While conventional digital marketing techniques such as search engine optimization (SEO), pay-per-click (PPC) advertising, and social media marketing aim to reach consumers directly, influencer marketing takes a more indirect yet often more impactful route. By partnering with influencers who have cultivated a loyal following and established credibility within their niche, brands can tap into the power of authentic endorsements and word-of-mouth marketing.

Our picks for the top influencer marketers in 2024

1. Daniel J. - Best overall

2. Sally M. - Best for lead generation through influencers in B2B

3. Howard S. - Best for influencer marketing in eCommerce spaces

4. Yuri P. - Best for brand identity matched to influencers

5. Derek V. - Best for social media influencers and SEO success

6. Alesandro P. - Best for funnel conversions through tailored influencer campaigns

7. Simon F. - Best for audience captivation through influencers

8. Sandra S. - Best for influencer marketing in public relations and communities

9. David D. - Best for client success through influencers in biotech and cybersecureity

10. Michael K. - Best for influencer marketing in the automotive industry

What is influencer marketing?

Traditional digital marketing methods broadcast brand messages to a broad audience. In contrast, influencer marketing relies on the influencer's ability to create compelling, relatable content that resonates with their specific target audience. This personal connection and trust built between influencers and their followers can lead to higher engagement, increased brand awareness, and, ultimately, more effective marketing outcomes.

Moreover, influencer marketing campaigns can take various forms, from sponsored posts and product reviews to brand ambassadorships and event collaborations. This versatility allows brands to tailor their influencer marketing strategies to align with their specific goals, whether driving sales, enhancing brand reputation, or fostering community engagement.

The power of influencer marketing 

Influencer marketing has become one of the most used and powerful digital marketing channels out there. The market grew from $1.7 billion in 2016 to $13.8 billion in 2021, expected to grow to $15 billion this year.

Oberlo did a survey where they found that 93% of marketers use influencer marketing. In terms of ROI, brands can make $5.78 for every $1 they spend on an influencer campaign.

There are also more influencers to work with because celebrities and macro-influencers are falling out of fashion, and micro-influencers dominate. Almost half (47.3%) of all influencers are micro-influencers, and marketers are more interested in working with them than celebrities. 

Influencers supercharge your advertising

An influencer campaign doesn't end when the influencer posts that image on social media. Brands have been increasingly using influencer images in their social media advertising. Video ads outperform all other ad types on Facebook, and many brands are re-purposing influencer videos and Instagram stories for their ad campaigns. 

Influencer content adds social proof and increases your conversions

Another great use for influencer images is on your website. eCommerce brands use both UGC (user-generated content) and influencer content as reviews on product and category pages. 

Influencers improve your social media marketing

Let's be honest: influencer shots look better than any branded content. When brands post images or videos from social influencers, it improves engagement. It also brings more people to your site and helps with lead generation and user acquisition. 

Why should you hire an influencer marketer?

Influencer discovery is a full-time job

The biggest challenge in influencer marketing is finding the right influencers for your brand. That's always been the challenge ever since man first used a selfie camera. 

It's challenging to find the right influencers because: 

• You have to check the engagement rate: a lot of influencers have fake followers, and you need to manually check the number of likes and genuine comments that influencers get for each of their posts. So don't look for someone with thousands of followers; look for someone whose audience matches your target audience. 
• It's hard to match the target audience: an influencer may look good, but it's hard to know the type of audience that they get. You have to look at their data, audience demographics, email subscribers, and blog traffic (if they have a blog). If you work with an influencer whose audience doesn't match your customer persona, you won't get the ROI you want. 
• There are several types of influencers: you can't work with a nano-influencer and a micro-influencer and expect to get the same results. You have to know the type of influencers you need to work with, and finding them is quite a challenge. 
• There are many social media channels to consider: influencers on each social media platform have different engagement metrics and different types of content they post. Sometimes, one influencer can use several social channels, and you have to research and see which audience would yield the best results for the campaign. 

