If you follow our @hdbrowsofficial social media accounts, you’ll have noticed that lately we’ve been working closely with influencers to promote the treatment and products. But influencers aren’t just for big brands; you can use them in your marketing too! Our PR & Marketing Assistant, Becky, has put together her top tips.
Influencer marketing is the way forward
We now live in a society where standard advertising just isn’t enough. Fast-forwarding through TV adverts, swapping radio stations when the adverts come on, quickly flicking through pages and pages of advertisements in magazines. We’re all guilty of it. Brands are no longer defined by a set of rules or seen to do what is expected. You now need to be constantly thinking of new, innovative ideas, keeping up with the ever-changing trends and always trying to stay ahead of the game. Consumer power has significantly increased over the past years due to easy access and availability of information on the internet giving them the ability to shop around.
One method of marketing which has sped ahead and taken first place is the use of influencers- and it doesn’t neccessarily have to be celebrities, in most cases it’s not. Influencers have now become the new leader of digital marketing across the globe. They create content that their followers want to see and share. Consumers feel as though they can relate to these reliable, trustworthy people. They get the opportunity to engage with them through social platforms and events on a regular basis.
How influential are influencers?
Stats show that 92% of consumers now trust influencer recommendations more than any other form of advertising. Some even trust influencer recommendations more than their own friends and family! So, for brands like HD Brows, it’s a great opportunity to get people talking and to increase brand awareness across the target audience.
I think when you’re offering a service, it’s really important for people to recommend you to their friends, family and followers. Lots of us now take inspiration from endless scrolling on ours phone instead of flicking through magazines; you need to take this opportunity to get your online presence the best it can be.
You need to be on Instagram
Make Instagram a key marketing platform for you and your business and begin to build up a following with the people on there. Once you get started, it will probably become your favourite method of advertising. There’s more on the how Instagram boost your business here.
When I go on my Instagram now, it’s mostly full of influencers (fashion, lifestyle and beauty). This is where I look to get outfit, bars, restaurants and hotel ideas from seeing what people recommend on social media. I know I’m not the only one who does this. Once an influencer/blogger shares a post or mentions your brand, so many more people are aware of you.
How do I find influencers?
The use of influencers is such a big focus across multiple industries. However, approximately 73% of fashion and beauty brands do find it difficult to identify the right people to work with. It may take a bit of time searching through Instagram to find the perfect match, but it will be worth it in the end.
When looking for the right influencers, it can be hard to know where to start. There’s millions of people on Instagram; is it possible to narrow them down to find the right people for you and your business?
When it comes to influencers, there are different tiers and pricing structures to suit all. You might be surprised with how many are willing to work for free if you gift your products or services. I just make a spreadsheet to keep track of everyone I have contacted, tier, Instagram account, date contacted, etc.
The tiers we work with are below:
Bronze – 3,000 Followers or Less
Silver – 3000-1000 Followers
Gold – 10,000+ Followers
Premium – 20,000+ Followers
Those in the top tiers will charge lots to be featured on their account, however you can get great results working with a lower tier influencer.
Top tip:
Once you start following someone, there’s a little drop-down arrow next to the header. If you click, it shows similar accounts/those with a similar following. I now find this one of the easiest ways to find people to work with. Once you’ve found one person you think would be great to work with, it narrows your search to similar accounts. I also tend to look who is commenting on posts on the accounts I follow or on who we have worked with before – these are normally bloggers themselves.
Alternatively, I just search ‘beauty blogger’ or ‘BBlogger’ into the search bar on Instagram. Those with this stated in their profile will appear. I also scroll through the comments on different images and check out some of the accounts of the people commenting- they do normally have an interest in beauty as well! If searching on a laptop, I usually do a quick scan over the most recent images to see how many likes each picture has- this way I get a slight understanding of the engagement rate (how their followers interact with their posts).
Do I need to pay for software to work with influencers?
There are a load of platforms out there that can help you when looking for influencers. They commonly find you a perfect match through filters and search criterias. But normally, they don’t come cheap. If you don’t mind dedicating time to looking through Instagram you might as well do it yourself.
For me, I always like to see what people are doing, wearing and using so I quite like searching for people to work with.
How can I work with influencers?
Working with influencers isn’t just an online strategy, you can invite them into your salons or place of work for a service or for any launch events. This way you’re building a stronger, more reliable relationship. If you invite them for a complimentary HD Brows treatment in exchange for them to mention you on social media, they may become a regular and feature you more often! Or inviting them to an in-salon event might encourage their followers to come along too.
I think working with influencers is definitely something everyone should be doing. Especially in the beauty industry where so many people rely on recommendations and reviews, and always looking to try something new!
If you have any questions about working with influencers, why not post it on the Facebook Collective? Other Stylists who may have done this will also be able to share their top tips with you too.
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