Shopify Influencer Marketing

What is Influencer Marketing for Shopify Brands?

Influencer marketing for Shopify brands generates new leads and conversions by using the stature of trustworthy influencers.

Shopify has recently launched Shopify Collabs — a marketplace that makes it easy for businesses and creators to build collaborative partnerships. This new tool streamlines the process of finding and screening influencers for Shopify brands who use the service.

Influencer marketing leverages the authority certain influencers have in specific niches. Influencers build trust and rapport with followers and work to promote products they believe in. Many Shopify users take advantage of Shopify influencer marketing to grow their businesses — both small and large brands.

Why is Influencer Marketing Important for eCommerce?

Influencer marketing has changed the game for eCommerce like no other form of marketing. Consumers tend to approach advertisements with skepticism, as a brand has something to gain from creating ads for profit. Influencers, on the other hand, have strong social capital, which translates to social proof.

Influencers create value and maintain their reputation. Once they endorse a product, their audience trusts that it has been vetted and it’s proven to work.

Influencer marketing lessens the workload of the marketing puzzle by trusting creators to make content that sells your brand.

Influencer Marketing Campaigns for Shopify Brands: a How-To Guide

There are influencers on social media that don’t have thousands of followers yet reach and engage far more accounts than some accounts with hundreds of thousands or even millions.

Influencer posts can be found on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and other social platforms. Anything from cosmetics to apparel, food, and home goods are sold through influencer user-generated content.

Just creating content isn’t enough to sell products — there is a formula for making it work. Here are the steps you should take to build your campaigns:

Determine Campaign Goals

Every campaign must be organized around a specific goal. Without it, you cannot properly measure success. Each campaign may center around a different goal, and results will vary.

If you want to increase brand awareness, your campaign should focus on just reaching prospects and garnering impressions.

Perhaps you want to capture your prospect’s attention and hold their curiosity a bit longer — your campaign should inspire shares, saves, comments, and views.

If your goal is straight conversions, the former two are prerequisites. Once you’re satisfied with the performance of each, your content with a call to action should be evergreen and continue to convert as long as the content is available.

Strategize Using the Three “Rs” of Influencer Marketing

Authenticity is the holy grail of influencer marketing. Consumers are quick to realize if someone is faking it to make sales. Your prospects want to feel connected to the brands they use. Authentic stories are a great motivator to influence a purchase. Anything less is seen as deceptive.

Use the three “Rs” to stay on track:

Relevance

You need to know how to find the right influencers for your campaign. You’ll sabotage your campaign if you choose the wrong influencer for your audience. You wouldn’t choose a fitness influencer to produce content around home decor or a beauty influencer to push recipes. Think about what audience you want to reach and only use influencers who speak to them.

Reach

Understand the reach of an influencer you want to work with. Even if values align, if their follower count won’t produce results, it may not be the right fit. You may also want to consider using a few different influencers to more successfully reach the feed of your prospects.

Resonance

The lowest engagement is found in some of the biggest accounts. Influencers who have fewer followers frequently have more who are devoted because they are more careful with regard to material and promotions. You can anticipate the numbers if you analyze the reach of an influencer and what kind of engagement they receive.

Dive Deep into Audience Demographics

Understanding your target audience is the key to creating relevant content that produces the results you’re looking for. To get the full picture of what motivates and inspires your audience, create a prospect scorecard. Some of the factors to consider are:

• Demographics
• Socioeconomic status
• Interests
• Motivators
• Personal struggles
• Professional struggles
• Fears

You can leverage competitors who are doing well to get a sense of what’s working. Check out what content they create and the level of engagement they receive, and use this to guide some of your strategies.

Find the Right Influencers for the Campaign

Influencers are not one size fits all. What works for one may not work for another. Additionally, an influencer with a smaller number of followers may promote a product completely differently than an influencer with a larger following.

Here are the different classifications of influencers:

Nano-Influencers: Nano-influencers have audience sizes from 100 to 10,000 followers. They don’t typically seek sponsorship deals or consider themselves “professional,” but they have influence over their followers. They post content related to their families, friends, pets, and things they like, which fosters trust in those who watch and engage with their content.

