This week we wanted to highlight a growing phenomenon in the Marketing space; influencers. The value influencers provide to any given business is largely impacting growth in a positive way. An influencer promotes a brand or business through their own social media platforms and allows the reach of a brand to be extended to their network in addition to the existing reach of their own business.
To talk about the impact influencer marketing is having on today’s marketing environment, we are talking to Sammi Cohen, Associate Marketing Manager of Influencer & Social at Fifth Season in Pittsburgh, PA. We’ll discuss how pivotal the addition of bringing on influencers has been to her brand and what makes a great influencer.
Alexis: What is the product you sell/represent?
Sammi: We sell super fresh leafy greens and pre-made salad kits. You canfind us at a number of grocery stores(i.e. Giant Eagle, Kroger, Lidl, etc.) and if you’re local to Pittsburgh,you canorder our salads onlinefor delivery right to your door.
Alexis: Why is influencer marketing so important?
Sammi: Influencer Marketing is so powerful–especially in a social media driven world. By partnering with an influencer who aligns with your brand, you’re able to amplify your awareness and reach on social media by tapping into their audience.
In our everyday lives, many of us turn to influencers for product reviews and recommendations before we make a purchase. Their opinions are highly regarded, so it’s crucial that partnerships between a brand and an influencer are authentic, thoughtful, and strategic. A successful partnership can unlock an increase in awareness, reach, consideration, engagement, and conversions. If you’re on the hunt to activate the entire marketing funnel with one tactic—here is your answer!
Alexis: What success have you seen from the addition of influencer marketing?
Sammi: Not only have we been able to forge relationships with 60+ influencers, we’ve also seen a direct impact on our engaged audience and online sales. We track our consumer sentiment, too, and love when we get DMs from fans trying out our salads because they saw an influencer post about it.
Alexis: How do you determine who is a good influencer to represent your brand identity?
Sammi: Our team has done a great job in conducting consumer research to ensure we are meeting the needs of our customers. I make sure that folks we partner with fit into those consumer personas by vetting their social platforms. My number one priority is to seek alignment in our values.
Alexis: What has been one of your favorite projects or campaigns that you’ve worked on?
Sammi: I’m most proud of an influencer activation campaign that I lead in partnership with the Pittsburgh Penguins. We invited 10 influencers to attend a Penguins game in our suite filled with salads, swag, and photo opportunities. This was particularly special to me because I got the chance to meet everyone in person (not behind a phone or computer screen) and they were all a joy to hang out with. This was also a great time for the influencers to mingle with each other, too. They all crushed it with the social media content so the brand was flush with tons of great UGC, and it was such a fun night!
Alexis: What is your favorite part of your job?
Sammi: I love being able to cultivate relationships with all of the influencers I work with. They are all so unique and talented.
We cannot thank Sammi and the Fifth Season team enough for providing their experiences and expertise on the influencer marketing space with us. Make sure to give them a followon Instagram!