Influencer marketing is a procedure that drives out the brand’s message to your audience through social media influencers that have dedicated social following and are a pro at their niches. Undoubtedly, Influencer marketing works out smoothly because of the amount of trust these influencers have built out with their massive followings.
Hence, influencer marketing is the best way to drive high engagement to your brand. Wondering what the best hacks and strategies for influencer marketing are?
Meet Mana Ionescu, CEO at LightSpanD, a digital marketing company located in Chicago. She has been linked with Digital Marketing for 14 years. In 2014 she was awarded ‘Chicago Woman Making History,’ an amazing entrepreneur award by Chicago’s treasure office. Besides her digital marketing skills, she is a volunteer diver at Chicago’s Shedd aquarium. When she’s away from her company, she is passionate about underwater conversation.
In our #ChampsTalk session, she answered all the essential questions related to influencer marketing. If you missed it, here is a rundown of all that happened.
We are Live on #ChampsTalk – Chat Session with @manamica | Founder and CEO of @lightspanD
The Topic➡️Influencer Marketing pic.twitter.com/O1tqkriGoO
— Social Champ (@SocialChampSays) April 21, 2021
Looking forward to your #influencermarketing questions. Ask me anything #ChampsTalk https://t.co/YZETLRdgAj
— Mana Ionescu (@manamica) April 21, 2021
First of all, we would like to thank 🙌 @manamica for giving us her valuable time.
Now starting off with our first question:
Q1. Who, according to you, is an “Influencer”, how do they influence an audience? #ChampsTalk pic.twitter.com/jYLBxkNwHE
— Social Champ (@SocialChampSays) April 21, 2021
A1.1: Let’s talk about *true* #influencers. They are those who have built their ethos and credibility and a community that allows them to exert influence on others' behavior, how we think, outlook on life, what we buy and more. #ChampsTalk https://t.co/AHneCnhK1o
— Mana Ionescu (@manamica) April 21, 2021
A1.2: True influencers are agents of change. #ChampsTalk #influencermarketing https://t.co/ylkLDjSWU7
— Mana Ionescu (@manamica) April 21, 2021
A1.3: We look up to true influencers. They teach us, they inspire us. They exhibit attributes we want to emulate, whether physical or intellectual… or what knife we use in the kitchen… or that tiktok feta pasta 😉 #ChampsTalk https://t.co/SogIArxF7D
— Mana Ionescu (@manamica) April 21, 2021
Q2. What attributes do influencers have that leads to creating a community around them? #ChampsTalk pic.twitter.com/4SykkOaVna
— Social Champ (@SocialChampSays) April 21, 2021
A2: Influencers can exhibit many appealing attributes: knowledge, fun, trend-setting, educational. But one that’s critical is authenticity. We've seen things backfire with "influencers" who are inauthentic #ChampsTalk https://t.co/DPAnBcWdXW
— Mana Ionescu (@manamica) April 21, 2021
Q3. Can a local business use Influencer marketing? #ChampsTalk pic.twitter.com/oLw8r9dkwF
— Social Champ (@SocialChampSays) April 21, 2021
A3: Absolutely. In fact, many local influencers may fit in the micro-influencer category, which are our fave types of partnerships. And local influencers bring with them local flavor which is very compelling. #ChampsTalk https://t.co/fJDE0ogDl7
— Mana Ionescu (@manamica) April 21, 2021
Yes! Working with local influencers who are connected to the community is a great way to increase visibility. If you're a local restaurant or service based business, host an event just for influencers to try you out. #ChampsTalk https://t.co/oQMMuhhUrC
— Allie’s Fashion Alley (@alliebarke) April 21, 2021
Q4. How do you determine that influencer marketing is suitable for your brand? #ChampsTalk pic.twitter.com/ks4701cmTL
— Social Champ (@SocialChampSays) April 21, 2021
A4.1: Start with goals, then pick the channels that are fit for your goals. Then find influencers on that channel. #ChampsTalk
— Mana Ionescu (@manamica) April 21, 2021
For example, if you want to get more search traffic, don’t go to Instagram. Find bloggers you can partner with to get links back for SEO purposes#ChampsTalk
— Mana Ionescu (@manamica) April 21, 2021
Q5. What are the best channels for influencer marketing and why? #ChampsTalk pic.twitter.com/uuuqeRlXQN
— Social Champ (@SocialChampSays) April 21, 2021
Depends on goals. TikTok and Instagram are great for brand reach and visibility. Instagram can be great for contests to disseminate coupon codes and even directly sell products. Blogs are good for generating referral website traffic#ChampsTalk
— Mana Ionescu (@manamica) April 21, 2021
Depending on the business objectives and the audience capacity. In no other Instagram, twitter, tiktok are best channel to consider #ChampsTalk
