices .
With a team of more than 130 full-time marketers , ekwa . com helps doctors who know where they want to go , get there by dominating their market and growing their business significantly year after year . Arulrajah may be reached at
1.877.249.9666 or naren @ ekwa . com .
44 PULSE ■ December 2016