With the competition intensifying on Amazon, building innovative and effective strategies to get your product in front of your target audience can potentially revolutionize your business expansion. This is why multiple brands and marketers have turned to the potency of influencer marketing as a means to boost their earnings.
Not only are influencers an effective way to promote your brand and increase your product’s visibility but they have proven to influence their audience's purchasing decisions. Luckily for Amazon sellers, in 2017 the giant retail launched its influencer program, as an extension of the Amazon Associates (affiliate) program,
What is the Amazon Influencer Program?
The Amazon Influencer Program allows content creators to earn affiliate commissions from Amazon for qualifying purchases. Influencers can create their personalized storefronts which can be organized by categories such as fashion, beauty, tech, or home, to promote and recommend products to their followers. What is even better is that once a product is on an influencer’s storefront, they are incentivized to keep it there as they earn profits from Amazon.
What is the difference between the Amazon Influencer Program and the Amazon Affiliate Program?
Even though both programs were designed to offer a way for people to earn money by promoting Amazon products, they were designed for different types of partners and have different commission rates.
While Amazon’s Affiliate Program is designed for bloggers, website owners, and creators, Amazon's Influencer Program is designed for social media influencers who have a large following on platforms like Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook.
Another difference is that people participating in the Affiliate Program earn a commission on sales generated through their affiliate links, leading traffic to Amazon. In the Influencer Program, followers are directed to the influencer's storefront.
How to Leverage Amazon Influencer Marketing?
For an influencer marketing campaign to be successful, it is crucial to have a well-thought-out plan and a thorough comprehension of your marketing objectives and target audience. That is why in order for your campaign to be successful you must consider the following key points.
1. Identify your target audience
In order to find the right influencers to work with, the first step is to identify your target audience. Who are the people you want to reach? What are their interests and preferences? What drives their buying decisions? By asking these questions, you will make sure the influencer’s followers match your target audience.
2. Define what is the influencer’s ideal profile
The next step is to look for influencers who align with your brand’s purpose and who share your same brand’s values. If you are selling high-performance supplements targeted towards athletes or fitness enthusiasts striving to enhance their workouts, you shouldn’t partner with individuals who don’t engage in sports or promote a healthy lifestyle.
Ask yourself, What does the influencer talk about? What lifestyle does he/she promote? What values does the influencer stand for? What is the main message he/she tries to convey in their content?
1. Find the right influencers to work with
Once you've identified your target audience and the type of influencers you want to work with, it's time to find them. Use tools like BuzzSumo, Upfluence, or HypeAuditor to find influencers in your niche, or use Amazon's Influencer Program.
Look for influencers that not only have a large following but a high engagement rate. The higher their engagement rate the higher the chances you’ll have to improve your conversion rates because it shows that their followers care about what the influencers have to say.
2. Reach out to influencers
Once you've found influencers you want to work with, reach out to them and introduce yourself. Explain to them what your brand stands for, why your product is unique, and why you think it would be a good fit for their audience. Offer them a commission on sales generated from their storefronts.
3. Create a strong offer
To entice influencers to work with you, you will need to create a strong offer. Don’t just offer them a generous commission, but provide them with free products to review, or offer to sponsor their content. And don’t forget to make it easy for them to promote your products by providing them with high-quality images, videos, and product descriptions.
4. Track your results
Finally, track your results. Monitor your sales and see how much traffic and sales your influencers are generating. Analyze your data and see what's working and what's not. Use this information to optimize your influencer marketing strategy and make adjustments as needed.
Final Thoughts
According to HubSpot's 2022 Marketing Industry Trends Report, influencer marketing is the most effective marketing strategy to create genuine content for your business and build brand awareness. Having a large and established audience that trusts them makes influencers effective at recommending products. However, to achieve success and generate a significant return on investment, it is crucial to create and implement a well-thought-out strategic plan.