TOP FIVE FORECASTS FOR INFLUENCER MARKETING IN 2018

 

In just a few years, influencer marketing has gone from a secondary expense in many brands’ online marketing budgets to its very own digital advertising category.

As we look forward to 2018, the influencer marketing space is expected to broaden its scope, extend its reach, and strengthen its impact. While the growing landscape brings with it many exciting opportunities, new challenges will also arise.

Our  top five forecasts for Influencer Marketing in 2018:

  1. Influencer marketing will continues its meteoric rise.

There is no shortage of success stories in influencer marketing, yet some businesses are only now realizing what they’ve been missing out on.

While there was a 90-fold increase in Google searches for the term “influencer marketing” from 2013 to 2016, interest around the topic has doubled in the first nine months of 2017. During the same time, searches for “Instagram influencer” have more than tripled.

The reasons for the growing interest are many, but a key principle underlies all: Influencer marketing is working for all types of brands.

Consistent with year-over-year estimates, businesses are expected to allocate more money toward influencer marketing in 2018.

As the influencer marketplace gets more saturated, however, brands without a clearly defined strategy will find it difficult to break through. Looking at ways to maximize the impact of campaigns, as well as differentiating themselves from their competition, will become key for brands.

2.There will be a surge in  influencer demand and value.

As demand for influencers increases, so does the value of their services.  In Nigeria, there was a surge in influencer marketing with the rise of many influencers on social media. Most of them have doubled the amount they used to charge in 2016, and have become even more selective about the brands they work with. Mathison admits that as his value and costs have increased, so have his rates.

Many online personalities are starting to recognize their value as creators, and businesses would be wise to budget for their services.

  1. Measuring KPIS and ROIs will become even more vital.

While many companies understand the positive impact influencer marketing can have on their brand, some businesses are still nervous about what they perceive as nebulous or anecdotal results.

Fortunately, there are many strategies and techniques that can be implemented to help businesses track key performance indicators (KPIs) and return on investment (ROI).

Tracking KPI and ROI is achieved through an understanding of relevant metric tools for a particular campaign, best practices for integration, and a detailed evaluation of the results.

Whether your methods include tracking pixels, offering coupon codes, or directing users toward custom hashtags, working with marketers who know how to deliver comprehensive analytics can offer insights beyond just measuring campaign reach, providing models for audience behavior.

  1. Video marketing will become essential for reaching online audiences.

In 2018, video will become even more vital to digital outreach as the numbers continue to prove its superiority over other advertising mediums.

According to a study cited in Business Insider, video can be twice as effective in driving sales as text-based ads. Moreover, the report indicated that those influenced by video tend to be active shoppers.

Social media platforms are well aware of the statistics, evidenced by their continued investment in new video services. Last year, Instagram launched “Stories” to compete with the popular, correlative feature available on Snapchat. Facebook, the world’s largest social network, recently announced “Watch,” which will premiere with video channels for celebrities and premium content producers, but eventually be “a platform for all creators and publishers to find an audience, build a community of passionate fans, and earn money for their work.”

While businesses are expected to up their video ad investments, an ever-crowding marketplace means visibility and engagement are not always proportional to dollars spent. Instead, those who know their audience and can find ways to engage with them directly, will see the greatest ROI.

  1. Instagram will surpass 1 billion users.

At its current rate of growth, Instagram is set to exceed 1 billion users in 2018.

Influencer marketing on Instagram is currently a $1 billion industry, and it could reach $2 billion by 2019. The mammoth platform offers incredible opportunities for partnerships between influencers and businesses; however, with an estimated 2.7 million sponsored posts, the problem of cutting through the clutter has become a stark reality.

To stand out in the coming year, influencers and brands will have to forge relationships, design campaigns, and create distribution plans that are superior to that of their direct and indirect competitors.

 

 

5  HANDY SOCIAL MEDIA TIPS FOR START UPS

Authored by NimiClaret

Owning a small business and not knowing how to promote your brand could be difficult most of the time. In this new age of digital marketing, using social media to promote your brand is the best way to go. Your target audience are everywhere. You can find them on any social media platform you can think of; Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn etc. Setting up your accounts and managing them might seem difficult but here are five ways to take care of that with ease.

CREATE SOCIAL MEDIA PROFILES AND PAGES FOR YOUR BRAND

The first step to growing your audience on social media is having strong profiles and pages for your social media accounts. When building your profiles and pages, always make sure you fill out every single detail, put up a bio, website link, location, phone number and email address. This will give people who click on your profile a reason to follow you.

SHARE VALUABLE CONTENT

Another way to build your audience on social media is by sharing reasonable and valuable content. Always remember to share content your target audience will enjoy and they can benefit from. For instance, if your business is a smoothie business, share content about the benefits of smoothies and health tips.

PROMOTE YOUR CONTENT

Social media is just wonderful because its reach can go worldwide. People can notice your own business with a paid promotion. You have to invest in ads and social media management tools to help promote your business. There are various ways start-ups can share and market their content; you can boost your posts on Facebook, and can promote your posts on Instagram so they can appear higher on your audience’s feed, there by increasing the chance being seen.

BUILD YOUR COMMUNITY

You can now grow your audience after setting up your social media profiles, content and strategy. All you have to do is follow other people, pages and profiles, repost content, like posts and respond to comments. Always respond to feedback and be regular on your pages. Your community will definitely expand when you engage and interact with your audience regularly.

ANALYZE SOCIAL MEDIA STATISTICS

Always keep in mind that you have to track, monitor and measure your social media statistics. Vital metrics will show the success of your marketing strategy and how much you have achieved in a given period of time.

