How to Use the Power of E-Commerce Influencer Marketing to Boost Sales

By Rachel Smith

You may be aware of the significant spending power of millennials, but do you know about their buying patterns? Most members of this generation (and younger generations) don’t trust traditional advertising. They are more likely to buy a product or service after seeing an influencer's video or review on social media.

Thus, influencer-driven social media marketing has emerged as a non-negotiable tool for selling your products or services, especially if you run an e-commerce business. In addition, it provides a seemingly effortless way for an e-commerce store to reach a global audience.

How to ensure the success of your e-commerce influencer marketing campaign

1. Choose the right social media platform

Conducting a market study of your customers is critical any time you're developing a marketing strategy, and influencer marketing is no exception. Before approaching an influencer, make sure you know the answers to the following questions:

• What is the age of your target group (TG)?
• What do you want to achieve from this marketing campaign? Awareness? Sales?
• Will you more likely find your TG on Instagram, YouTube, or Facebook?

Answering these and other relevant questions will help you choose the appropriate channel for your brand.

2. Find the right influencer

It may seem like number of followers is the most critical factor in choosing an influencer; however, it's not. It's more important that an influencer aligns with your brand's vision, values, and style. They must have a similar vibe and tone as your brand.

Also, save yourself from potential influencer fraud by checking for fake followers, low engagement rates, and other red flags. There are various online tools that can help you check the credibility and reach of an influencer.

3. Partner with a micro-influencer

Micro-influencers, influencers with fewer followers (10,000 to 100,000 followers), may not necessarily be celebrities, but they tend to have closer relationships and more active conversations with their followers compared to macro-influencers, who have hundreds of thousands of followers. Also, since micro-influencers are more affordable, you may be able to hire more than one if your budget allows.

4. Allow creative freedom

Remember, the purpose of using an influencer in your e-commerce marketing is to utilize the existing connections and trust they already have with their followers. Therefore, you should not micromanage their content.

Of course, you want to ensure that your message gets conveyed correctly to your TG. But you also need to trust that your influencer knows best how to reach your customers and will present appropriate content.

More articles from AllBusiness.com:

• 6 Rules of Social Media Marketing
• 7 Ways to Make Your Marketing Message Stand Out in a Crowded Digital World
• The Power of Influence
• Using the Influencers in Your Community to Help Promote Your Business
• How to Unashamedly Use People to Promote You, Your Brand, and Your Business

5. Additional marketing strategies

Consider utilizing some of these strategies in conjunction with your influencer campaign:

• Discount codes. Discount coupons or codes entice people to buy products. Provide influencers with a discount code that they can share with customers when they're talking about your product. Discount codes also allow you to track the exact number of sales a particular influencer generates for you.
• Competitions and challenges. Social media competitions and challenges with prizes will generate both interest and awareness in your brand. A contest can be as simple as “Tell us why you deserve to win this giveaway, and the best comment will win a prize.”
• Product collaboration. When you hire an influencer, they should know your target audience well, so consider asking their opinion on future product designs or offerings. Note: this strategy should only be utilized with established influencers.
• Product reviews. Multiple studies have shown consumers rely heavily on product reviews when making a purchase. A positive product review by an influencer is a great way to encourage product sales. Ask influencers to include product reviews in their content.
• Videos. A short demonstration video of your product or its quick unboxing with upbeat music and visual effects by your influencer can contribute significantly to your branding.

Power of influencer marketing and your e-commerce business

Influencer marketing is the current trend in marketing and will only become more popular in the future. Including influencer marketing as part of your overall e-commerce marketing strategy can help you generate leads, promote branding, and improve sales.

When developing an e-commerce influencer marketing campaign, choose an appropriate platform and influencer for your brand, and watch your sales grow.

RELATED: Here’s Why Your Influencer Marketing Campaign Isn’t Getting You the ROI You Expected