International marketing
Influencer Partnerships or Google Marketing: Which Comes First?
Reaching someone who is new to your product and someone who is already looking for it
When you start looking for ways to attract international customers, you are likely to hear several proposals. If people first need to understand what makes your product appealing, an influencer partnership may be worth considering. If they are already searching for something you offer, Google marketing may be the place to start.
You might want to try both. Once you have to set a budget, though, the question becomes more immediate: what does your brand need first?
At BlinkAd, we would start by imagining two potential customers. One does not yet know what your product is. The other is already looking for something similar. The brand is the same, but the work needed to reach each person is different.
Introducing your product through an influencer partnership
Suppose you want to promote a craft workshop in Korea. Someone coming across it for the first time may learn little from the workshop's name alone. They need to see what they can make, what the experience involves and whether it is something they would enjoy adding to their trip.
A creator's content can help explain that experience. Showing someone taking part gives viewers both the business name and a reason to consider visiting. If your product needs that introduction, you have a clearer reason for spending on sponsored content.
Choosing a creator takes more than checking their nationality. Who watches their content, and are those viewers the customers you want to attract? Consider where the audience is based, whether the timing fits their plans to visit Korea and whether they understand the language used. This is how a broad request to “reach more international customers” becomes a specific plan for introducing a product.
Using Google to reach customers who are already searching
Now imagine that the second customer has already decided to try a craft workshop. They are searching for one near where they are staying. What they can make still matters, but the location and how to take part are more immediate questions.
To introduce your workshop to that person, your business information needs to appear in relevant searches. Google offers ads related to what people search for, while Search and Maps help people find nearby businesses. Preparing accurate business information, product descriptions in the customer's language and a way to get in touch may therefore be the first work to budget for.
People who have never heard of your brand may already be looking for the service you provide. An unfamiliar brand does not always need to begin with influencer content. If people are searching for the product, you can also consider how to introduce your business within those searches.
Some people may inquire as soon as they see sponsored content. Others may become interested in an unfamiliar brand while searching. The point is to identify what is missing first: a clear explanation of the product, or useful business information that reaches people already looking for it.
Compare proposals for the same product and customer
This distinction matters when you compare quotes. One agency might propose an influencer partnership to introduce the whole brand, while another proposes ads to secure bookings for a particular service. Price alone will not tell you which is the better fit, because the two proposals are doing different jobs.
Ask both providers to work from the same product and target customer. An influencer proposal can then explain which scenes would show the product's appeal. A Google proposal can explain the locations and searches in which the business would be promoted. You can then judge which proposal addresses the work you currently need.
If the budget will not cover both, you can start with the task you need most and agree when to add the next. However, deciding that a product needs explaining is different from establishing that people are searching for it. A proposal to prioritize search should show what customers are looking for, in which location and language. That is also why the same budget split will not suit every brand.
Helping interest from sponsored content lead to a visit
If you use both channels, the product in the content needs to match what customers find when they plan a visit. Suppose a creator shows an experience at one branch, but a subsequent search brings up information for another. An interested customer then has to work out where to go. Agree on each provider's responsibilities so the content and official information describe the same product and direct people to the same contact details.
When we help an owner plan an initial budget, we want to clarify the product to promote, the customers to attract and where those customers would visit or buy. Seeing those points together makes it easier to decide whether you first need to explain the product to new people or help people who are already looking find your business.
At BlinkAd, we help businesses manage Google Search, Maps and content for international customers. Send us the product you want to promote, your target customers and links to your current social accounts, website and business listing. We can then discuss what your brand needs to do first.