URTHTREK

Regardless of your industry, photography plays a powerful shaping influence on the perception of your brand.

As we’ve explored in this series, there’s a lot of hype and mythology surrounding influencers and influencer marketing. What we need is research to make better data-driven decisions. The goal of this series was to provide a brief overview of some of the research on influencer marketing. As we wrap up this series today, we’re looking at why companies utilize influencers in their marketing strategy.

It may already be apparent from this series of articles as to why companies utilize influencer marketing. If done well, it can effectively motivate or influence social media followers to purchase the products or services the influencer is posting about. In the study “Product placement 2.0: ‘Do Brands Need Influencers, or Do Influencers Need Brands?’” Jin and Muqaddam look at Instagram posts and their effects on credibility perceptions.

Influencer Marketing 101: Why Companies Use Influencers — URTHTREK As we’ve explored in this series, there’s a lot of hype and mythology surrounding influencers and influencer marketing. What we need is research to make better data-driven decisions. The goal of this series was to provide a brief overview of some of the research on influencer marketing. As we wr...

Have you ever wondered how influencers get started? What are their origin stories? Is it as simple as someone with 1,834 Instagram followers being asked by a friend who owns a coffee roasting company to post content? Are you an aspiring influencer looking to break into influencer marketing as a side hustle or a new career? Today, we’ll explore how influencers build their own brands.

Influencer Marketing 101: How Influencers Build Their Own Brands — URTHTREK Have you ever wondered how influencers get started? What are their origin stories? Is it as simple as someone with 1,834 Instagram followers being asked by a friend who owns a coffee roasting company to post content? Are you an aspiring influencer looking to break into influencer marketing as a side

“People do not buy goods and services. They buy relations, stories, and magic.” — Seth Godin

This week, we’re continuing the series on Influencer Marketing 101. Rather than focusing on the hype and mythology of the topic, we’re digging into the research to uncover why and how influencer marketing works and why brands utilize it.

Starting or creating anything from scratch can be daunting and overwhelming. Also, there’s so much that goes into it. There are ebbs and flows in the market, the products or services we’re bringing into the marketplace, and then there’s the whole skills and expertise of what we’re doing. However, beneath all that noise is the deep work of the soul that entrepreneurs have to tackle and address to bring new ideas to life. That’s why I’m excited about this next interview with Em Deane Kelley of Locals Creative.

Startup Entrepreneur Interview: Em Deane Kelley and Locals Creative — URTHTREK Starting or creating anything from scratch can be daunting and overwhelming. Also, there’s so much that goes into it. There are ebbs and flows in the market, the products or services we’re bringing into the marketplace, and then there’s the whole skills and expertise of what we’re doing. How...

There are a lot of great quotes out there about launching startups from scratch. To some, they may sound cliche. To those in the trenches, they are motivational. Creating a new business or non-profit from scratch takes time, energy, resilience, and patience.

“I had to make my own living and my own opportunity! But I made it! Don’t sit down and wait for the opportunities to come. Get up and make them!” — Madam C.J. Walker, entrepreneur and first female self-made millionaire in the United States

As a brand, it is easy to fall into the trap of simply imitating or copying what we see others are doing within our industry. The thought or fear is, “They must know something I don’t know.” That usually leads to blindly copying/pasting the strategies of others. The same goes for influencer marketing. We know and see that it’s a big deal, so we assume we need to hop onto the train.

Too often, when it comes to social media, the strategy that many brands deploy (or hope for) is this …. “we just want to blow up on social media.” For some, that means throwing money and products at some kind of influencer in hopes that people will see this person and immediately go to our website and buy our products and services. The question we need to wrestle with is how effective influencer marketing is. https://bit.ly/3uZPLEy

Photos by Heather Carter Photography

Influencer Marketing 101: The Effectiveness of Influencer Marketing — URTHTREK Too often, when it comes to social media, the strategy that many brands deploy (or hope for) is this …. “we just want to blow up on social media.” For some, that means throwing money and products at some kind of influencer in hopes that people will see this person and immediately go to our web...

