Using Influencer Marketing as part of your Freelance Strategy

Influencer marketing is in its prime with brand practitioners swearing by this marketing tactic that works wonders at bringing in more customers. But what about freelancers? Can they too reap the benefits of this mainstream tactic that has seemingly become inevitable today?

We certainly think so! And this article will show you how. So let’s dive right in and see how it all works.

1. What is Influencer Marketing?
2. How can Influencer Marketing work for you?
3. Influencer marketing strategy for freelancers
4. Tips for a Successful Influencer Marketing Campaign

What is Influencer Marketing?

When influential people talk, we listen. After all, being an authority in any field is no easy feat. Today, every industry has its share of top trendsetters. These are the people who can take your business to the masses – thanks to the wide reach they’ve acquired through their individual platforms and social media networks.

Influencer marketing is basically a form of marketing that involves finding an influencer – someone with an existing audience base that fits your target profile, and paying or incentivizing them to promote your brand.

Often influencers act as clients themselves and do testimonial advertising, wherein they present your product or service as they would use it themselves.

According to Influencer Marketing Hub’s Influencer Marketing Report 2023, influencer marketing stood at $1.7 billion industry in 2016, growing up to $16.4 billion in 2022. Judging by these numbers, this marketing trend is expected to reach a $21.1 billion industry this year.

How can Influencer Marketing work for you?

The following are a few key aspects that this powerful marketing tool can help you achieve as a freelancer:  

1. Brand Awareness

When you find the best advocates to advertise your brand, you can increase its awareness in your specialized niche. Influencers can help you achieve this goal through:

• Brand Mentions
• Contests
• Sharing Requests
• Reviews

2. Increased Leads/Sales

Apart from driving web traffic, influencers can directly promote your product or service, improving conversions and ultimately, sales. They can do this by sharing:

• Discounts and offers
• Custom coupon codes
• Promotional content with calls-to-action (CTAs)

3. Better Community Engagement

If businesses are to really perform in this fiercely competitive world, engaging their audiences is a must. Influencers can help here by:

• Sparking conversations about your brand
• Running contests
• Sharing vouchers
• Shoutouts
   

Influencer marketing strategy for freelancers

When people like Grant Cardone or Kylie Jenner endorse a product or service, people take notice. That’s the power of Influencer Marketing! Big-name brands are increasingly tapping into the influencer marketing potential.

And just like big brands, freelancers too can make the most of influencer marketing. The key lies in adopting the right strategy. And, for that, you don’t have to break the bank either. Here are a few examples of how to effectively use influencer marketing –

Let’s say you are a freelance writer who writes for the health and fitness niche. Now, if you want to promote your work, then look for influencers who are fitness specialists and are pretty active on social media. Reach out to them and share your write-ups.

Let’s say they receive a question regarding a specific diet from one of their followers. If you’ve written something on the subject and have shared it with this influencer, they can then share your work with his/her followers!
 

Even a single mention about your work or a shoutout can increase your audience base tremendously

What about a freelance web designer? Let’s imagine you’re a product designer who specializes in hospitality and gastronomy.

You could then look for a restaurant in your city whose website doesn’t exist (or maybe doesn’t look that great) and offer to redesign their site at a great discount in exchange for a shoutout or work exposure!

So what are the strategies available for you?

• Earned media: This is the best promotion for your business and it’s the exposure your freelance business gets through word-of-mouth. Establish relationships with your existing clients who have a good follower base on social media platforms and ask them to spread the word about your brand or service they have used.
• Earned media + paid influence: This would relate to a client who isn’t quite willing to go one step further and spread the word on how happy they are with your work. In this case, you could try offering the client an incentive to do so. Maybe offer a discount on future work in exchange for sharing your profile or perhaps a commission if you receive work due to their referral.
• 100% paid influencer marketing: This is when you choose to provide your service completely free of charge to the influencer to perform certain actions or publications mentioning you. For e.g, you’re a graphic designer who sends out your portfolio to a home interior professional to showcase to their audience base.

Tap into enthusiasts who are willing to give space to new talent. You can even write for their websites or blogs!  

Tips for a Successful Influencer Marketing Campaign

#1 – Understand your audience

First, know your target audience well. Understand the demographics and psychographics of the people you want to reach. Let’s say you are a website developer who focuses on the hospitality industry. Here, your target audience would be hotels, resorts, B&Bs, inns, etc. This is the audience you should try reaching through your work.

Identifying your key audience is a crucial part of your influencer marketing strategy as it will help you find the leaders who dominate your chosen niche with their web presence.

#2 – Find the perfect influencers for your freelance business

Connect with your target market by searching for authority figures in your industry. Continuing with the above example, you can look for hotels or resorts that have a terrific social media presence and reach out to them to create or update their websites.

Where to find those influencers?

• By attending industry-specific workshops, conferences, and meetings
• Using online databases or specialized websites
• Social media platforms such as Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter

#3 – Don’t ignore micro-influencers

While social media profiles with millions of followers are what every business likes to collaborate with, smaller yet popular accounts can sometimes have higher rates of engagement on these platforms – something that you can’t really ignore.

Micro-influencers, as we call them, can engage their followers better with conversations that are consistent, specific, and meaningful. Their recommendations matter to their followers who take them seriously, which is why freelancers should take them seriously too.

#4 – Deliver experiences based on high value

Rather than just pushing your profile, create immersive experiences for your influencers by delivering high-value work. Give them something meaningful to share and talk about.

For example, if you are a web designer or developer, create a website that wins the praises of your client, and if they are an influencer in their industry, a mere mention of your work can win you thousands of followers instantly!

While these steps can be used by you as a freelancer to boost your space image in the industry, you’ll find that as you progress, you can adapt and mold these steps into a marketing strategy that works in particular for you and your freelance business.

#5 – Measure the success of your influencer marketing campaign

The success of an influencer marketing campaign doesn’t lie in its completion. It is successful only when you have attained your goals. Analyze your results by:

• Checking social media engagement – the increase in the number of your followers, shares, and likes
• Analysing website traffic through Google Analytics data
• Checking brand identity metrics like articles or links mentioning your brand, social mentions, etc.
• Checking your sales and revenue numbers

You can grow several different channels on various platforms through influencer marketing but it’s important that you decide which one you’d like to focus on.

#6 –  Keep in touch with the influencers

Influencer marketing becomes more effective when you choose a trusted influencer and maintain a relationship with them. So, don’t forget the influencers once your campaigns end. Maintain an open dialogue with them. Influencers aren’t just about creating the buzz. Build relationships with them to create goodwill that goes beyond sales numbers.

And sure, this may initially be difficult and it is hard to maintain contact with everyone you work with. But when it comes down to it, it is completely worth it!

Is this all too much for you? Hire an influencer marketing specialist who can help build a personal influencer marketing strategy for your business.

Have you ever used influencer marketing for your freelance business? How do you connect with influencers and leverage their presence?

We’d need more thoughts on this awesome marketing strategy that’s on the rise. So, keep the comments coming!