Whilst working with influencers is not a new concept in marketing, working with digital influencers on platforms such as Instagram is still very much unchartered territory for a lot of small businesses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And although it\u2019s easy to get it wrong and waste a lot of time and money on \u201cfake\u201d accounts or the wrong type of influencers \u2013 getting it right could be the secret to success for your company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Leanne Gannon<\/a>, the Founder of She & Co Digital<\/a>, is a specialist in social media and influencer marketing. If you have spent any time on social media, it is likely that you will have been exposed to influencer marketing, but what is it, how does it work, and what are the regulations surrounding it that you need to be aware of?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Leanne explained all of this and more during her Lunchtime Learning<\/a> session facilitated by the Cathedral Quarter BID<\/a> (Business Improvement District):<\/p>\n\n\n\n Leanne explained: \u201cInfluencer marketing is using someone else\u2019s influence or relationship with an audience to promote your product or service. It can be tricky to do well, but if done well it can be very effective.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Influencers can be found on almost all social media platforms, including Instagram, YouTube, through their own personal blogs, and even on Snapchat. While they are most commonly associated with the beauty and fashion industries, almost all sectors will have influencers out there \u2013 from hobbyists to those who do it professionally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n During her session Leanne advised that the key to a great influencer is authenticity: \u201cMost of the successful influencer marketing campaigns encourage the creation of content that is original and\/or adds value for the audience. Today, more than ever, consumers look to fellow consumers to inform their purchase decisions. Influencer marketing, when it is authentic and trustworthy, increases a brand\u2019s credibility.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n While influencer marketing is certainly not new, it is something we are likely to see increasing going forward. The industry is set to reach a whopping $10 billion by 2020, with more and more brands increasing their influencer marketing spend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAs influencer marketing has grown in popularity, the UK Advertising Standards Authority<\/a> (ASA) \u2013 and in the Republic of Ireland the Advertising Standards Authority for Ireland<\/a> (ASAI) \u2013 have released guidelines on how these adverts should be disclosed\u201d said Leanne, adding: \u201cThere are rules regarding how these adverts are tagged, such as using #advert, #gifted, or #sponsored. Free downloads are available from their respective websites, so make sure you are aware of how to disclose properly and that any influencers you work with follow the rules.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The final takeaway message is to be clear in your expectations when working with influencers, especially smaller influencers who may not have undertaken much advertising work before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Clearly state how many posts you will get, check that captions are spelt correctly, and that any necessary hashtags are used and spelt correctly. If undertaking paid-for advertising, pay a percentage up-front and the balance upon completion of the work. Your aim should be to create a mutually beneficial relationship so you can continue to work with those who produce positive outcomes for your company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Want to hear even more top tips about working with influencers to market your business? Check out the full recording of his workshop on the Cathedral Quarter website \u2013 https:\/\/www.cathedralquarterbelfast.com\/whats-on\/lunchtime\u2013learning\u2013working-with-influencers<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n To see more Lunchtime Learning sessions go to https:\/\/www.cathedralquarterbelfast.com\/lunchtime-learning<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n At Excalibur Press we have a team of over 12 writers in a variety of specialisms writing blogs, website content and more for clients on a daily basis. Maybe this is just one thing we could help you with \u2013 even just to get you started.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you would like to speak to a content creator or would like more information about our rates and process just call 07305354209 or email team@excaliburpress.co.uk<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Find out more about Excalibur Press at https:\/\/excaliburpress.co.uk<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Whilst working with influencers is not a new concept in marketing, working with digital influencers on platforms such as Instagram is still very much unchartered territory for a lot of small businesses. And although it\u2019s easy to get it wrong and waste a lot of time and money on \u201cfake\u201d accounts or the wrong type … Continued<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18549"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18549"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18549\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18551,"href":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18549\/revisions\/18551"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18549"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18549"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18549"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}What is influencer marketing?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
What does an influencer marketing strategy look like?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Beware of Regulations<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Do you need help creating content for your business?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n