Maintaining a steady stream of leads is a must for many brands, especially for B2B software companies, service-based businesses, financial advisory firms, insurance brokers, realtors, architecture companies and similar fields. If your company is looking for a fresh way to add to its lead generation efforts, consider influencer marketing. The authenticity of an influencer or brand advocate promotion feels more like a friend’s recommendation than a sales pitch, which is why brands gravitate toward creators to build their leads.
How to include the Creator Economy in lead generation efforts
For your next influencer campaign, try these ideas to add to your list of prospects:
Seek out micro-influencers with strong engagement
Micro-influencers, with an audience size between 10K to 50K, often have the strongest engagement rates of all influencer categories. Average engagement rates usually hover around 2%, but micro-influencers often see 3% or higher, with some showing 6% engagement rates, according to Sprout Social.
Influencers with strong engagement rates are more likely to generate more leads, which is why many brands focus on creators in this tier.
Consider working with podcast influencers
Look for podcasters in your niche to partner with. Ask the podcaster to endorse your product and share a promo code for a free trial. To obtain the free trial, listeners must provide contact information, which will translate to a solid list of prospects for the sales team.
You could even ask a podcaster to voice an ad for you and run it on other podcasts with the intent of sharing the contact list. By doing so, the brand gets a lead list while the podcaster gets a list of potential listeners.
Leverage existing customers as advocates
One of the most effective ways to leverage the Creator Economy in your lead generation efforts is by transforming your existing customers into brand advocates. These customers already have first-hand experience with your products or services and are, therefore, well-positioned to share authentic, compelling testimonials.
Consider launching a brand ambassador program that encourages customers to share their positive experiences on their social media platforms. You can incentivize participation through exclusive discounts, early access to new products, or other rewards.
Remember, a recommendation from a satisfied customer can often carry more weight than any other form of promotion. By turning your customers into influencers, you not only strengthen your relationship with them but also tap into their network of followers, thereby expanding your pool of potential leads.
Leveraging the expertise of IZEA can further enhance your influencer marketing and lead-generation strategies.
Monitor your efforts and adjust accordingly
You’ll likely try several different methods to generate leads. To maximize your time and budget, check your analytics regularly to see which tactics are the most fruitful. Your CMS can help you monitor your efforts, showing KPIs and listing which leads converted.
Essentially, you need to identify attribution. Not only should you be able to identify which lead-generating tactic works best, but you should also be able to filter down to which influencer brought in the most leads.
However, remember the number of leads isn’t as important as the number of quality leads. Rank the quality of leads and consider that.
Turn influencer-generated content into ads
Traditional influencer marketing asks the creator to share sponsored content on their social channel, but you can elevate that content by turning it into an ad in a process known as whitelisting.
Through whitelisting, brands run ads through the influencer’s account. So, when the influencer shares the post, your brand can put advertising dollars behind it. The ads show up under the influencer’s handle but reach beyond the creator’s followers.
Whitelisting is available through Facebook and Instagram. Access is granted through the influencer’s Facebook Business Manager account, and is dubbed a Business Partnership in the platform.
To learn more, check out our blog post on whitelisting and how to use it.
Run influencer campaigns that focus on form fills
Marketers often rely on digital contact forms to gather leads. Each “form fill” is a lead, usually provided in exchange for content, a free trial, or a seat to a webinar.
Influencer marketing campaigns focusing on lead generation marry creator endorsements with contact forms. To visualize the process, here are campaign ideas to consider:
Ask an influencer to promote gated content
Influencers can promote your recently published e-book or interactive tool. Ask the influencer to highlight the content’s benefits and the exclusivity of receiving it for free. To receive the content, followers must first fill out a contact form.
Ask an influencer or advocate to provide a review with a free demo or trial offer
Influencers can be particularly helpful for software brands or subscription-based platforms. They can share their experience with your company’s platform and offer followers a free demo or trial.
Brands should streamline the signup process, collecting only necessary pieces of contact information before granting access.
To aid in the process, give followers a chance to try the platform without entering their credit card information. Consider giving them limited access or give them full access for a limited window of time.
Ask an influencer to host a webinar
Connect with an industry influencer and ask him or her to present a 40-minute webinar on a topic that’s of interest to your audience. An email marketing provider, for example, could tap an influencer to host a webinar that helps users boost email conversions.
Both the influencer and the brand should promote the webinar, asking people to RSVP via a contact form.
The webinar should focus on helpful advice, but ask the influencer to include a soft sell for your product at the end.
Your brand can follow up with the leads after the webinar when your product is at the top of people’s minds.
Generating leads can be challenging. Consumers are becoming more protective of their contact information and are often only willing to provide it for good reasons. Influencers can sway their audience and can encourage followers to offer their details in exchange for something of value. As a result, influencer marketing is a viable marketing tactic for any brand looking to boost its lead generation.
Influencers:
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Marketers:
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IZEA MANAGED SERVICES
Strategy and execution from the company that launched the industry.
IZEA MANAGED SERVICES
Strategy and execution from the company that launched the industry.
IZEA MANAGED SERVICES
Strategy and execution from the company that launched the industry.
IZEA MANAGED SERVICES
Strategy and execution from the company that launched the industry.
