Influencer Marketing: Building Trust and Authority

We hear a lot about influencer marketing these days. If you’re paying any attention, you know that you want to be associated with influencers, to seek them out. You also know that you’d really like to be an influencer yourself. 

So what is an influencer? 

At its most basic level, an influencer is someone with a large social-media following. That following represents a lot of purchasing power. Your goal is to build a relationship with that person because you want his/her endorsement. Mentioning you and your great product on a regular basis in the influencer’s blogs and social media posts will help elevate your own status because that person is highly regarded, trustworthy and widely read.

What separates an influencer from a wannabe?

The most obvious differentiator is the size of a social following. But it transcends quantity. An influencer has integrity and experience. An influencer walks the talk, is an industry thought leader and has name recognition.

Let’s say that Sara is trying to be a travel influencer

Sara talks about her fabulous vacations and has a website and travel blog with endless photos of herself at glamorous destinations. Clearly, Sara doesn’t go anywhere without her selfie-stick. She loves resorts in Mexico and the Caribbean and apparently spends a lot of time poolside with frothy drinks. Her social media followings continue to grow, but there’s never any activity or comment. Her blogs receive very little response. 

Zoe, on the other hand, is an adventure junkie who’s been traveling all over the world for more than 30 years. She has a website, blog and more than 200K followers on her social sites. Unlike Sara, Zoe travels because she’s interested in how other cultures live. Their customs, history and politics, their food and architecture. She shares with her readers the best ways to get around—the tuk-tuks, chicken busses and trains. Where to find the best farmers markets, lodgings and interesting, off the track attractions. You trust Zoe’s recommendations because she’s built trust.

Zoe is an influencer

People want to be mentioned on Zoe’s social sites and blogs because she’s widely read by real travelers—not those who just hang out at resorts. Travel product companies love to be mentioned in Zoe’s blogs. They want to get recommendations about their pickpocket-proof clothing, convertible backpacks, the latest USB charging stations, etc. 

Influencers have Instagram accounts, YouTube channels, social sites, and blogs. They’ve spent time developing their communities and built their brands that make fellow travelers or wannabes want to follow them for their content—not just their words. 

Zoe keeps it light and lively, yet informative

Zoe has visited more than 30 countries on every continent. She has cultivated her community, and her loyal followers read and share her content. It’s lively and informative, and there’s always a nugget to tuck away for her readers’ next trip. 

Are you trying to build your brand and influence in the new year? Contact Top of Mind Marketing. We’re writers and content marketing experts. 

What to Outsource? Your Weaknesses!

Debating what to outsource? I like this one: Outsource your weaknesses

Spending hours trying to balance the books when you’re terrible with numbers is a lousy use of your time and it’ll wear you down. 

To be thinking about: Will it move my business forward?

While cost is always a consideration, companies are now outsourcing as a way to develop strategic partnerships and integrate services that they couldn’t provide on their own. For entrepreneurs, outsourcing is a way to propel their startups forward faster and more effectively than they could do it alone or with their in-house teams. 

What to outsource:

1. Content marketing

Content marketing is an outsourcing natural. Content marketing includes your website, newsletter, blog, social media, print collateral and PR. It’s everything that’s external-facing, that touches potential clients. 

Charged with educating your target audience about your brand and generating leads, this role will also nurture and build relationships and trust. Not sure how this will work? Start small. Hire a freelance writer and start with a newsletter or blog. Having a consistent, smart marketing message will pay off. Give it some time.

2. Bookkeeping

What to say about this one except that you really don’t want to make mistakes when you handle the finances for your business. This is the most logical one to outsource. Find a bookkeeper you like and forget about trying to do this yourself. 

3. Payroll

Payroll gets complicated pretty quickly. There are requirements, regulations and tax laws. Payroll goes well beyond simply calculating the hours and salary payouts for employees. One mistake with payroll can trigger tax audits and cost thousands of dollars. Get this: In 2014, the IRS levied more than $2B in fines against small businesses due to mistakes, omissions and improper filings. Find a pro.

4. Conversion optimization

Most businesses generate leads through online marketing, and the content you produce works to convert them into leads. According to Search Engine Land, the average conversion rate across most industries is just over 2%, with the top 25% of sites seeing conversions at 5% or higher. There’s a lot you can do to improve your conversion rate, but it can be an extremely time-consuming process. Even a small lift in conversions can significantly increase annual revenue.

5. Scheduling and administrative tasks

We all know how easy it is to get bogged down in small tasks that eat up our time. I just spent an entire afternoon driving a couple of spreadsheets, trying to synch lists. Probably not the best use of my time. A virtual assistant would have freed me up to focus on more strategic tasks. 

Are you thinking about outsourcing your content marketing in the new year? Contact Top of Mind Marketing. We’re writers and content marketing specialists.