Influencer marketing is the most effective tool in any marketer's toolkit. This effectiveness is exactly why influencer marketing is winning against standard television and digital ads. Before committing 100% to working with creators, here are a few points to remember on your way to becoming an influencer marketing success story.

Tip 1: Create authentic influencer content

Influencer marketing works because creators have an authentic connection with their audience. Authenticity is at the core of what makes people listen to recommendations delivered by creators. This is why sponsored posts should never move away from the creator's voice. 

Marketing posts need to fit with the tone and direction of the creator's page. Anything that comes across as inauthentic to the audience will affect the creator's bond with the audience and could potentially hurt your brand's image. No one wants any of that. Avoid inauthentic influencer content by creating a clear influencer marketing strategy and finding the right influencers for your brand.

Tip 2: Create engaging content not advertisements

This goes hand in hand with the previous tip. You want authentic posts that engage your target audience. You won't get that by creating what looks exactly like an ad. The posts you are creating are not regular banner ads. 

With Adblock software usage on the rise, it is safe to say that most people don't want to see standard ads anymore. Get people involved and invested in your brand's story by giving them engaging and thoughtful content.

Tip 3: Clearly mark sponsored influencer marketing content

There are already laws about this in many countries, so this one shouldn't be much of a surprise. But if it is, here is the bottom-line: Always clearly mark ads as sponsored content, and expect this from all the influencers you work with. The audience has a right to know if the content they are seeing is sponsored by a brand. This applies even if the creator gets free products instead of money.

A clearly visible hashtag like #sponsoredad or #sponsoredcontent is a great way to properly mark content.

Tip 4: Create long-term relationships with influencers you work with

Many marketers think of influencer-led campaigns as standalone projects. Let's think long-term instead. After finding the right creators for your brand, explore ways to create strong relationships that lasts months instead of days or weeks. Long-term influencer campaigns will give your brand more exposure and build trust within your target audience.

Tip 5: Include influencers in your other marketing activities

Including creators in other areas of your marketing strategy is another great way of reinforcing relationships with them. There are two major benefits of this approach. First you are automatically reaching out and connecting to your audience in a more targeted way. Second, the audience will be more invested because someone they trust is visibly attached to your brand.

This does not mean you should have creators in every aspect of your strategy. Don't do it if it doesn't make sense for your overall messaging and brand story. However, expanding beyond social media posts is a great way to tap into the full potential creators offer.

Tip 6: Work with dedicated measurement tools

Work with measurement tools specifically for influencer marketing and social media. These tools create a much clearer picture of your influencer marketing ROI. Influencer marketing software simplifies the process of tracking the important KPIs your brand has set as a benchmark.

Tip 7: Work with micro influencers instead of the biggest names

Last but not least, don't put all your focus on the big names on social media. You can create just as much value for your brand, or even more, by working with multiple influencers with smaller audiences. Micro-influencers have the most engaged audiences, and engagement is incredibly important for influencer marketing to be effective.

We aren't just saying this. The proof is in our analysis of over 1,000,000 influencer profiles. 

Our research revealed influencers with less than 100,000 followers had up to 5 times more engagement than influencers with more than 100,000 followers. Working with micro-influencers is the biggest key to success for influencer marketing.

Ready to find the right influencers for your brand? Try our influencer marketing software for free and get the tools to find and verify the right influencers. Looking for an end-to-end influencer marketing solution? Get a free consultation from our influencer marketing agency and see what we can do for you.