Influencers have become commonplace in today’s world, and that’s not changing anytime soon. Marketing experts, such as the ones at Mint Global Marketing, believe influencer marketing is the future of advertising.

Mint Global Marketing is a leader in the digital marketing world and has helped many businesses of all sizes grow their audience through time-tested and cutting-edge marketing strategies. They agreed to share with me their thoughts on influencer marketing, and why it’s so vital for businesses that want to expand and receive more eyes on their product.

First off, financially, how do Influencers compare to traditional methods of advertising?

Well, let’s look at the most obvious alternative to influencers, celebrities. A celebrity endorsement can be quite expensive, as I’m sure you know, and for startups and small businesses, a lot of the time they’re just not an option on the table.

Influencers are celebrities in their own right. People look up to them, and more importantly people trust them. So, you’re getting the same value of a celebrity endorsement, but at a very steep discount.

If the influencers are more cost effective, or cheaper, does this mean the advertisements are of lesser quality?

Absolutely not. It is possible, I’ll say that, but it is not a rule.

The thing with influencers is that they’re all different. They’re normally their own manager. Most of them don’t have people to contact, you’re just dealing with them directly.

This means that low quality is definitely a possibility, but this is why you should research the influencer, and talk to them. See how they operate and make your own judgement call on their work ethic and how seriously they’ll take your product placement.

How do customers feel about the influencers advertising products? Will it make them go watch someone else?

This goes right back to talking to the influencer and finding out how they operate. What’s great about influencers as compared to say a celebrity, is the influencers built their own brand. They know what makes their fans tick.

A huge mistake I’ve seen companies make is that they’ll reach out to these influencers and tell them “do this” or “say that”. That’s what will turn off the fans, when they know this person is being fake for a paycheck.

Let the influencer speak organically and do what they do, they know their fans more than you do. It is one of the best lead generation approach Mint Global Marketing focuses on.

There are so many influencers on social media, how can a business find one that fits with their audience and their product or company?

To be honest you just have to shop around and research. Spend some time on Instagram, Youtube, TikTok, and all the other popular social media.

Search for keywords and hashtags that fit your business, look through the content and find someone that seems to share your values. Check the comment sections, see how they interact with people, and gauge whether they seem professional.

Are influencers easy to work with? Are they professional?

Influencers are people, like you and me. They come in many different shapes and sizes; personality wise. Some have very inflated egos and will ask for more than they could possibly be worth.

But in our experience at Mint Global Marketing, we’ve had no problems finding very humble, down to Earth people to work with. As an advertiser, working with Mint Global Marketing is one of the best business ventures we’re glad we took.

This is why it’s extremely important to engage the influencer and have long conversations with them to figure out if they gel well with your brand and your values.