business leads | Social Media Branding by Mishu & Dad

Mega-influencers don’t help? Think again.

We – the SMI (social-media influencer) teachers – I admit – were wrong. It is not true that the mega-influencers lost their influence. It is not true that micro-influencers took over. Or it’s not the whole story at least. Let me explain:

First –

Does the Website on my Insta Bio Need to Be Mine?

No, the website you list on your bio doesn’t need to be yours! You can enter your Amazon affiliate (or store) page, your linktr.ee (eg linktr.ee/dopecandi), your YouTube/Tiktok URL, GoodRead, or even your IMDB page (eg imdb.me/christicawley).

Bio - IMDB instead of a "website" — Bio – IMDB instead of a “website”

And btw do you know that you can also enter a website address (such as a website of an org you support, such as RedCross), in two places on your Instagram bio, see the example below:

If It’s Not Too Transactional, As You Said, Then What Am I Getting from Influencer Marketing at All?

Working with SMI* on social media cannot be too transactional. Social media software and UX were simply not built for it, and we cannot get around that basic fact. So instead, focus on getting leads and acquiring SMI followers.

*SMI = Social Media influencers. Source: Who is an influencer?

Yes, it’s all about leads and acquiring SMI followers.

True, top software platform strategists and architects of platforms such as Instagram and Twitter are now trying to change that – they are trying to re-engineer their system flows to promote and execute product buying, as if you’re interacting with a TV or eCommerce website. They are working on it.

Turn your Pinterest success into Instagram brand deals

So you’ve found your Pinterest audience, you’ve built high quality Pinterest boards (such as my influencer boards 😊?), you’ve often added content to those awesome boards (rich pins too, whatever it takes), and as for regular pins – you’ve made sure they are very thoughtful, resonate with your audience, are visual, and vertical in a perfect way — just perfect for your audience. Your Pinterest audience grew, and they re-pinned, and they saved, some of them even commented, and you even got Google traffic.

And yet your business still makes no money 💁🏽!!.

Perhaps this is the time for you to look into adding Instagram to your business assets, and get some money from brand deals, so you can bring more bread from your side hustle? Many do that, many even make a living (and some even get very wealthy) from doing brand deals on Instagram.

Social Media Engagement – 23 Ideas that Convert!

By now we know – social media algorithms change often and by doing so the platforms make us confused, baffled, and worried about our social media success.

However, there is something we can always double down on, and will never change – our Instagram/Tiktok/etc. posts will always be more likely to be shown on followers’ feeds (and in search) if they generate comments and engagement. Now you might not have great engagement, and you might already be doing great and wondering “how can I maintain my high engagement?”– either way, read on — this article is for you!

Bringing engagement is a science in and of itself though. By popular demand, I’m going to share some tried and true ideas and methods to bring social media engagement.

Test these. Tell me what you think.

‘Stretchable’ words your social – test if they can lead to MORE #engagement

If you haven’t read “Hahahahaha, Duuuuude, Yeeessss!: A two-parameter characterization of stretchable words and the dynamics of mistypings and misspellings,” I highly recommend doing so – it’s amusing, it’s intellectual, it’s inspiring and energizing. We sure need more analysis like that!

Interviews with Dog Brands: How They Work with Influencers

During March 2020 I spoke with over a dozen representatives of brands that sell products for dogs, selected from those that registered for a booth at the recent Global Pet Expo show. My goal was to get a sense of how they feel about SMI (social media influencers). I learned some interesting things!

TL;DR. Instagram and Facebook, unpaid Ambassadors micro-Influencers, no KPIs, giveaway, contests and feedback giving wins.

I feel most of the influencers are overpriced, am I wrong?

Let’s admit it – SMI* are great for branding, for leads, for remembering a brand or a product when consumers are about to buy… But…

but not to drive traffic from SMI’s post to your website (that’s because users on Instagram/FB etc don’t like to move to external websites).

*SMI = Social Media influencers. Source: Who is an influencer?

I hired an influencer, but the results were not good, what should I do?

Ask the Influencer why and how come.

#influencermarketing = trust #influencermarketing = original content #influencermarketing = unfair advantage All that's left is to... Find the right influencers! — #influencermarketing = trust #influencermarketing = original content #influencermarketing = unfair advantage All that’s left is to… Find the right influencers!

Also check that you chose the right Influencer (try this method).

Finally, don’t rush to conclusions — Influencer marketing is marketing, it’s not like traditional advertising that leads to immediate results.

Give it some time before you reach conclusions.

Tip: If there is zero engagement, ask the Influencer to try posting again!

Tip #2: Sign a good contract…:

Why is Influencer Marketing growing so much?

Because Influencer Marketing leads to Word-of-Mouth marketing, which is the holy grail for any marketer.

Also, some influencers create such amazing original content that brands value influencers as suppliers of creative that can be re-used not only on social media but on their websites, storefronts, ads, etc.

I strongly recommend using a contract for any sponsorship to protect yourself and your business, such as my Brand-Influencer Contract