— Olowo Ayodele (@OlowoAyodele1) April 21, 2021
Q6. Which type of influencer drives in the most engagement; someone who is more related to the niche or someone who has more followers? #ChampsTalk pic.twitter.com/9OUq3SEBcU
— Social Champ (@SocialChampSays) April 21, 2021
Working with many micro-influencers, over an extended period of time, will deliver better results than one-off macro-influencer campaigns. Also work with influencers who want to collaborate with you and will provide ideas and inject excitement in what they do. #ChampsTalk
— Mana Ionescu (@manamica) April 21, 2021
Influencers who are just order-takers most often deliver flat content. Develop long-term relationships and partnerships with influencers and that's where you'll see results. #ChampsTalk
— Mana Ionescu (@manamica) April 21, 2021
I don't believe in niche, I believe in audiences. I may sell books, that doesn't mean I should only work with book reviewers. I should find influencers whose audiences may be into the kinds of books I'm selling. #ChampsTalk
— Mana Ionescu (@manamica) April 21, 2021
Q7. Why should you choose influencer marketing over other forms of marketing? #ChampsTalk pic.twitter.com/J4p39G0jMV
— Social Champ (@SocialChampSays) April 21, 2021
Influencers are gatekeepers to communities. Communities have power. If you think of your brand as a living thing, and if you act as a true genuine participant in building and nurturing communities, you'll accelerate your sales. #ChampsTalk
— Mana Ionescu (@manamica) April 21, 2021
Influencers have great impact on audience.Choosing it over other form of marketing then depends on which influencer so as to improve business growth. #ChampsTalk
— Olowo Ayodele (@OlowoAyodele1) April 21, 2021
Q8. Lastly, who do you think we should invite for this session next time? #ChampsTalk pic.twitter.com/M6D1DZo8En
— Social Champ (@SocialChampSays) April 21, 2021
I’m a fan of @bfarris and @jenphillipsapri amongst many. But I think your audiences will appreciate their skilled and unique perspectives #ChampsTalk
— Mana Ionescu (@manamica) April 21, 2021
Yay! We have another "Champs" recommendation, @blfarris and @jenphillipsapri by @manamica, thank you so much 🙌
Hello, Jen Phillips April, and Brad Farris, happy to connect. We would love to host you guys at #ChampsTalk 😇
— Social Champ (@SocialChampSays) April 21, 2021
Wohoo! ^_^ pic.twitter.com/yA1j9z0fad
— Sameer Ahmed Khan (@Sameerpeace) April 21, 2021
https://twitter.com/blfarris/status/1385188105326628865
@manamica @SocialChampSays Q. What are the core qualities of becoming an influencer?#ChampsTalk
— Tahniat Alam (@tahniatalam) April 21, 2021
Core qualities of influencers may be: staying up to date on trends, creativity, consistency, expertise and authenticity, amongst others. I'd love to know what others think about this question. #ChampsTalk https://t.co/mifJ4iV5sw
— Mana Ionescu (@manamica) April 21, 2021
Do influencers use any strategies when promoting a brand? @manamica #ChampsTalk
— Aysha Faseeh (@Foosa25) April 21, 2021
Effective strategies involve genuinely incorporating the brand into their everyday experiences and documenting the process and results. Just posting a product photo is not a strategy. #ChampsTalk https://t.co/x3NboMheil
— Mana Ionescu (@manamica) April 21, 2021
Repetition is another effective #influencermarketing strategy. One and done leads to nothing. #ChampsTalk https://t.co/mi0Q6E4Wvw
— Mana Ionescu (@manamica) April 21, 2021
Great to have you today, @manamica! What's the best memory you treasure from all your scuba diving adventures? So far I had tried Cliff Jumping and Snorkelling, Scuba is next on my list though.. ^_^#ChampsTalk
— Sameer Ahmed Khan (@Sameerpeace) April 21, 2021
Those are amazing experiences. I really treasure Mexican Centone diving I've done. It's magical! #ChampsTalk https://t.co/Gjncsu92Dj
— Mana Ionescu (@manamica) April 21, 2021
What are the best practices that influencers use in a campaign? @manamica #ChampsTalk
— Yumna Hafeez (@hafeez_yumna) April 21, 2021
I'd like to see more influencers do actual campaigns, not one-off posts. Some of the best craft ongoing stories in partnership with brands. #champstalk https://t.co/4cOJcChf5t
— Mana Ionescu (@manamica) April 21, 2021
What should be the 101 for getting customers for #Startups in post-pandemic, while having low budgets? @manamica #ChampsTalk
— Sameer Ahmed Khan (@Sameerpeace) April 21, 2021
Outreach. Go out there online where your customers are and talk to them. Also working with micro-influencers. Often they have the highest engagement rates. #ChampsTalk https://t.co/8RGtae13y5
— Mana Ionescu (@manamica) April 21, 2021
Great suggestion!
