If you’re wondering whether to look into using influencer marketing as part of your affiliate program to grow your beauty brand, consider this: Influencer marketing is projected to be worth over $13 billion in 2021. This is because nearly half of consumers rely on recommendations from their favorite influencers on what to buy.
So now is a better time than ever to use influencers — people on social media who have both an authority in a particular field and a large audience — to help sell your product.
When it comes to using influencers specifically for promoting beauty brands, the numbers look even better. A survey of 500 women who bought beauty products through Facebook found that 67% of them check out product recommendations from beauty influencers before purchasing a particular item. As for the “why” behind this statistic, there are several prominent reasons:
- Trust. Consumers see influencers as part of their network and are therefore more likely to trust what they have to say. Traditional beauty advertisements lack the personal connection that influencers bring consumers.
- Honesty. Consumers seek authenticity, especially in the world of beauty products in which a lot of famous brands give a perfect image. Consumers prefer honesty and a feeling of “realness” from influencers.
- Values. Like in everyday life, people tend to seek out those who have similar values. When they discover an influencer with the same beliefs and practices as them, they’re more likely to hold what they use in high regard, including beauty products.
Partnering with influencers can help you reach a much broader audience that’s more likely to support your brand and become loyal customers.
How To Grow Your Beauty Brand With Affiliates
Using influencers as part of your affiliate program can lead to strong and lucrative partnerships, an imperative part of any successful program. Moreover, since influencers are well-versed in the world of social media — including how to make the best use of hashtags, captions, filters, and links — they can take the lead in presenting your product in the best way possible.
While finding the right influencer may initially seem like a daunting task, understanding just a few key factors will vastly narrow down the time spent locating the perfect one. Here’s how to go about finding them:
Utilize Hashtags
Hashtags are essential in helping to find the right influencer for you. Beauty influencers will include hashtags on their posts related to the industry and particular beauty products.
Check out which beauty hashtags are trending by using tools such as Best Hashtags. Here, you can type in your keyword (“beauty,” for example) to see the top hashtags that are trending. This will connect you with influencers in your niche.
Analyze Engagement
Hashtags will introduce you to various influencers, but not everyone will be a great fit. You’ll need to decide what kind of engagement the influencer you’re looking at has. Research has proven that micro-influencers — those with fewer followers, usually between 10,000 and 100,000 — receive much better engagement in their posts than bigger-name celebrities.
It all comes down to the reasons why influencer marketing works in the first place: Consumers are more likely to buy from those they trust and believe to be authentic. Consumers also believe that influencers have actually sampled a product before advertising it, making them more reliable.
Moreover, micro-influencers are much more likely to comment back, like posts, respond to messages, and engage with their audience. This increases the personal connection with their audience, unlike celebrities who receive millions of likes but do little to engage with their followers.
Check for Tone
You don’t want to partner with an influencer who doesn’t match your beauty brand’s tone. Read through their posts to gauge their voice, and check their interactions with commenters. Do you believe this influencer will represent your brand in the exact way that you want?
Furthermore, do they hold the same values as your brand? Take the influencer’s photos into account as well. Are the pictures clear and focused, or are they low-quality? You want to ensure your products will be well-presented.
Recruiting Affiliates
Once you’ve identified a few influencers whom you believe would be an excellent fit for your brand, it’s time to reach out and offer a partnership. Transparency will be the key component in acquiring and maintaining a great relationship with your affiliates. Ensure your affiliate program has both big-picture goals (whom you want to sell to) and measurable goals (what kind of clicks you want to see). When these goals are clearly defined, it’s time to offer partnerships.
Become a Follower
First things first: Become a follower of the influencer. Like and comment on their posts. Show that you’re interested in their page. The influencer will notice and see your brand on a more personal level — just like how their followers see them. This can also help narrow down the competition, as the influencer may be getting several offers from other beauty brands.
Craft a Pitch
Before sending a message, have a well-crafted pitch to send out. Refer to the goal(s) you set, introduce your brand, and state your offer, including everything the influencer will receive.
Suppose you have several influencers you want to reach out to. In that case, you can develop a general template, but ensure that you personalize each message by including a reference to something on their page or a specific post they shared. Otherwise, you may lose that personal feel you first garnered by following them.
Follow Up
Lastly, follow up with the influencer if you haven’t received a response after a week or so. Let them know the offer is still available and that you’d love to talk more with them about it. They may be getting so many messages that they missed yours the first time. If you still don’t hear back after this follow-up, consider seeking other opportunities.
Make the Most of Your Affiliate Marketing Program
Now that you know how to grow your beauty brand using influencer marketing, you’ll want to make sure you can successfully organize and monitor your program. Running an affiliate program, you know the importance of viewing and tracking data, impressions, leads, and sales. LeadDyno allows you to do just that and much more so you can increase your sales in no time. Try us free for 30 days, or get in touch today!