“The core of influencer marketing lies in building a solid relationship to ensure mutual value creation” — Dr. Konstanze Alex Brown

We’ll continue to explore the data behind influencer marketing this week. Last week, one lesson learned was that influencer effectiveness is tied to authenticity and trustworthiness.

It’s about relationships.

Influencer marketing has become a prominent feature in social media. As younger generations migrate away from traditional television viewing, companies, and advertising agencies are leveraging social media to connect with new and existing audiences. One of the challenges today is through ad blocking and the ability to skip commercials, social media users don’t want to be bothered with direct sales and marketing. Enter the social media influencer. Social media influencers are that bridge or intermediary between consumers and brands.

In this article series, I am moving away from a more “populist” conversation on influencers to look at some research instead. There’s the hype or mythology of influencers, and then there’s data. I’m more interested in what the numbers from research say.

Influencer Marketing 101: The Role of Influencers — URTHTREK Influencer marketing has become a prominent feature in social media. As younger generations migrate away from traditional television viewing, companies, and advertising agencies are leveraging social media to connect with new and existing audiences. Enter the social media influencer. Social media in

What exactly is an influencer, and how are brands using them? First, an influencer is a person with the ability to influence potential buyers of a product or service by promoting or recommending the items on social media.

There's a lot of hype surrounding influencers, including misinformation about effective influencer marketing. I'm excited to dive into this topic this week and share more. You might be surprised who the most effective influencers are ...

2023 was a crazy-busy year for me. On top of going back to school for another Master’s degree (in social media), I reacquired Loam Coffee Roasters, on top of teaching full-time, and getting Trail Builder Magazine off the ground with our first print issues. It was a year of DOING. As a result, I took a break from our Startup Entrepreneur Interview series. I’m happy to announce ... it’s back!

As I’ve been connecting with entrepreneurs on social media, we’re growing a good queue of these interviews. The focus? Not only to let you hear startup stories of people like you and me working hard to get our ideas off the ground but also those specifically who’ve created products and launched services related to outdoor adventure and lifestyle brands and who are all-around creatives. Without delay, I’m excited to share this following interview with Deed Ziegler of RecPak. Let’s jump into this.

Read more: https://bit.ly/49abmcf

Interestingly, most business owners and non-profit leaders I talk with don’t like social media. While they know it is essential for their brand to grow its awareness and generate sales, interest, signups, etc., there’s a growing allergy to social media. As a result, most will post randomly without any plan or strategy. However, they’re missing out on the best of what it means to be on social media. Here’s why a strategy is essential …

Why Not Having a Social Media Strategy is Hurting Your Brand — URTHTREK Interestingly, most business owners and nonprofit leaders I talk with don’t like social media. While they know it is essential for their brand to grow its awareness and generate sales, interest, signups, etc., there’s a growing allergy to social media. As a result, most will post randomly withou...

Social media is a powerful tool to not only spread the message of your brand but meaningfully connect and engage with your audience. It's more than a "flex metric," but instead an incredible platform to be ... social.

Are you using social media strategically?

How do you land on a startup idea? When there are endless ideas and opportunities around … how can you cut through the noise and pick one? Does it feel overwhelming? Rest assured. You’re a lot closer than you realize.

Finding Your Flow was written as a guidebook to help you navigate the terrain of startups. More importantly, to help you uncover your own journey.

Sign up for our newsletter to receive the first three chapters of Finding Your Flow: https://bit.ly/39z9prU

Many would-be entrepreneurs struggle to land on a startup idea and know-how to launch a brand. We offer a curriculum and provide a coach who walks you through the process so you can launch a startup where you enjoy the freedom of doing something that you’re good at, interested in, and passionate about.

What Can You Expect from Our Startup Coaching — URTHTREK Many would-be entrepreneurs struggle to land on a startup idea and know-how to launch a brand. We offer a curriculum and provide a coach who walks you through the process so you can launch a startup where you enjoy the freedom of doing something that you’re good at, interested in, and passionate a...

In the world of startups, there’s an enormous variance in the kinds of businesses or non-profits people are launching. Unfortunately, when we hear or see “startup,” we often think about a VC-backed tech startup in the Bay Area or something along those lines. Most startups are actually “normal” … a landscaping company, immigrants opening a restaurant, a coffee shop, or even the women we see in our neighborhood walking and pulling a cooler full of hot tamales to sell.

