Are you “Influencer Ready”?

Influencers are to your social media marketing strategy as Taylor Swift has been to the NFL. They can take your already-on-track social media strategy, skyrocket it to a whole new level of visibility and get your brand in front of audiences you'd never be able to reach flying solo.

The key piece here - Already. On. Track.

As we noted in our last article, influencers aren't a cure-all for a weak social presence. In other words, if you haven’t put in the work to develop and build out your social strategy then you aren’t ready for an Influencer Campaign. Influencers come AFTER you’ve built a solid foundation for your brand. You need to give influencers something to work with and something that their audience will be interested in after they post about you. What is your value? Why should people follow and engage with you after the influencer hypes you up to their audience? If you haven’t thought about these things then you’ll need to take a few steps back to the brand development and social strategy stages.

But let’s say you have brand guidelines, you’ve established yourself on social media, you have a content plan and consistent posting cadence. This puts you in the category of “Influencer Ready”. You’re ready to open yourself up to new audiences and this is where the fun begins.

Engaging with influencers can lead to some incredible results. According to Sprout Social’s recent Influencer Marketing Report, 49% of consumers make daily, weekly or monthly purchases because of influencer posts. And 86% consumers make a purchase inspired by an influencer at least once a year.

But before you get starry-eyed over these stunning conversion rates, remember that these results come from brands that have already put in the work to build a strong organic social presence. We cannot overstate this enough - influencers are not a quick fix for feeble social media. That is not what they do, nor should they be approached with that expectation.

If you are unsure if you’re ready to team up with the social media MVPs, we've put together this checklist to help you determine where you're at in your social media marketing journey and if you're ready to play at the next level (or need our help to get there).

Consider your answers to these questions honestly. If you answer Yes to all of these, it’s game time, and our Influencer Marketing Program is the next step to seamlessly move up to that next level. If you answered mostly No’s, let’s address where you need the support to get there. At InnaSea we want your campaigns to knock your targets out of the park, and that starts with having a clear picture of where you are at right now. As Taylor Swift says “Are you ready for it?”

InnaSea’s ‘Influencer Ready’ Checklist:

Do you have a budget?

Or rather, do you have a clearly allocated budget for influencer marketing built into your existing social media marketing budget? Price points can range dramatically depending on the type and quantity of content you want produced, and the popularity of the influencer. And if you don't currently have a dedicated social media budget at all, we'd better start working on that together before you dive into influencer territory.

Do you have a well developed brand story?

This is V important folks. This goes back to why people should follow you. What is your big Why, your values, and how do you put those into action? You should be at a point where you've got the hook that's going to make an influencer’s audience take the next step to follow and purchase from your brand. If you're already here, you just need the right influencer. If not, we can help clear the static and crystalize your story.

Do you currently have a consistent presence on social media?

We cannot possibly drive this point home harder. If you already have a strong social strategy and posting cadence, let's talk. But influencer marketing is not a magic pill for a weak social presence. You don't go straight from couch dwelling frat boy to triathlete. You need to train and level up your performance, so let's talk about helping you get there first.

Are you on multiple platforms?

This isn’t entirely necessary for an influencer marketing campaign but you should at least be on Instagram for this. Bonus points if you’re active on a second.

Are you ready to let go of the reins?

Working with influencers means giving them room to do what they do best. If you set them up for success with all the right tools then they will deliver. We promise.

Have you thought through your goals/strategy?

What are you hoping to get out of an influencer campaign? Do you have a strategy in mind for selecting specific influencers for a certain audience? What's your plan and expectations and how will you track it? Need help with this? Give us a call!