What Is Influencer Marketing?

 
Not too far back in time, influencer marketing was deemed to be in the purview of celebrities and a specific small set of bloggers. Things changed with the uprising of social media.

Sprout defines influencer marketing as a type of social media marketing that uses endorsements and product mentions from influencers – individuals who have a dedicated social following and are viewed as experts within their niche.

The above definition takes stock of these things about influencer marketing:
 

• Social media marketing – Instagram, Facebook, and all other social medial platforms that have billions of users cumulatively provide the perfect scenario to sell medical devices through influencer marketing.
• Endorsements and Product mentions – These pretty much explain the overall strategies adopted by influencers to create awareness for your brand
• Dedicated social following as a result of a perception of expertise – This is the most important thing, especially considering the evolution of influencer marketing. Influencers do not have to be celebrities. An influencer is a person who can affect the buying decision of others in your favor. There is a proliferation of influencers on social media. Some have up to 1 million followers, and others have up to 200k followers, while others can have around 1k followers. The point is, an influencer can be anyone, anyone at all, who can affect the buying decision of people in your favor.

How Do Influencers Help You Sell Medical Devices 

Great social media influencers command the attention of those who follow them. They do this by feeling more accessible and relatable to the public, unlike big celebrities who look like they’ve never used the product they are marketing.  As an example, 70% of teenage Youtube subscribers trust influencer opinions more than traditional celebrities. 

Influencers help sell medical devices because they are seen as closer to the people. They understand the trends, they have social capital, and most significantly, they are actual customers. Influencers can leverage these features to refer your medical device to potential customers. The chances are that the average customer will convert because they trust the person’s recommendation to the product or service. 

When selling medical devices, not all social media influencer marketing will be effective in the same way. Different social media platforms have different demography, a different mode of operation, and different style.  

One social media platform that perfectly suits the sale of medical devices is Instagram.

Why Instagram Is A Good Choice For An Influencer Campaign

Make Sure That The Influencer Is A Fit For Your Brand 

Brand Fit is essential to consider in any influencer marketing campaign. Needless to say, if an influencer gives off a vibe that is in contrast to your medical company values, they may not be a good fit for your brand.  

While influencer campaigns to sell medical devices are very effective, a need to use the right platform and the right type of influencer marketing is also very important. Here‘s a list of the more common types of influencer campaigns for the sale of medical devices: 

Sponsored Posts

Sponsored posts contain content created by creators and influencers in collaboration with brands. Sponsored posts are designed to increase brand awareness, brand recognition, and ultimately, sales.  

Partnering with influencers becomes necessary if you want to pierce through the noisy world of social media. Influencers already have the attention of those you are trying to engage with, and that puts them in a better position to share the content. 

Sponsored posts may feel like regular ads, but they are not. Sponsored posts are usually more thought out and are full of creativity.  

Influencers will need to be paid for the content they help you post because of the inherent value of these posts. The amount you pay for sponsored content depends on the specific agreement with the influencer. Nonetheless, factors such as engagement ratio, ROI, and SEO generally plays a part in how much you pay. For example, according to Single Grain, 87% of influencers charge $500 for sponsored blog posts.  

Contests

Contests work great on social media. Activities including giveaways, sweepstakes, and contests can help your brand generate enough buzz to influence social media users to take simple, specific steps like sharing your post or following you on social media.  

With little steps like that, the ground begins to take off for an effective inbound marketing strategy. 

Hashtags

Hashtags are perhaps the best way to make something go around on social media. The hashtag centralizes the influencer marketing campaign and can help you track how effective your campaign is. 

An article titled “10 Lessons from Instagram Influencers” on Sprout proposes that hashtags are better unbranded. Unbranded hashtags can create recognition for your brand without mentioning it directly. Pick a hashtag that means something to people and watch them make it trend for you. That’s how the best hashtags are made.  

Campaigns and reviews are also great types of social media content. 

If you’ve been trying to sell medical devices in some other way and it has not been generating the results you’d like, it might be time to explore new options.  

Influencer marketing feels like the sort of strategy that most medical professionals would rather not try because of its aesthetics, which many believe is more suited for the arts and entertainment industry. But a lot of industries thrive on Instagram because there’s always someone looking for the information and value you offer. 

Now is the time to try something new and develop an effective influencer marketing strategy that converts influence to customers.