With the intersection of eCommerce and user-generated content becoming closer than ever, brands must take advantage of Influencer Marketing to reach new consumers. When thinking about Influencer Marketing, consumers typically associate it with Meta, TikTok, and YouTube. What they don’t always think of is Amazon, who has quietly made inroads in the space in recent years.
Initially launched in late 2022, Amazon’s Inspire is similar to TikTok and Meta Stories in that it features short, user-generated videos. However, a key differentiator is that Inspire is explicitly designed for customers. By allowing Influencers and Brands to showcase their products in photos and videos, it introduces shoppers to their products, provides them with quick access to Customer Reviews, and gives them an opportunity to add those products directly to their carts.
Amazon Inspire creates an exciting opportunity for the future of Social Commerce and represents an interesting evolution by the world’s largest marketplace.
At Direct Agents, we’re often asked, “why is Influencer marketing important to eCommerce sales growth?” Let’s break it down:
- Brand awareness: Influencers help brands reach a broader audience and increase their brand awareness. By partnering with Influencers, brands can place their products in front of consumers in their target audience who may not have heard of them otherwise.
- Increased customer trust: Influencers help brands build trust with potential customers. 92% of shoppers report watching online videos every week, and trust Influencer recommendations 2x more than brand recommendations. Influencers develop a familiarity and trust with their audience, so when a consumer sees their favorite influencer recommending a product, they are more likely to trust that product and make a purchase.
- Targeted marketing: Influencers have a type. Collaborating with the right Influencer can help a brand reach niche audiences through short or long-form content that really relays the value in their product or service.
- Drive traffic and sales: Influencers help sellers generate more sales. By promoting certain products, Influencers can drive traffic to brands’ websites or Amazon listings and increase conversions. Clever marketers can also build Lookalike audiences and Retargeting pools from this traffic to further expand their target market reach and drive sales.
Now that you’ve decided to run an Influencer Marketing campaign, what are the next steps?
- Set your goals: What do you want to achieve with your Influencer campaign? Do you want to increase brand awareness, generate leads, or drive sales? Once you identify your KPIs, you identify the ideal Influencers to partner with.
- Define your target audience: Who are you trying to reach with your campaign? Once you identify your target audience, you can look for Influencers who have a similar audience.
- Research and reach out to Influencers: When you have an initial list of potential Influencers, it’s important to look at their number of followers, engagement rate, and content quality, and confirm that their values align with your brand values. Once you’re ready to connect, be sure to include all the relevant information about your campaign, such as your goals, budget, expected deliverables, and timeline.
- Negotiate deliverables and create a contract: Once you’ve reached an agreement with an Influencer, it’s crucial to create a contract that outlines the terms of your partnership. This will protect both the brand and the Influencer in case of any complications.
- Track your results: Through the use of tracking URLs and unique coupon codes, you can track the engagement and ROI for each individual Influencer (or piece of content). From there, you can determine what’s working well and optimize future campaigns to capitalize on those learnings.
Today’s online shoppers have more choice than ever, so it’s important that brands engage with their audience at every stage of the funnel. Influencer Marketing can be an integral part of your holistic marketing strategy, inclusive of eCommerce and Retail Media. If you would like to learn more about Direct Agents’ Influencer Media offerings and how our eCommerce team can help you partner with Influencers to grow your brand, please contact [email protected].
Chris Hayes, eCommerce Strategist, Direct Agents