So, what are the motives of people who venture out to launch their own startup?

Why Do People Really Launch Their Own Startup? — URTHTREK There continues to be what I call the “mythology of startups” that only elevates the intimidation factor for those thinking about startups. One of those myths is motives. Many naively assume that money or greed is the primary motivating factor for launching a startup. While obviously generating ...

New Year's Resolutions come in all shapes and sizes. Some people love them, write them down, and work hard to stick to them throughout the year. Others may be dismissive of them. In the end, goals are helpful as they provide a focus and a trajectory. Whether you call them resolutions or goals, what are you aiming to accomplish next year? Maybe this is the year to act on that startup idea that has been swirling in your mind and in your heart. Feeling apprehensive or even a bit afraid is normal. That's why we need goals to pull us forward.

Do you feel stuck in an unfulfilling job or career? Are there dreams that you’ve yet to pursue? What if you could launch a startup that is fulfilling, adventurous, and generates the income you want and need?

Many would-be entrepreneurs struggle to land on a startup idea and know-how to launch a brand. We offer a curriculum and provide a coach who walks you through the process so you can launch a startup where you enjoy the freedom of doing something that you're good at, interested in, and passionate about.

Learn more: https://bit.ly/2Rd4iYZ

One of the crucial exercises in clarifying your target audience is to develop a client statement. The client statement is the “for whom” of your brand; it identifies the members of your target population and the basic strategies you will employ to reach them. In one sentence, articulate whom your company is intended for, using the following questions as a guide:

• Whom have you identified as the target population of your brand?
• What needs have they stated to you?
• What activities and subsector are they engaged in?
• Where are they located?
• How will you reach them?

Who’s your target audience? In one sentence, articulate whom your business or non-profit is intended for, using the following questions as a guide:

• Whom have you identified as the target population of your brand?
• What needs have they stated to you?
• What activities and subsector are they engaged in?
• Where are they located?
• How will you reach them?

When it comes to social media, what is your desired marketing goal? What is the action that you want your audience to take? Are you trying to (a) increase awareness about your brand? (b) sell a specific product; (c) get people to register for your email list; (d) get more engagement on posts; (e) drive traffic to a blog or website; or (f) do you have a different marketing objective?

Social media targeting can make or break a business. Many products and brands can reach a large audience, but knowing the nuances about who will engage with your product or brand helps create a significant, lasting following and customer base.

"A large social-media presence is important because it's one of the last ways to conduct cost-effective marketing. Everything else involves buying eyeballs and ears. Social media enables a small business to earn eyeballs and ears." - Guy Kawasaki, Chief Evangelist, Canva

What is your strategy to use social media effectively to grow your brand?

Here's a social media exercise you can do to help you figure out how to gain traction:

1️⃣ Develop three social media posts and test them against one another. Experiment with different formats ... photos vs. infographics vs. videos, etc.
2️⃣ Then describe why you used them … your goal, target audience, etc., and any call-to-actions (CTAs)?
3️⃣What kind of content can you create that is shareable?

The insights you can gain will help you determine what content to post and when.

Do you believe you can grow your social media account? While many point out that social media followers are simply a vanity metric, what if you viewed them as individuals? Each follower represents a person interested in your brand. The more people you can connect with and serve, the better. They are not numbers. They are people who care enough to follow along and have you show up in their feed.

How important is social media (follower) growth for you and your brand?

Some consider social media followers as a vanity metric. However, what would happen if you doubled, tripled, or quadrupled the number of followers for your brand? What kind of impact would that make?

"Get in where you fit in and then focus on that platform." - John Lawson, Best-Selling Author and Speaker

As a brand, you don't need to be on every social media platform. You shouldn't. Not all platforms are equal for each brand. When deciding which platform to lean into, the most critical question is: What platform(s) is your target audience on?

Your job as a marketer or social media manager/strategist is to give people a reason to involve others, not just tell them what to do. What kind of content drives engagement in your niche and is appealing enough for others to willingly share (without being asked to)?