Just another follow-up question.
What website, tool, way, do you prefer to find "micro-influencers"? Or do you prefer the old-school way of finding each from Twitter, LinkedIn, etc?
Loving your answers @manamica #ChampsTalk https://t.co/62E8UlEdXR— Sameer Ahmed Khan (@Sameerpeace) April 21, 2021
I prefer the old school way. You can start with an influencer database such as meltwater, then look at who the followers of the influencer are, are they truly engaged, does the influencer do justice to brands, are their values, voice tone aligned with yours #champstalk
— Mana Ionescu (@manamica) April 21, 2021
Great suggestion. "Meltwater" is new for me. I'll take a look into that too! #ChampsTalk
— Sameer Ahmed Khan (@Sameerpeace) April 21, 2021
What are your thoughts on #Clubhouse and its future when a bunch of other apps are replicating their model?
Should brands invest their time to be on any of these platforms?
@manamica #ChampsTalk— Sameer Ahmed Khan (@Sameerpeace) April 21, 2021
#Clubhouse will always be niche because not everyone can invest the time and focus that's required of such a platform. But brands can explore using it for live podcast type of events. #ChampsTalk https://t.co/sUCMQjNYiJ
— Mana Ionescu (@manamica) April 21, 2021
How are the results of an influencer marketing campaign measured? @manamica #ChampsTalk
— Marium Fahim Khan (@marium_fahim) April 21, 2021
💥We created a chart for this and at the end of a chat I'll post a link. Don't ever do something that can't be measured. If you want sales, make sure you design the engagement to get sales, using coupons, flash sales etc #ChampsTalk https://t.co/oIpIweaNvY
— Mana Ionescu (@manamica) April 21, 2021
Thanks for the great answer 🙂
Also, what do you predict for Influencer marketing? #ChampsTalk
— Syed Muneeb Ul Hasan (Let's meet at #WCUS) (@syed_muneebb) April 21, 2021
NFTs!!!! #champstalk https://t.co/CPYbxENDcl
— Mana Ionescu (@manamica) April 21, 2021
What are the best sites and tools for influencer marketing? #ChampsTalk @manamica
— Marium Fahim Khan (@marium_fahim) April 21, 2021
Meltwater, Buzzsumo, and more. But do the research manually as well. We have more info in the guide that I will share later #champstalk
— Mana Ionescu (@manamica) April 21, 2021
Our chat session comes to an end, we would like to thank you @manamica for your knowledgeable insights on #InfluencerMarketing 🙏
We loved having you and hope that the audience enjoyed today’s session of #ChampsTalk pic.twitter.com/7y4mZGVJMe
— Social Champ (@SocialChampSays) April 21, 2021
Thank you for having me! Great questions and awesome time! #ChampsTalk
— Mana Ionescu (@manamica) April 21, 2021
We are highly honored that Mana gave us her time and answered all questions about influencer marketing.
Don’t forget to mention your favorite mentor in the comment section below; we might get them for the next session.
