Even ten years ago, today’s product marketing landscape would be unrecognizable to founders of companies trying to bring cutting-edge products to market. The precursors were there back then, but even the most savvy marketer would be surprised at how influencer marketing has crystalized as the most potent, biggest bang-for-your-buck marketing method available today. And with a typical return of anywhere between $6.50 and $18 for every dollar spent, it’s no wonder that the popularity of influencer marketing is ramping up as dramatically as it is.

With the number of Instagram users predicted to eclipse 120 million by 2023, the appeal of utilizing this visual social media channel as a marketing platform is only going to grow. At PopTribe, we’re here to make your influencer marketing goals a reality.

A Blueprint for Internet Marketing Success

When it comes to ecommerce, product marketing can make or break your fledgling brand. Spend too much for too little return, and you can find yourself in trouble in a hurry. Employ a marketing method that brings a significant positive return, and you can be off to the races quicker than you believed possible.

As with most things in life, one size does not fit all; the type of marketing that makes the most sense for one company will not necessarily bring positive returns to the next. You’re also going to want to utilize more than one marketing channel simultaneously in order to maximize sales. But let’s say you’re a startup with a new product that pushes the envelope or a revolutionary take on an existing product. Text-based marketing mediums such as email or text-only pay-per-click ads are not going to be dynamic enough to whet the appetite of your target audience.

Not only do people need to read about how cool your product is; they need to see it in action while at the same time being told by someone they trust that this is something they ought to explore. There’s only one type of marketing that tics each of those boxes: influencer marketing.

What Is Influencer Marketing?

In brief, influencer marketing is the practice of partnering with someone who is a well-respected authority in your niche to promote your product. Influencers are everywhere on social media, from blogs to YouTube to TickTock, but at PopTribe we concentrate on Instagram influencers. This is because Instagram, with its unique visual foundation based upon photos and videos, and rapidly-growing worldwide user base, is particularly effective as an influencer channel.

The goal of influencer marketing is to find as many high-authority figures in your niche who will be willing to try and thereafter promote your product to their audience. And since their audience has come to know and trust this person, they will already be enthused about your product when they click through to your website. Compared to a brief PPC or banner ad, this in-depth, direct promotion brings a far superior ROI.

Anatomy of Influencer Marketing

On its face, influencer marketing sounds simple. Hook up with a relevant influencer, and watch as visitors predisposed to buy come flooding to your website. Of course, the reality is more complex.

How exactly do you bring onboard these widely sought-after influencers? That process is called influencer outreach, and it takes practice and finesse that most business owners do not have right out of the gate. Learning the ins and outs of locating, negotiating and forming lasting relationships with influencers is as much an art as it is a science – and most small business owners don’t have time to learn by doing. After all, if you mishandle this delicate process, there’s no going back. It’s at this nitty-gritty stage of influencer marketing that PopTribe can help.

Cultivating relationships with valuable influencers requires knowledge gleaned from years of experience and fastidious attention to detail. PopTribe has both the experienced personnel and the time it takes to search for, initiate and maintain these relationships going forward.

Long-term, synergistic relationships pay dividends for all three parties involved: the brand (you,) the influencer, and the audience. Once you prove yourself to an influencer and audience, the monetization of your relationship will grow at a rapid pace. Once they know to expect quality product from you, both influencer and audience will eagerly await each product you offer. When they find that the latest offering lives up to or exceeds what has come before, they will be that much more riveted on what you come up with next. That’s when your ROI can approach or exceed the $18 mark.

Influencer Marketing with PopTribe

It all starts with understanding your niche. PopTribe’s team of outreach experts will ingrain your ethos, outlook and vision as they search for relevant influencers. Upon locating a possible match, they will feel out these influencers to determine what they like best in terms of compensation. For some, a free sample of your product will be enough; others will require monetary compensation, in which case our team is uniquely positioned to negotiate on your behalf. If and when we reach agreement, we’ll handle the nuts and bolts of influencer payment.

To begin each campaign, we will work with you and your influencer to curate the content they will show their audience. We’ll perform a quality check on influencer-created content and then put it in front of you for revision. Once you approve, we’ll let the influencer run with it.

As the results of your influencer marketing campaign come in, we’ll be right there to help you analyze what went right and what can be improved. As we work together, we will make those small refinements that can yield substantial results down the road.

As we get to know you and the influencers in your niche, we will be able to execute ever-more-effective campaigns as you expand your product portfolio. We’re confident you’ll be pleased with the resulting ROI, and we’ll do everything we can to ensure your satisfaction.

Contact us today, and we’ll chat with you to determine the most effective path to success for everyone involved. Influencer marketing has gone from a fad to a must-have for product marketing success. We’d be thrilled to be your partner as you put this remarkably effective medium to work for your brand.