The Lion's Den
How Do I Start An Influencer Network?
Instagram Marketing
Social media influencer marketing are an increasingly popular method brands use to reach their audiences. Online content creators called influencers have become a great vehicle for spreading branded messages for several reasons. One is that they’re digital natives who are great at making high-quality content, and another is that, by definition, they have a following of people who love to consume their content.
However, it can still be difficult for companies to find the best creator partners to work with.
That’s why many brands have turned to influencer networks, or online platforms that influencers sign up for and brands use to effectively find, reach out to, and work with them. When most people talk about influencer networks, they’re referring to a group of influencers hosted on a platform, as opposed to a static database of influencers. However, an influencer network can also mean a group of influencers you know and sometimes work with.
If you’re wondering how to start an influencer network for yourself – it may be tricky, but it’s definitely beneficial to have content creators in your corner ready to join campaigns they’re a fit for. Read on to learn more about the types of influencers and how to use creator networks to activate your influencer marketing strategy.
What Are The Different Types Of Influencers?
There are millions of influencers out there, and most of them fit neatly into four influencer marketing buckets. The four types of influencers are nano-influencers, micro-influencers, macro-influencers, and mega-influencers.
Pictured: The Four Types of Instagram Influencers Based on Follower Count (Source: Airfluencer)
While the number of followers necessary to fall into a tier differs amongst experts, the ideology behind the different influencer types and how to treat them is the same. For example, mega-influencers, having the highest number of followers, will charge the highest fees of all the creator groups, because they’ll deliver the most visibility to your brand. With such high potential viewership, mega-influencers are also the hardest to get ahold of. When you’re at that level of social media stardom, you have more sway about who you work with.
Nano-influencers and micro-influencers, on the other hand, are cheaper options for forming creator partnerships. Although they have a smaller following than their counterparts, they typically have a higher engagement rate and more trust and interaction within their following or community.
The influencers most likely to be part of influencer networks are the middle categories: micro-influencers and macro-influencers. Because they have a substantial following, they’re vettable and verifiable, meaning influencer network moderators are more likely to approve them onto the platform.
However, if you’re creating your own influencer network, feel free to reach out to anyone who could be a good fit for your brand. Relationship-building is huge for influencer marketing, so the connections you make can take you far. For example, it may be a great move to work with a few nano-influencers, both because their engagement is typically great, and because they have the potential to grow into micro-, macro-, or even mega-influencer levels.
How Do I Start Implementing Influencer Marketing?
Ready to get started with influencer marketing and find great content creators to form a partnership with?
Here are our top 5 tips for implementing influencer marketing into your brand’s strategy.
- Reach out to influencers you’ve talked to before. One of the easiest ways to start your own influencer network is to follow and interact with content creators online. Even if you’re not looking for an influencer to work with at that exact moment, by starting a rapport with some, you’re building your brand affinity and increasing the likelihood that they’ll work with you in the future.
- Know what audience you are trying to reach with your campaign. If you don’t know your brand or product’s target market, you will inevitably choose the wrong influencers to work with. Ideally, your creator partner should be aligned with your brand and have a following that matches your audience profile.
- Search for successful campaigns. For influencer marketing especially, it can be constructive to have an example in mind of what you consider to be a successful campaign. If you love how eos, PlayStation, Amazon, or one of the many other brands who have used influencer marketing did a campaign, you can probably emulate it!
- Understand the rules behind influencer marketing before you get into the game. Social media platforms each come with their own set of rules and restrictions that brands must follow to be able to use them. Keep up with FTC guidelines to ensure that your brand remains compliant.
- When running your campaign, keep key performance indicators (commonly referred to as KPIs) in mind. Some of these could include increasing revenue by X% through influencer marketing campaigns by X deadline or improving average order size by $X by X deadline. KPIs help keep campaigns measurable, because you can expect certain results and assess campaigns based on how they performed.
How Lionize Can Help With Your Influencer Marketing
Join an influencer network where high-quality creators are ready and willing to work with your brand. Lionize helps you find the perfect creators, no matter how niche your product or service. Book a Discovery Call with us today to get started!
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