Influencer Marketing: How to Work With Influencers in Your Practice (Without Treating Them for Free!)
Posted on January 20, 2020
Watch Mara Shorr and Jay Shorr’s live interview at the 2019 Aesthetic Show conference to learn how to work with influencers without treating them for free. Then read our blog post below to learn how to get started and execute your influencer marketing campaign!
What You Need to Know About Influencer Marketing
Marketing has undeniably shifted in today’s modern world. Digital marketing, or online marketing, has substantially increased in popularity and has helped bring valuable dollars in revenue for many businesses. In the midst of our current digital marketing era (social media, e-newsletters, search engine optimization and more), influencer marketing has made an appearance on the scene and has been working phenomenally for many brands.
Influencer marketing is effective because social media followers trust the influencers they follow and consider their advice to be honest, reliable and as a “friend helping a friend”. The leads that come from influencer marketing are therefore warmer and are higher in quality than leads from other marketing channels and sources. In fact, according to 2018-2019 surveys and polls taken by marketers:
- 80% find influencer marketing effective
- 89% of businesses say ROI from influencer marketing is comparable to or better than other marketing channels
- 71% say quality of customers and traffic are better than other marketing sources
Now, here’s what you need to know to launch an effective influencer marketing campaign for your aesthetic practice:
Know the difference between a micro-influencer and a macro-influencer.
A micro-influencer is someone with a social media following of 10,000 followers or less. A macro-influencer is someone with an audience of 10,000 up to millions of followers (please note these numbers depend on the source). Often, influencers have a focused topic, passion, or niche market within their profiles.
What to look for in an influencer and which channel to use.
When looking for influencers to partner with, you should consider the quality of content they produce, their audience demographics (for example is it the right age group?), engagement rate (do they comment back, do they have a good relationship with their audience?), authenticity, and reach (number of followers). Also, be sure to factor in their geographic. Do they have followers in YOUR area so that the relationship makes a difference?
According to a 2019 survey, the most popular channels for influencer marketing are:
- Instagram: 89%
- YouTube: 70%
- Facebook: 45%
- Blogs: 44%
- Twitter: 33%
Due to these statistics, we recommend that you start your endeavor in influencer marketing using Instagram. Instagram is a social media channel we know you are currently using (if not, you should be!) and will be able to have a smooth and easy process since you are familiar with the platform.
Determine what you’re looking for.
What is the need for your practice? For example:
- Exposure/awareness?
- Patients of a certain age?
- Patients seeking a particular procedure?
- Patients seeking skin care products?
Once you have determined what you are looking for, you will be able establish clear goals and can measure results.
Connect with influencers.
Follow and engage with those who you’re interested in working with, including commenting on their posts, liking their photos, etc. Then, craft a customized pitch sheet to each influencer via their DM’s or emails (they usually will have their email information on their profiles).
Once you’ve connected, set expectations ahead of time.
Ask about:
- Fact sheets, including their reach, demographics, geographics and their sponsorship packages.
- Monitored and measurable deliverables.
- How much creative control you both have.
- Will they use their own photographer or videographer?
- Can you use the images after they wrap up their portion of the relationship?
Use a Contract!
In the contract, include all of the details (and make sure not to violate anti-kickback laws):
- Photo rights/ownership
- Content details (such as deadlines, who should be tagged in photos, which social channels will be included, and if content is posted on stories vs. posts)
- Whose channel the influencer will be utilizing
- Which hashtags should be included
- Mandatory (and off limits!) moments
- Whether the influencer is paid for their services
- … and more!
Consider hosting an influencer event in your office.
Provide a procedure, treatment, or service you’re looking to have the influencers share with their audiences about. This is a fun and creative way to have multiple influencers in your office sharing, recommending and informing about your services to their different audiences. Create a unique experience and include a tour as well as fun facts about your practice. Make sure that you are careful when including alcohol.
Measure Results.
Offer influencers you’re working with:
- A trackable code AND a referral link for you to measure the ROI of the campaign.
- Photos of your office, logos and your branding.
- A fact sheet about YOUR practice.
We Can Help You Execute Your Influencer Marketing Campaign!
We hope these tips and information have inspired you to effectively grow your practice using an influencer marketing campaign and have given you the confidence to execute one! If you see the value in influencer marketing but still need help, let us help you! We’ve helped our clients develop and successfully execute influencer marketing strategies for their practices and are glad to help you implement yours.
Ready to get started and ignite your aesthetic practice’s growth?
Schedule Free ConsultAbout Shorr Solutions:
Shorr Solutions is an award-winning practice management consulting company with offices in South and Central Florida. We work with aesthetic medical practices in all 50 states of the U.S. to help them strengthen the operational, financial, and administrative health of their business. With decades of industry experience, our father-daughter partners, Jay Shorr and Mara Shorr, lead our knowledgeable team of experts to assist practices in the aesthetic medical fields increase efficiency, increase revenue, and decrease their costs.
We let you focus on what you LOVE to do: practice medicine.
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