Influencers
A good way to get your brand in front of new eyes is to use Influencers. Instead of working to attract your own followers through hashtags, shares, and other strategies where you take ownership of the content, using an influencer puts your brand in front of their audience. Simply put, an influencer is someone who shares content, whether that’s products, ideas, or advice. They are on all major social media platforms. There are many types of influencers and ways that you can work with them to promote your brand and products.
Types of Influencers
Some influencers have audiences of a few million; other times, they only have a few thousand, but their followers are extremely loyal. An influencer’s follower count is only one metric to take into consideration when finding a partner to work with, but they do help to define the types of influencers:
Nano Influencers (1-10k): niche influencers who often cover one specific demographic or regional area
Micro Influencers (10-100k): small-scale influencers who have a loyal following; similar to nano influencers but with a wider reach; considered experts in their field
Macro Influencers (100k-1M): large-scale influencers with a wide reach; often content creators whose job it is to run their social media platforms
Mega Influencers (1M+): often offline celebrities in addition to having an online presence; have a diverse and varied audience
Each influencer comes with a different price point and audience. Nano and micro influencers tend to have very loyal followers who trust their opinions and care much more about their followers. Macro and mega influencers are generally less involved with their followers but have a much larger reach. For most retail jewelers with one or two locations, nano and micro influencers, especially those with regional followers, are going to be the best investment.
Working with Influencers
Influencers should understand your brand, your audience, and your products. They should also be able to talk authentically about your store. Some influencers will take any sponsorship they can get, but it really does help to find an influencer that you connect with and who believes in your store and products. These influencers are more likely to work to convince their audience to shop at your store.
Working with influencers can also help to build trust within a community. You can say whatever you want about your brand, but audiences know it’s coming from a biased source; you wouldn’t say anything negative about your store! Influencers, however, are third-party sources, and many nano and micro influencers work hard to build trust in their communities. They wouldn’t want to break their followers' trust by promoting a brand they don’t love.
You can work with them to promote your own product line, host giveaways with your store, or spread brand awareness. Some influencers may work with you long-term and have standing discount codes that their followers can use at your store (these also generate commission for the influencer, in lieu of or in addition to an upfront payment). Others might be a one-time deal to help you promote yourself around the holiday season or sell custom jewelry.
You’re going to have to pay your influencer. Often, they have their own rates per post or per partnership. Some smaller influencers may accept a trade (i.e. they get to keep the jewelry they wear in a photoshoot), but in most cases these are professionals and this is their job. Influencers don’t work for free.
Influencer Posts
Influencers can create anything from a single promoted post to a whole series of videos and reels. They can livestream their experience in your store, provide a detailed review of their experience on a blog, or host a giveaway featuring an item from your store. You can decide how much creative license you want the influencer to have; your in-store copy team may write the posts, create requirements for what the influencer has to mention but have them write it in their voice, or let the influencer give their own authentic message.
When choosing which influencer(s) you want to work with, keep in mind their main social platform. Are they super active on Instagram and have a smaller following on Youtube? Maybe their main platform is actually their blog, and all their other posts send readers to their website so they can create long-form written content. If you want “link juice” a blog might be great – but if you’re hoping to grow your Facebook engagements it’s not what you’re looking for. Ultimately, it’s up to you to find an influencer who fits your niche and provides the type of posts you want.