Have you ever thought about working with an Instagram Influencer? Hiring the right influencer can (and will) help you attract more patients to your practice!

Let’s start from the beginning: What is influencer marketing? It’s when a business collaborates with an influential person who has a substantial, and highly engaged, following on Instagram. It’s literally just that – an Instagram influencer!

Why would you hire an Instagram influencer? 6 reasons.

1. To increase your follower count on Instagram.
2. To increase engagement from your followers on Instagram.
3. To build a stronger community on Instagram.
4. To kick off a marketing campaign for a new product or service.
5. To promote a new service/price offering.
6. To drive traffic to an event.

How to find the right influencer: There are a few ways to do this, but the best way is organically! This is done through Instagram itself. You can create a poll on Instagram, or ask your followers to recommend a good local Instagram Influencer who would be a good fit for your practice.

For more options, you can try the following websites, which match businesses to influencers:

            Fohr card

Social Blade

People Map

Next, think about your Influencer profile. What are the qualities you should look for?

Ask yourself: Is this person authentic?

Is she discerning?

Did she ask the right questions when you interviewed her?

Is she active and engaged with her followers on Instagram?

Most important: Does your gut tell you this is a good fit?

Now let’s talk about money. What should it cost to hire an influencer?

First, remember that if you work with an influencer, the relationship should be beneficial to both of you.

The average cost is $300 per post. With that in mind, we suggest a 6-month campaign that looks something like this:

• 1 post per week
• 1 post on Instagram Stories each day (5 days per week)
• 1 IGTV video each week
• 5 service product/ posts each month
• ? extra photos of her working with you/your practice (how many more/less?)

This totals about 15 posts per month. For this, we suggest a rate of about $3,000 per month. (We know this is not loose change, but this mutually beneficial arrangement costs you much less than the $300 per-post value!)

Once you have an influencer in mind, and you know how much you want to spend on what you want to spend it on (for the most part), set up an interview with your potential influencer. Tell her what you have in mind, and ask her to give you her thoughts / feedback.

It’s always nice to get a great deal (like the online course we’ll be launching soon!). But when working one-on-one with a consultant, you want to be sure you’re paying for the value that you’re getting. It’s true what they say … you do get what you pay for!

As for bartering. Remember that your influencer is not working for products or services. Like the rest of us, she’s working for cash flow. This is her profession. So if you trade for services, we recommend you don’t exceed 50% (cash) / 50% (trade), and that you don’t trade for things you are asking her to promote for you. Meaning, if she is promoting a teeth whitening treatment for your practice, you should offer her the treatment (if she needs it) above/beyond what she needs to fulfill the terms of her contract.

Now you’re ready to negotiate your agreement...

Once that’s done, let’s talk about measuring the results.

We’re big believers in metrics! Data and metrics tell an accurate and straightforward story, and they never lie.

There are 3 ways we suggest tracking the success of your campaign with your influencer.

1. Use a track link, meaning that you (or your I.T. person) create a unique link to your office, for the influencer (and only the influencer) to use to direct people to your site. The results are visible in Google Analytics, which can be complicated.
2. If you’re not already equipped for that, use LinkTree! It’s a very easy-to-use app that allows you to add more than one link to your Instagram Bio. (Instagram only allows one link; if you use Link Tree, that one link can direct users to a list of several links to choose from.)
3. Use a promo code! Offer a discount or special offer to those who come to you using that code, and be sure the code is unique for your influencer so you know that everyone who uses the code came to you via the influencer.

If you’re overwhelmed by this, don’t worry. It’s something you can put into place later if and when you’re ready! Just keep this email handy. And remember, we’re here to support you!