Acquiring new customers is one of the most important aspects of any business. Whether it's through organic reach, paid advertising, or influencer marketing, it is essential to have a strong acquisition strategy in place. Influencer marketing has proven to be effective — but not all influencers are created equal.
Identifying Influencers
When done right, influencer marketing can be a great way to reach a new audience and grow brand awareness. Look for industry influencers that have a relevant following within your target market. Explore social media and follow popular content hubs for your specific industry to see who other influencers are working with and what type of content they're creating for their followers. You can use Shopify's influencer marketing platform to find and curate content, manage campaigns, and generate reports. Use AI-powered smart curation and product tagging assistants to automatically organize posts into shoppable UGC galleries and visual lookbooks.
Creating a Campaign Brief
Once you've outlined the type of influencers you want to partner with, create a brief to guide them in their content creation. The brief should outline campaign goals, any specific requirements (which platforms to post on, how to post), branding guidelines, and content style requirements. Include clear instructions on what the creator shouldn't do, such as mentioning competitors or highlighting product disadvantages. Include payment information to avoid confusion about compensation and reduce potential disputes. Consider including a separate influencer contract for new partnerships.
Reaching Out to Influencers
You can reach out to influencers through email, social media, or dedicated software tools. Many influencers have contact information on their social profiles. Be polite and friendly in your outreach, include an introduction to your company and a brief description of the project. Be clear about what kind of collaboration you are looking for (product exchange, sponsored post, or a combination) and how your brand will provide compensation. Using a tool like BuzzGuru allows you to search for influencers by channel, keyword, or platform and view their engagement levels.
Managing the Campaign
When you've chosen your influencers and created the campaign brief, start monitoring performance. Track reach, engagement rates, and conversions to identify which influencers are giving your business the best ROI. Influencer marketing isn't about instant conversions — it's about increasing brand awareness and building trust and loyalty over time. Use unique tracking links to see which influencers are driving sales to your site, and measure cost of acquisition (CPA) to determine how much you're spending on each new customer.
Tracking Performance
Use tools like Upfluence to get an overview of all your influencers and their posts in one place, making it easy to see how well your campaigns are performing. Assign custom coupon codes to each influencer to track sales for eCommerce businesses. Unlike traditional advertising, influencer campaigns are more authentic and can lead to better results. Influencers are able to target specific audiences and create content that's relevant to their followers, leading to higher engagement rates and more conversions for your brand.
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