How Influencer Marketing Can Place Your Business Ahead of the Competition

Are your customers recommending your brand to others?
Do you need better conversions this holiday season?
Unlike traditional advertising and paid search methods influencer marketing can achieve better results as your business connects with your leads and customers in a more trusted way.
A recent infographic study on The Shelf shows that 92 percent of buyers make a purchase based on trust from other recommendations:

Connecting with influencers is one way to attract an audience to your products or services. All it takes is the right person who can spread the word and encourage others to make a purchase. When content and feedback are authentic people take notice as they perceive your business as a trusted resource.
In order to attract readers and word of of mouth start using these marketing techniques to get the process rolling:

1. Create a contact list of influencers

On places like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn create a spreadsheet or list directly on those networks of trusted brands and individuals in your niche. Start to interact and share their content and build a relationship with them in order to establish credibility. The number of followers isn’t always important, but rather the quality of the connection. If you find that their community is commonly sharing their content then this would be a good resource to align yourself with.

 2. Focus on the right social networks

If your business is engaging on too many social media outlets then it’s time to evaluate where your community is most active. Some may be sharing and posting more on Facebook, while others on places like Pinterest and Instagram. This is also based on what products and services you are offering, and whether your are a B2B or sell directly to the public.

3. Stay in communication with your audience

Use tracking services like Hootsuite, Sprout Social, ect. to keep up with the latest conversations and comments from your readers and customers. As a business it’s important to be quick to respond, especially on social media. This not only further builds trust, but also garners more attention from influencers in your market.

4. Measure your online influence

Sign up with a social measurement service like Klout, PeerIndex, and Topsy and track your progress as your business becomes more involved online. Klout, for example, will measure your activity with a score of 0 – 100, and provides a platform in which to share content from other influencers. Using these tools will help you further build your network as well as learn where you stand with your audience.
Building a strong presence on your blog and on social media will help your business stand out as a leader in your industry. As you make stronger connections and provide useful and helpful content your leads will become more interested in what you have to offer. This type of influencer marketing will continue to become more important especially as consumers rely more on their mobile devices to find information and make purchases.