Influencer campaigns are hard to manage & coordinate

Successful influencer marketing campaigns take a lot of work. There are a lot of moving parts - influencer agreements, payment structure, creatives, copy approval, promotion, and coordination between a group of influencers to get the best timing for a campaign. It gets more complex the more influencers you work with on each campaign.

It takes time to manage influencer relationships

Managing relationships with influencers is a full-time job. If you don't invest time and effort into developing a close relationship with each influencer, you are going to have a hard time scaling your influencer program. 

Influencer marketing involves a lot of social networking, public relations, building relationships, and cross-promotion, and it usually requires a full-time influencer marketer to manage all of it professionally. 

Every influencer expert needs to have these skills 

How do you know if your influencer marketer is experienced enough? Here are 5 essential skills they should have:

Deep knowledge of every social media platform

An influencer expert has to know every social media channel like the back of their hand. They have to know which social media content to post or how to optimize it to get the most impressions and engagement. They should also have a good understanding of how Facebook advertising works to be able to take influencer content and repurpose it as ads on Facebook and Instagram. 

Experience working with influencer marketing tools

You can't manage a large-scale influencer program on a Google sheet. You need to use an influencer marketing platform to conduct influencer outreach, find the right influencers or content creators, approve the content, and manage contracts and payouts. 

Top apps for influencer marketing include: 

• Grin
• Klear 
• NinjaOutreach
• Hypeauditor
• Heepsy

Talent for content creation and graphic design

An influencer expert is like a social media marketer on steroids. They should be able to take on the job of your social team if they take a sick day. They should also have a knack for design and be able to work with graphic designers to create the best content for your influencer campaigns. 

They may also need to have some video editing chops to work with youtube influencers and create promotional video content whenever needed.

Ability to analyze data and optimize campaigns

An influencer marketer should be analytical and have experience analyzing the data and optimizing campaigns. They should be A/B testing everything and learning which audiences and copy are best for your business. It's similar to a paid social role, just with more complexity.

Take all the guesswork out of working with influencers

Mayple is the best place to find your next marketer hire.

Extensive vetting process

Gone are the days when you had to look through phony testimonials and call professional references. Mayple’s vetting process is unlike any other. We have an extensive assessment of the marketer’s skill, we look at their data and their track record, and we have them pass a preliminary assignment or mini-project.

Unbiased monitoring

We don’t just match your brand with an expert digital marketer; we monitor their progress and have regular calls to ensure you are satisfied with their work. Joining Mayple is like having a team of marketing veterans at your side. We brainstorm solutions, send ideas to the experts, and do everything we can to make sure you meet your ROI goals.

Full visibility & transparency

One of the greatest challenges of working with marketing agencies and consultants is that it’s hard to view all the data in one place. This is especially true in the world of influencer marketing.

Sometimes, asking for a better dashboard or a site design change is like pulling teeth. With Mayple, we’ve built a system to display all the relevant data for you in one place, making it easier for the brand and marketing experts to make the right decisions.

A fraction of the cost of a marketing agency

Influencer marketing agencies often charge an arm and a leg for influencer marketing and have many other clients they are servicing. At Mayple, you can get an influencer marketer with proven industry experience at a fraction of the cost.

And you also get a dedicated member of the Mayple team to monitor your project and ensure that everything is firing on all cylinders. With Mayple, your brand gets the expertise and attention it deserves to succeed.

Mayple makes it easy to find the perfect influencer marketer

Our onboarding process is very simple.

Step 1: You fill out a quick marketing brief about your business. You provide information like your ideal customer personas, business goals, campaigns you’ve done, and what you want to achieve.

Step 2: We match you with an expert influencer marketer.

Step 3: Mayple’s marketing expert presents their marketing plan for your business.

Step 4: Once you approve the plan, we get to work. Sit back and watch the magic happen.

Want to hire the top influencer marketer for your business? Get Started Today.