 

 

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YOUR WEBSITE AND YOUR BRAND: Five Helpful Tips On How To Harmonize Both

In today’s world, every business owner knows that having a business website and social media accounts is vital for reaching customers. Most startups successfully create an online brand for themselves, but maintaining that brand presence takes a considerable amount of time and energy. Consumers are likely to first encounter your brand online than off, and even those who get their first impression of your brand in print often follow up with a Google search. So, when you start thinking you should let your online brand just drag along, wake up and smell the coffee.

A corporate website is the sum total of a business’ branding platform, an accumulation of all the aspects that have come together in various ways previously in an easy to access format. The goal of a website is to characterize a company, sell its products, attract more visitors, generate more business leads, promote more sales of company’s products and services, and ultimately help gain more return on investment. To achieve these, a company should have a consistent brand message that cuts through the clutter and builds loyalty and trust with the customer.

A good website should easily portray the company’s values and culture. Visitors who are satisfied will reach out to other potential customers, which will increase your business prospects.

Here are 5 questions that could help you know if you are doing right by your website…

  1. Does the experience of your site feel authentic?

Your site should not look like the clone of another. It should convey your brand personality — through imagery, motion, color, typography, layout, voice, and tone. If you’re all about information and statistics, make your site crisp and efficient. If you offer  creative services, show them off on your site. High end brand? Communicate that through elegant design.

The headlines and visuals on every key landing page should communicate your competitive strength. If they don’t, rethink them.

  1. Does your website contain a clear call to action?

Anticipate the way users want to interact with your site then build the site in a way that lets them do that, because most web users are task oriented and goal driven. A visit to your website should leave them saying (with satisfaction), “I found what I needed.”

View more work. Search our listings, Sign up for our e-newsletter, Speak with a representative, Add to cart etc, are some calls to action you can use to make your website easily navigated.

  1. Is what you do clear and interesting to your users?

The importance of first impressions cannot be overstated. You aren’t a monopoly; consumers are constantly comparing you with competition. Visitors should grasp, within seconds, who you are and what you do.

Use  simple and clear descriptions of the company’s mission and vision statements.

  1. Does your site strengthen the experience you’ve created on other channels?

The goal is to create a seamless experience — online and offline. If consumers are already familiar with you from, say, an ongoing business relationship, a retail presence, or media coverage, your business’ website needs to deepen their understanding of your value. It should move them along the continuum of Awareness- Deliberation – Preference -Purchase.

Your online and offline experiences should work in sync, reinforcing one another.

  1. Does your site feel current?

If the answer is no, then you need to do better. An outdated website equals an outdated business. It is important to know that an out-of-date website leaves a negative impression, on a grand scale. Therefore, do not  create a website you can’t manage; consciously commit to monthly, weekly, sometimes even daily updates.

11 Surefire Ways to Schedule Interviews

Scheduling media slots for your client can be an arduous task. this is because there are lot of other people vying to get that same interview for their own clients. You may be unfortunate to call when an editor is having a bad day which may drown your hopes of getting it for your client. But here are 11 surefire tips that will make sure you carry on a conversation from the beginning till you schedule even the highly contested interviews.

  1. Do Research:

The kind of research needed here is not deep and could be done within minutes. You need to be sure of the kind of media outlet it is. Study their patterns and the kinds of guests the handle on their shows.

Will my client be of interest to them?

What kinds of questions are they likely to ask and how will I craft them without hurting any party?

Will this interview achieve the bottom line for my client?

Is the timing perfect?

Will it give my client the required exposure needed?

  1. Focus on Priorities:

While scheduling interviews, make sure you focus on the main reason you’re calling or sending out an email. The name of your client, a brief description of who he/she is, reasons he/she should be featured in their media outlet.

  1. Sound Convincing and confident:

Part of what makes you sound convincing is preparation. You have to be prepared to make the call and know exactly what you wish to ask for.  So you do not falter while making the call. Being well equipped with all the information needed makes you sound confident and make demands.

  1. Find Shortcuts:

You might hear the word “shortcut” and assume that means shoddy work. But, that’s not what this strategy is about at all. Successful people are always concerned with producing top-notch results—however; they also find little ways to save time in the process. You need to do other things aside scheduling that interview. So find a way to get off the phone as quickly as possible and send a lengthy mail instead.

  1. Be Specific:

Make your request clear. Remember that without guests there would be no shows. As much as you need them, they need you too. So do not be subjected to being pushed around while trying to schedule. Most times it is better to reject their options at first to make them know that you know what you really a want. All these without sounding haughty to those you’re talking to.

  1. Timing is important:

Know the perfect time to call offices and business places. Try not to call just before closing time because all they are thinking of is to clear their desk and go home. Give them some time in the morning to settle in before calling except it is in an emergency.

  1. Space calls:

Just in case you call and you do not get through, always wait minutes before calling. They might be in a meeting and your calls might be disturbing them.

  1. Achieve a Consensus:

Make sure you reach a conclusion. Never leave any conversation hanging. This shows thoroughness in execution. You may reach a conclusion on when to call back for more information or details of the interview

  1. Request for feedback:

Always request for a response or feedback whenever you send a mail. This will prompt the contact person that you are actually waiting to hear from them and will keep the conversation going till you reach a consensus.

  1. Always look for other options:

Just in case you do not get the slot or show for your client, always look for other options. Do they have another show that can go with your clients wants? You can also reschedule to another time suitable for both your client and the media outlet. Do not let the contact slide by. Always fix another time dependent on the needs of your client.

  1. Remember to show gratitude:

Show gratitude in terms of tone of voice and in writing too. When the interview is conducted or the publication is released, always show gratitude. It doesn’t cost a thing and it created good relationship and an air of friendship between you and the contact person. In case you need to call in quick favors you may have an advantage.