This article will discuss why influencers are so popular and how to maximize their ROI. It will start with the background of influencer marketing and then go into an in-depth analysis of how to get the most out of your next influencer campaign.

Most entrepreneurs begin their careers as an early stage entrepreneur; they bootstrap, hone their skills and launch products and services based on their own findings and intuition. They aren't entrepreneurs who sell to businesses, but rather entrepreneurs who sell directly to customers.

I can't say with certainty why, but there's a strong correlation between the popularity of successful early-stage entrepreneurs and the popularity of influential media personalities. On any given day, depending on the metric being used, the average number of social media followers of an influencer in the world is between 1.1 million and 20 million.

As mentioned in this story on Digiday, "The answer probably lies in how successful their personalities are, and how many of their fans are willing to spend time and money following their advice or watching their videos."

So, is this a coincidence? I highly doubt it.

The pros of influencers

There are several reasons why entrepreneurs should look to influencers for their business advice.

For entrepreneurs, the selling points of influencers are similar to those of other forms of social media. In my opinion, the best use of influencers is for entrepreneurs who are early stage or not very well-known.

Entrepreneurs who are already known in their field can benefit from the added exposure an influencer brings to their own business. This is true of professional athletes, celebrities, entrepreneurs and TV personalities.

Marketers leverage influencers to drive traffic to their sites or convert them to customers through the influencer's own site, blog, podcast or social media accounts. As opposed to the case with true customers who buy from your site, the influencer represents potential customers and, therefore, gives you the opportunity to be discovered by those customers.

Another benefit of influencers is their ability to bridge the "SEO gap" where, as humans, we are constantly seeking information. The impact of an influencer is that they're able to find and tell their customers what they want to know rather than what a search engine or digital marketing campaign might have them believe they want to know.

Because of their ability to bridge the search and information gap, influencers are able to provide a much more in-depth and specific amount of detail. And, because it's the influencer, they know their audience.

They know what questions they want to be answered and, therefore, know how to answer those questions.

Why you should care about influencers

If you're an entrepreneur, you probably have a great idea for a product or service, but you don't know how to bring it to market. That's where influencers come in.

When you're an entrepreneur, you're going to face a range of problems from the mundane to the time-consuming. It's those times when you're overwhelmed and in need of information that an influencer's advice can fill that information gap.

For example, when you're trying to build a relationship with a potential customer, you could spend hours reading a book or pouring over your finances in order to find the best way to deliver your product or service. After you've done all that, you still have to build that relationship.

Through a relationship with an influencer, you can get the information and tools you need to succeed. All you have to do is be present in the conversation.

And, once you've accomplished that, you can use your skill set and business acumen to close the deal.

This is where there's an important distinction between sales and marketing. Just because you have knowledge of a particular topic doesn't mean you're a great salesman.

But, if you have a product or service that others are interested in purchasing, your product or service can be the conversation that leads to a sale.

Are there any negatives to influencers?

It's important to realize that influencers are not perfect. They are, however, perfect for helping your business without becoming a significant portion of your time or effort.

If you're not sure how to engage with an influencer, here are some tips to help you attract and retain a valuable influencer:

Build trust

When you're ready to talk with an influencer, it's important to build trust. It's also important to remain humble in your approach.

Show sincerity

When you're engaging with an influencer, you want to appear genuine. It's important to be true to yourself and your vision so you can connect with the influencer on an authentic level.

Respect their time

It's important to offer an amount of time that's appropriate for them. If the influencer is extremely busy, it's not worth your time.

And, if the influencer is taking on other projects, it's not worth your time to schedule a specific time for an engagement.

Ensure you've received proper consent

Some influencers take on social media projects without receiving proper permission from the audience for those projects. If this is the case, you may be asked to stop promoting the project.

Make a good first impression

Influencers are busy and have many things on their plate. Don't make a bad impression by being late or unresponsive.

Do you need an influencer?

If you're facing some challenges bringing a product or service to market, an influencer can help you become successful. This is why every entrepreneur needs to understand the power of influencers.

The key to unlocking the success of influencers is to go after the right influencers. And, in order to be successful, you need to give influencers the freedom to express themselves and the resources they need.

To discover new influencers, get in touch with new business leads to identify potential partners. Search for the influencers your business would benefit most from and ask them to connect.

When you're ready to explore a new avenue of business, you can leverage your knowledge to find the right influencer.