A decade ago, only celebrities and dedicated bloggers served as influencers, but today, anyone can be an influencer on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, LinkedIn, and most social media platforms. Your employees should be dedicated to marketing your brand. This type of marketing can boost your brag book and attract more clients.

Influencer marketing isn’t going anywhere, and actually, it’s growing exponentially. Your employees get your brand more than a megastar would, and they’re in the best position to market it. Don’t assume that an employee’s social media influence is a campaign to find them a job in a different company. You should be thanking them, instead!

Read below to find out the top influencer marketing strategies for brands 👇👇👇

WHAT IS INFLUENCER MARKETING?

Influencer marketing is a marketing strategy involving social media influencers and a brand partner. When you think of influencers, you might imagine celebrities with enormous social followings, but nowadays, anyone who is engaging and consistent can become one too. Anyone with the wit, personality, along with a little humor, and a crazy love for whatever their ‘thing’ is can be an influencer and have literally thousands of followers.

We’ve even got a few of our own Influencers over at INDIRAP, covering every part of our process, from pre-production to being on set to finalizing edits. Check out what has been produced from almost everyone on our team:

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Caroline Elsey, Creative Director: ▷ Inspo Reel

Chris Costoso, Photographer: ▷ Favorite Lens

Elizabeth Knebel, Editor: ▷ Editing Reel

Lydia Smyth, Executive Creative Director: ▷ Storyboarding Reel

Paul Hadish, Cinematographer: ▷ Behind the Scenes Shooting Reel

Julian Tillotson (CEO) & Chris Conti (Editor): ▷ Science Behind Editing Video

Peter House, Senior Producer: ▷ BTS Reel

Zack Bakewell, Cinematographer: ▷ BTS Reel

There’s no doubt that these types of videos can skyrocket you brand awareness.

HOW CAN YOU USE IT AS A STRATEGY?

So, how can you use it as a strategy? To start, ignoring the benefits of influencer marketing can spell doom for your company.  It’s best used as a strategy to extend your brand’s marketing reach and keep your brand face front in mind.

And it doesn’t have to be fancy celebrities either. Your employees can create brand awareness too. They can reach wider audiences, drive more sales for your product or service, and keep your viewers engaged by utilizing internal employees as brand cheerleaders. But employees in your company can create brand awareness, reach a wider audience, and drive sales of your product or services. Plus, your company gets more organic exposure through your employees’ marketing skills and social media presence.

Everyone knows that a solid business strategy starts with goals. Yes, sales are the primary target, but using internal influences can help you reach other goals too. They can create brand awareness, facilitate lead generation, and attract a new target market.

Understanding the influencer landscape is critical. Yes, celebrities as influencers for your brand look good on paper, but even with their large following, the engagement rate is low, and their rates are well high.  Having your employees as your influencers means spending less and engaging more.

In fact, not using this technique within your marketing strategy may be why it’s not working in the first place.

SHOWCASING YOUR BRAND IS VITAL

By showcasing your brand, you provide value to your employees. Doing so helps your employees feel like they are part of the team, involving them in your brand’s growth every step of the way. When you love your brand as a company, your employees will too. It’s no longer just a job but a place they are proud to be a part of.

When employees feel that they represent your brand, they’ll also invest in the aspects of branding, keep each other motivated, and sell your brand to potential customers. If you can motivate your employees, you’ll see clear results.  

Perception is key. Employees’ view of your brand is as vital as customers’, and these impressions should align with your brand strategy. Your team needs to understand your brand as well as you do. Once they are able to see what sets your brand apart from others, they can vouch for it on a higher level, giving them unmatched knowledge that helps you, your clients, and your brand reach new heights.

EMPLOYEES' ROLE IN YOUR BRAND'S INFLUENCING STRATEGY

Did you know: A recent study showed that 87% of engaged employees are unlikely to leave their employer. Companies with engaged employees earned twice the net income compared to those that didn’t. The study also showed that 70% of the U.S. workers in corporations are not engaged at work. That’s a big number for untapped potential growth that your employees can be providing for your brand.

Allowing your employees to have a say and market your brand is a huge win. Employees use social media in the workplace, and some have a brand of their own. When leadership allows employees to use their influencing strategy outside and inside their workplaces, new trust is built, and your business benefits more.

UTILIZING YOUR EMPLOYEES TO HIGHLIGHT YOUR BRAND'S SKILLS

Your employees should represent your brand, and highlighting your brand’s skills should be effortless if you ditch rules and provide resources. Rules make employees shy away from opening up for fear of saying something that might appear wrong. Instead of rules, provide your team with resources they can use.

Let them out of the office to explore, send them inspiration- like newsletters, product launches, and short videos, and allow your employees to engage and share marketing ideas with you too.

Also, make content sharing possible and keep a central storage location that every employee can access at work or remotely. Providing incentives and rewards to celebrate their efforts is a great way to motivate your employees to put your brand out there and highlight your brand’s skills.

YOUR EMPLOYEES ARE INFLUENCERS/SPOKESPEOPLE FOR YOUR BRAND.

You have a great team beside you! The perfect people in your organization that can push your brand further. Your employees are real people with actual knowledge of your brand and its products and services. They also have a real following and are the fundamental connection between you and their audience.

We can be honest, not all your employees will have authentic voices that align with your company’s brand values, but every company has employees who could be wonderful marketers or create an incredible social presence for your brand to hitch onto.

You don’t need a megastar biting a big chunk of your revenue, especially if they’re offering little engagement. You have your own brand stars right in front of you with skills and influence to impact their followers’ purchasing decisions. Besides, they can actually answer your brand’s questions in real-time on their socials, sparking more conversations around your business. Your employees’ are influencers and spokespeople for your brand.