Budgeting for Influencers with Lemons for Days (Jasmin Shannon)

The power of influencers

Influencers are so sought after because they have the ability to bring brands to the attention of loyal, niche, highly engaged audiences. If you can get an influencer to endorse your product and create content around it for their eager followers, you are likely to boost your brand’s profile significantly, and will probably see this pay off in more leads and sales too. 

Incorporating an influencer into your campaigns requires you first to understand your audience and your messaging. Obviously, this will help you choose the right influencer for your purposes. Then, you need to trust the influencer’s ability to communicate with their audience and allow them to create the kind of content for which you approached them. You have chosen the influencer because she is a match with your brand, now the best thing to do is take a step back and let her do her work.

The work of influencers is more akin to PR than to digital marketing in the sense that their value can be a little more difficult to quantify. There are no metrics telling you exactly how many sales resulted from your spending on an influencer, but you can’t put a price on having a recognized influencer and their followers supporting your brand. It could quite literally save your business.

One-offs vs. long-term partnerships

If you have an influencer promoting your brand over several months, she can show her followers that she is truly invested in your products, and create awareness through repeated or consistent exposure.

Influencers should be included in your paid media budget. Always research your influencers and ask for their media kits, so you can confirm their legitimacy and get a feel for what they’ve done. Incorporating them into your marketing budget on a long-term basis is the best way to get the most value out of the collaboration.