Influencer Marketing 101 – How To Get Started

A Social Hour – Speaker Recap

At our social media seminar last week, our own Kenna Krchnavy took the stage to talk about influencer marketing, sparking new ideas and conversations. If you missed it, don’t worry—I’ll recap her slides below!

What Is Influencer Marketing, Anyway?

Influencer marketing is defined as “..a form of social media marketing that involves partnering with individuals who have a significant online following (influencers) to promote a brand, product, or service.”

Why It Works – The Psychology Behind Human Influence

Influencer marketing isn’t just a trend – it works because of basic human psychology. People form parasocial relationships with influencers, meaning they feel like they actually know them, which builds trust. Add in social proof (if others are using it, it must be good), and you can see why influencers have such an impact. As Kenna pointed out, “92% of consumers trust people more than brands” – Nielsen Global Trust in Advertising Report.

More Than Sponsored Posts

Kenna shared that influencer marketing goes way beyond the classic sponsored Instagram post. Partnerships can lead to:

• UGC content brands can reuse
• Raw photo and video assets
• Whitelisted or partnership ads to reach wider audiences
• Alternate creative hooks for testing

It’s not just about one post — it’s about creating versatile content that adds value across channels.

Picking the Right Influencer

One of Kenna’s points was that it’s not about follower count. Instead, she emphasized finding creators who:

• Truly connect with their audience
• Have high engagement
• Share authentic, story-driven content
• Align with your brand values and tone

She also noted that larger lifestyle influencers are often best for reach and awareness, while smaller, niche creators excel at building trust and authority.

How To Get Started with Influencer Marketing

For brands looking to dip their toes in, Kenna suggested starting small—maybe by gifting products or sponsoring a single post. Other tips included:

• Letting creators use their authentic voice
• Giving a clear brief so expectations are set
• Repurposing content to maximize ROI

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Thanks for reading! The conversation doesn’t end here— Whitney and Gavin will be rolling out their recap presentations soon, packed with even more insights from our recent social media seminar. Until then, if you have questions or want to talk to the influencer marketing queen, feel free to reach out to kenna@adshark.com. Toodles!