Influencer marketing has been around for some time now, but social media influencing has gained popularity in the past few years with the rise of social media. Using influencers to promote your business, product, or event has become something of the norm.

You see it all the time without really realizing it. Think of all the Superbowl commercials that feature a celebrity or someone well known. But social media influencing really came into the spotlight recently. One example of how strong social media influencing has become is the Fyre Festival. By using well known Instagram influencers, including Kendall Jenner and Hailey Bieber, along with numerous micro-influencers, Fyre Festival was able to stir up a social media storm, furthering their marketing efforts greatly.

While Fyre Festival is not the best example in terms of outcome, it served a purpose by pointing out how much power influencer marketing actually has.

Want to try your hand at social media influencer marketing? Here are a couple of tips that will will help you start off like a pro.

If it's an Ad, it's an #ad

Make sure that any social media influener posts are marked with either #ad or #advertisment. This was one of the things that Fyre Festival influencers failed upon, meaning that their consumers did not know they were being advertised to. Marking a post as an #ad shows your social media audience that this is a promotion and it saves you from any legality down the road for not being open and honest with your audience.

Does this match?

Any influencer that you partner with should match your brand. Make sure that they match your brand's values and the message you are trying to relay to your brand audience. For example, if you are a food business, you probably don't want to have a tech blogger be an influencer for your brand.

Check everything

It is 100% okay to ask for post examples. This would go a long way in making sure that what is being posted by the influencers is matching the message you are posting for your brand.

So if you're ready to shake up your marketing strategy, try influencer marketing! With these tips, you'll be a pro in no time.

Dani James is a Marketing Specialist and writer for Atwill Media. She has a bachelor’s degree in Strategic Communications from Arkansas State University with focuses in Public Relations, Advertising, and Social Media Management.