Mix the perfect Black Week cocktail by combining live selling and influencer marketing

The week leading up to Black Friday, also known as Black Week, puts increasing pressure on brands and retailers. Are you one of them? To keep up with the competition and attract as many customers as possible, you must act strategically and intentionally. Luckily, we are here to tell you about an explosive cocktail which will make you stand out from the masses and make your brand known. The ingredients for the cocktail? A combination of live selling and influencer marketing.

Expand your reach with influencer marketing

For the past few years, influencer marketing has become all the rage among ambitious brands and retailers. Although the marketing strategy is not a new one, it has certainly seen a revival in popularity. With the rise of social media, the number, fame and reach of influencers has grown exponentially – and so has the effect of influencer marketing.

In all simplicity, influencer marketing allows you to reap the benefits of prominent peoples’ reputation, reach and authority – of course with their permission and active assistance.

Since this marketing tool is an excellent resource for brands and retailers, why not invite influencers to host or co-host your live events on Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and the surrounding weeks? By combining live shopping and influencer marketing you will create more awareness of your brand or store in the weeks surrounding the national shopping days and ultimately improve your sales numbers.

In case you are venturing out on the influencer field for the very first time, there are a few questions you must ask yourself to ensure a successful campaign. Here are the five most important ones.

Pssst… Learn all about Black Friday and Cyber Monday in this blog post.

Five questions to ask before working with influencers

1. How big is your budget?

It’s necessary to define your budget from the beginning, as your budget will affect your distribution options and choice of influencer. If you are working on a tight budget, you may wish to contact an influencer directly rather than going through an agency. In addition, your budget determines whether to aim for a well-known celeb or an upcoming micro-influencer.

Also, don’t forget that there are several means of payment when it comes to influencers. As an alternative or substitute to money, you can provide a personal discount code or give away free products and services. Simply make sure to check with the rules and regulations for your country before suggesting alternative payment methods. Some countries are more strict than others when it comes to using discount codes and free products as payment.

2. What is your brand identity and how do you create value?

To put it differently, what does your brand stand for and what do you offer that sets you apart from your competitors? If you can’t answer these questions about yourself, how do you expect an influencer to do so? It’s vital to identify your brand identity and value in order for external influencers to pass on the message to their followers.

3. Who is your target audience?

Consider everything from age and gender to hobbies and habits. Once you have identified the wants and needs of your typical customer, you will be able to determine which type of influencer will have the greatest impact on your target group. It goes without saying that you should search for an influencer whose audience is aligned with your target group.

4. Which social media platform(s) should you use?

Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, TikTok, Snapchat, YouTube, Twitch… the list goes on. Consider which social media platforms are the most optimal for your influencer campaign. If you have no idea where to start, check out this simple, but useful chart from WordStream.

But why limit your campaign to one channel, when you can benefit from using several? When you host live shows with Sprii, you can automatically stream your show to multiple channels at once without increasing your workload. The results? More viewers, stronger brand awareness, and a larger customer base. All of which leads to an increase in sales and a boost in revenue.

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5. What is the main goal of your influencer campaign?

In other words, what are you hoping to gain from it – increased brand awareness, more traffic to your physical store or online store, a boost in sales, exposure of certain products, or maybe a larger follower base on social media?

There’s plenty of ways you can utilize the power of influencers. Choose some concrete goals and be as specific as you wish, as long as you are realistic and have your previously defined budget in mind.

Create a kick-ass live shopping strategy in collaboration with your influencer

Once you have dealt with the questions above, you are ready to reach out to your chosen influencer(s). Now it’s time to create a kick-ass live shopping strategy that will make you reach your goals this shopping season.

First, consider how your chosen influencer should promote your products or services on camera. Live selling is not limited to simply holding products in front of a camera for an hour and then turning the camera off. You can encourage the influencer to include competitions, product try-outs, Q&As, personal tips, and other creative types of content in their live events.

Next, consider how often the influencer should go live. Statistically, you will benefit the most from hosting multiple live events at regular intervals. The reason? Each time you go live, more people will learn about your brand or store. If your event is entertaining and informative, they will tune in again at your next live event and recommend your videos to their friends and family. With time, your audience can get huge.

Pssst… Read more about live streaming and Black Friday in this blog post.

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