Leveraging Influencers for Franchise Marketing

The recent election truly brought to light how influential (see it there?) influencers are within the news space, with 1 in 4 adults over the age of 30 reporting that they get their news information from influencers/individual creators.

While your brand might not be necessarily looking to increase its presence in the ‘news space’, this number speaks to the power influencers have with the average consumer.

Influencer marketing has proven itself at a national level- with brands seeing success across the country and world. Influencers can be particularly helpful in niche market scale for local franchise as well- it’s almost guaranteed there is a group of influencers out there that will help you to speak to your target demographic in an authentic, trusted way, no matter what your brand or franchise footprint is.

Why Integrate Influencer Marketing into Your Marketing Strategy

Influencer marketing can be a powerful addition to an integrated marketing plan! Influencers amplify your brand’s voice across multiple platforms, providing a human touch that can sometimes be missing.

Their real-life product experiences foster authenticity and trust with their audience, and their recommendations can significantly influence their followers' purchasing decisions, making them effective during product launches and promotional campaigns. This approach typically results in higher engagement rates compared to traditional advertising, as influencers create content that resonates with their followers, leading to increased actions like clicks and purchases.

Influencer posts remain online indefinitely, providing long-term value, and a place for other media to point back to. Influencers also produce engaging and dynamic content that can be reused across your marketing channels, adding variety and authenticity to your brand’s marketing materials. They are often at the forefront of social media trends and platform developments, quickly adapting their content to new features or emerging platforms, which helps keep your brand relevant.

Additionally, collaborations with influencers can enhance your brand’s local SEO efforts, as mentions and links from influencers can improve search engine rankings and drive more organic traffic to your website. By integrating influencer marketing into your overall strategy, you can leverage these benefits to enhance brand exposure, engagement, and overall marketing effectiveness.

Why Micro-Influencers Work Wonders for Franchise

Considering the local marketing efforts that franchisees need, micro-influencer marketing is a great strategy to add to a marketing plan that directly targets local consumers in a specific niche and is often more cost effective. Micro-influencers are influencers with a follower count within the range of 10,000–100,000 followers.

A 2024 report from Sprout Social found that 40% of consumers say they prefer to interact with micro and nano-influencers, influencers with 1,000-10,000 followers. Micro-influencers tend to be experts in their niche or industry making them ideal partners for franchises in verticals like restaurant, retail, and healthcare. Finding a micro-influencer who resides in your geographic area only adds to their authenticity, creating a recipe for success!

How to Choose the Right Influencer for Your Campaign Needs

Once you’ve decided that influencer marketing is the right addition to your marketing strategy, how do you go about choosing influencers that are a good fit for your brand? Here are some tips to keep in mind when looking:

• Define Your Goals: What are you looking for influencer marketing to help your brand with? Whether it’s brand awareness, driving sales, or building community interaction, clear goals will help guide your selection process.
• Know Your Target Audience: Finding an influencer that aligns with your target demographic is key! Looking at their follower make up to ensure age, gender, location and interests align with your target.
• Engagement Matters: High follower counts are lovely, however they’re not the only metric that matters. Ensuring that likes, comments, and shares are consistent, and align with follower counts helps to gauge how interactive their audience is.
• Content Quality is Key: Review the influencer's content to ensure it aligns with your brand's voice and aesthetic. High-quality, authentic content that resonates with their audience is crucial.
• Authenticity and Values: It’s crucial to ensure you’re choosing influencers who share your brand’s values and are authentic in their endorsement partners. An endorsement that lacks authenticity is often easily spotted by consumers and followers.
• Micro-Influencers Can Move Mountains: Don’t overlook the impact of micro-influencers, particularly for franchises looking to target niche audiences or geo areas. These influencers often carry highly engaged local audiences and can deliver strong results.
• Work With an Agency: Marketing agencies can help brands with the search, selection, and partnership with the influencer, ensuring that your brand message stays strong, relevant, and cohesive at every consumer touchpoint!

Integrating influencer marketing into your marketing strategy can help with brand exposure, engagement, and overall campaign effectiveness.

If you are looking to partner with an agency that knows what it takes to stay strong, relevant, and cohesive at every consumer touchpoint, reach out to us today. Brandience is a retail-minded marketing and advertising agency that specializes in healthcare, restaurants, retail and franchise.