Nano-influencers are a great option for smaller budgets. If your campaign goals involve brand awareness, nano-influencers may be the right route.

Micro-Influencers: Micro-influencers have established themselves as content creators. They have followers in the thousands range to 100,000. Micro-influencers create content for a very specific niche and one market. This type of influencer is great for small to medium brands.

Mega-influencer: Mega-influencers are household names that generate buzz. They’re known among their audience and are considered famous by today’s standards. They have millions of followers, including Hollywood stars and entertainment moguls. Although the potential reach seems attractive, authenticity may be lost as it becomes apparent posts are endorsed.

Collaborate on Campaign Creatives

Approach influencers with campaign goals in mind. Tap into the creative side of the influencer to shape the content they produce. Remember to emphasize their personal style for complete authenticity.

Measure Campaign Results

Knowing what works and what doesn’t is the result of keeping the pulse on influencer campaigns. Know the numbers before you start and track the success of each of your campaigns. If something isn’t working, adjust the content appropriately. Be sure to always give the influencer feedback.

Tips for Running an Influencer Marketing Campaign for Shopify Stores

If you know that running an influencer marketing campaign is the right call for your brand, we’ve got tips to keep it running smoothly.

Vet Your Influencers Before Hiring

These days people buy followers. It’s a deceptive technique used by people who want to break into the influencer game. Buying followers results in little to no engagement, a lack of authenticity, and bot accounts spamming your feed.

Working with an influencer marketing agency takes the guesswork out of vetting influencers. Agencies verify their status and have a history of working with specific influencers that have proven to be effective.

Enlist an Attorney

Contracts make all parties accountable for their end of the deal. They protect both influencers and companies should an issue arise. Working with an attorney to formulate contracts that benefit all involved keeps the working relationship running smoothly.

Ensure Proper Disclosures

Influencer marketing can be a lucrative business, but there are laws in place that both your company and the influencer must adhere to.

Familiarize yourself with the Federal Trade Commission’s rules and regulations to avoid legal trouble.

Be Prepared to Pay

As mentioned, authenticity is the holy grail of influencer marketing. Influencers who endorse products tactfully and persuasively aren’t cheap. You may have to provide free products, cash, experiences, or a combination for an influencer to work with you.

Frequently Asked Questions About Shopify Influencer Marketing

Shopify influencer marketing makes it easy to connect with influencers, build campaigns, and analyze results. Here are some frequently asked questions about Shopify influencer marketing:

Should Shopify Brands Work with an Influencer Marketing Agency or Run Campaigns in House?

Shopify brands benefit from using marketing agencies to find and verify the right influencers. They have strong partnerships with trusted influencers that build authentic content audiences love.

Working in-house can be a risk if you’re not experienced in working with influencers. Both can be beneficial depending on budget, however.

What Type of Influencers are Best for Shopify Brands?

Since there are so many different brands on Shopify, there isn’t one type of influencer that is the best. It depends on your brand’s niche, target demographic, and value prop.

There are influencers for all kinds of industries widely available.

How Much Should a Shopify Influencer Get Paid?

Influencer marketing is an investment. When campaigns are built correctly, they can be a massive hit. Influencer pay is relative to what they charge. Some influencers charge more than others.

Does Influencer Marketing Work for eCommerce Brands?

70% of consumers say they follow more than 10 influencers.

Over 80% of consumers are more inclined to buy products that creators promote.

Online products have completely sold out due to Tik Tok alone, and the hashtag #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt has over 27 billion views.

Data doesn’t lie. Influencer marketing has proven to work for eCommerce brands of all sizes.

Does Influencer Marketing Have a Good ROI for eCommerce?

Influencer marketing has proven to bring a good ROI for eCommerce brands. With a good strategy and vetted influencers combined with paid ad placement, many brands have seen major success.

Influencer Marketing Campaigns for Shopify Brands: Is it Worth It?

Influencer marketing campaigns are perfect for Shopify brands that are clear about their audience and have a product that brings value. Investing in influencer marketing is worth the investment.