No marketing strategy today is complete without a social media component. As social media continues to be a major way companies reach their target audiences, influencer-infused marketing campaigns for new products and services will become much more common.
However, companies would be remiss to assume that simply partnering with a popular influencer is enough to sway consumers to purchase. Below, 16 Forbes Business Council members share how companies can effectively leverage influencers in their marketing while ensuring it feels genuine and natural to their customers.
1. Focus On Alignment
Leveraging influencers should feel like a natural fit, not a forced partnership. A partnership with influencers who are already engaged with your industry, audience and mission makes the most sense. Their following doesn’t have to be in the millions (or even hundreds of thousands) if they are reaching the right people and are aligned with your brand. Don’t overthink it. – Blake Patterson, INMO
2. Consider The Platform
The platform matters just as much as the message. For example, what works in a mobile game won’t land the same way on YouTube or on a desktop. It’s the same with influencers. Brands should think platform-first, not just creator-first. Focus on understanding how people behave where you’re showing up. If it feels native to the platform, it will feel natural to the audience. – Zain Jaffer, Zain Ventures
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3. Tap Into Current Users
If you want influencers without reeking of desperation, partner with creators who’d use your stuff unpaid. Bin those scripts because they are as natural as a politician’s smile. Prioritize building relationships that last longer than celebrity marriages. Be transparent, as customers smell marketing hogwash from 12 counties away. They’ll respect honesty more than your team’s feeble attempts at subtlety. – David Zybin, MarketMagnetix Media Group
4. View Influencers As Ambassadors
Influencers are storytellers, not salespeople. Brands should view them as ambassadors who help convey their narrative, not simply promote products. The most effective influencers weave brand messages into content naturally, creating an authentic connection. Avoid heavy-handed messaging by following the 90/10 rule, where 90% is value-driven content and 10% is brand promotion. – Joe Trusty, Pool Magazine
5. Prioritize Credibility
Influencer marketing isn’t a one-size-fits-all strategy. In industries like law, authenticity matters more than promotion. Lawyers can become influencers themselves by consistently providing value, building trust and showcasing expertise. Clients respond to credibility, not hype, so influence must be earned through reputation rather than borrowed from others. – JC Serrano, 1000Attorneys.com
6. Partner With Industry Thought Leaders
We’ve managed a few influencer marketing campaigns, and the observation has been that relevance beats reach every time. What works best is partnering with influencers who are actual thought leaders in your industry, even if their audience is smaller. That kind of alignment feels more organic to customers and resonates with authenticity, which is what truly drives impact. – Al Sefati, Clarity Digital, LLC
7. Seek Trusted Community Voices
Influencers aren’t just promo tools—they’re also gateways to real communities. If you’re entering a new space, work with voices the community already trusts. Make it a partnership, not an ad, by letting their personality shape the campaign’s image. You’re borrowing their voice and reputation, so do your homework and research. Audiences follow people, not placements. – Andrey Insarov, it.com Domains
8. Craft A Consistent Brand Narrative
Control your narrative to maintain brand consistency. Educate influencers on your messaging and tone, and provide talking points so they can integrate them into their storyline and style. This collaboration will help align content with your brand and leverage the trust the audience has with the influencer without sacrificing credibility. – Parna Sarkar-Basu, Brand and Buzz Consulting, LLC.
9. Treat Them Like True Partners
Honestly, the best results come when you treat influencers as true partners, not just a quick marketing spend. Bring them into your product launches, ask for their feedback and keep the dialogue open. When influencers feel genuinely invested in your brand, their content resonates on a whole different level because your customers can sense that authenticity. – Daniel Levy, GovernmentOfficeFurniture.com
10. Develop An Influencer Advisory Panel
Create an advisory panel made up of all or many of your influencers. Solicit their advice on ideas or ask how they view the performance and results of your organization. Their feedback can be useful and insightful, and they may allow you to cite their participation on your panel or provide feedback that can be referenced. If done properly, this process will be genuine and natural. – Stephen M. Paskoff, ELI [Employment Learning Innovations, Inc.]
11. Allow Influencers To Strategize
We implement “SEO Strategy Inclusion” where influencers help develop content strategies, not just promote them. We invite them to planning sessions before launch, incorporating their audience insights into keyword strategies. This transforms them from promoters to co-strategists with skin in the game. Their audiences receive genuinely valuable content, resulting in higher engagement. – Oleg Levitas, Pravda SEO Inc, Real Results SEO Inc.
12. Co-Create Dedicated Product Lines
One of the most effective approaches I’ve seen in recent years is when brands go beyond traditional sponsorships and collaborate with influencers to co-create dedicated product lines. Instead of simply hiring influencers to promote existing products, companies involve them as creative partners, from ideation and design to launch and marketing. – Michael Freitag, CRITCH
13. Grant Influencers Creative Freedom
In my experience leading digital campaigns, the key is giving influencers creative freedom. Customers can sense when a partnership is forced. Brands should focus on choosing creators who already align with their values, then trust them to deliver the message in a way that feels natural to their audience. – Andrew Lopez, 1000 Media
14. Be Authentic
Put authenticity first! We seek true brand alignment, giving influencers creative freedom to share their genuine experiences. Transparency is key, as clear partnership disclosures build trust. Long-term relationships with real advocates yield the most natural and impactful results. – Victoria Marshall, Erase.com
15. Consider Micro-Influencers
Focus on micro-influencers for higher engagement and trust. They tend to have more engaged, loyal audiences who trust their opinions. Instead of coming off like an ad, the message feels like a genuine recommendation from a friend. That personal touch drives better engagement and builds brand credibility in a way big-name influencers often can’t match. – Sabeer Nelliparamban, Tyler Petroleum Inc.
16. Remain Purpose-Driven
One of the most overlooked ways to leverage the power of influencer marketing and reach is through a purpose-driven, philanthropic-focused marketing campaign. This not only positions the influencers in good faith and boosts their credibility and trustworthiness, but also enhances the business’s PR and credibility. Consider starting a public nonprofit to stand out as a purpose-driven business. – Sidhartha Peddinti, Law and Tax Consulting
