Digital marketing for e-commerce businesses isn’t the same that it once was. Almost all businesses have a digital presence today, meaning that you’re competing on a massive landscape. Each one of these businesses have the same basic goal as you – to get noticed by customers and win their hearts and commitment.

The competition is great for consumers because it gives them options and has brands fighting fiercely to be the one that provides the best in product, service and experience. If there’s a downside, it’s that consumers are becoming fatigued from the constant appeals made by e-commerce businesses. This has them craving something different – something less pushy than traditional digital advertising strategies.

Enter influencer marketing.

At this point, most e-commerce businesses have heard of the power of influencers, especially for social media marketing. But, it’s still a concept that many smaller businesses struggle with because they feel like connecting with influencers is just out of their scope.

We’re here to tell you that nothing could be further from the truth. Small e-commerce businesses can see massive results when connecting with the right influencer. Ready to learn more? Here’s why influencer marketing is so effective for small e-commerce businesses and how to develop a strategy for your own success with influencers.

It Isn’t Go Big or Go Home

Let’s start with one of the biggest misconceptions about influencer marketing – the idea that only popular personalities with massive followings work for influencing buyer behavior. To understand this, all we really need to do is step into the mind of your customers for just one minute.

Your customers are online, spending tons of time on social networks. There’s absolutely no shortage of advertisements coming their way, including some products and services that are being endorsed by highly paid celebrities. It’s something that they see so often that they have started recognizing it as just another ploy by well known brands to try to win them over.

Here’s the thing about that. Your customers are tired of being sold to. They can easily follow their favorite celebrities to find out what they’re up to. They don’t need or want their unsolicited product endorsements. Today, customers expect more from brands than the same old flashy, salesy approach. They want an experience that can be best summed up in one word.

Value.

Influencers who might not have star power but are influential in your industry and to your audience can have a major impact. Take for example that 70% of millennial consumers are influenced by their peer’s buying decisions. The very same survey that produced that number also shows that 30% of consumers are more likely to make a purchase decision based on the influence of a non-celebrity blogger. This is because these are the exact people who are likely to find the same type of value in a business as they are.

This tells us that if consumers are going to be influenced by anyone, it’s someone just like them and not a celebrity whose fees are completely out of the range of your marketing budget.

Now that you know influence marketing is about building value, not star power, around your e-commerce business, let’s look at how you can leverage it on a scale that fits your marketing needs and budget.

Identify Influencers That Will Connect with Your Target Audience

You’re not going to get very far in your influencer marketing campaign without the right partner to help raise awareness of your e-commerce business. It only seems logical that the first step is to find influencers.

When looking for potential influencers, it’s important to keep one thing in mind. The influencer you work with will serve as representation of the brand you’ve worked so hard to build. It’s absolutely crucial that they’re aligned to your core business values and your target audience.

The best fit for this job? A niche influencer.

Niche influencers are personalities that are already creating content in their given niche, which is preferably one that your brand is also invested in. These people tend to have an extensive knowledge of their niche and have developed a following based on the value and authenticity of their content.

For example, an e-commerce business that sells custom made musical instruments, you could connect with a local respected artist with a specialized skill set in one of those instruments. Likewise, a local farm to table restaurant might partner a well-known pediatrician in the community in an influencer campaign that promotes healthy eating as a family.

The key is identifying your target audience’s need and pain points, and then aligning them with an influencer that also serves the same market in finding solutions.

Be More Purposeful in How You Display Influencer Generated Content

Social media marketing is great for building brand awareness. The thing is that while it’s a powerful tool, it isn’t the only one in your toolbox. One of the biggest mistakes that any business can make is not moving past social platforms with their influencer marketing.

Influencer content is a great component to your website and email because it adds the social proof that makes your brand more appealing and trustworthy to others, especially those that are unfamiliar with your e-commerce business and likely to proceed at a slower rate when building a relationship with you.

There are basically six types of social proof that a business can provide to its audience, and the right influencer can address a few of them at the same time. As an e-commerce business, when a customer is on your website or reading your email, there’s a unique opportunity to nurture the relationship closer to the point of conversion. You don’t want to miss this opportunity, and displaying influencer generated content at the right place, at exactly the right time, can be exactly the motivation your customers need to take the next step.

We know that there a lot of ways that the right influencer can turn into a relationship that generates revenue for your e-commerce business. We’d like to be the digital marketing agency that helps you realize this potential. Let us help you move the needle with an influencer marketing strategy. Contact Prestige Pro Media today to learn more.