It Can Be A Lot Of Money To Spend Without A Strategy In Place
When it comes to online marketing, there's a pretty good chance that we can guess what two of your main goals are - to build brand authority and to increase brand awareness. If you're reading our blog, then odds are that you've probably come to the (right) conclusion that of the most effective ways to achieve both is through influencer marketing.
However, there's a right way to do it and there's a wrong way to do it. We've seen plenty of businesses use inappropriate methods to reach out to industry influencers. You could end up burning bridges with some of the most powerful influencers in your industry as a result, thereby blemishing your reputation. Keeping that in mind, you'll want to make sure that you implement influencer marketing that works. In this blog, Hollywood Branded shares insight into how to implement an influencer marketing strategy that works.
What Are Influencers?
First of all, you need to understand what the role of an influencer is. Influencers are individuals within the industry that have a large following within the social media stratosphere, and therefore have a big platform that they can use to "influence" their audience.
By identifying who your industry's influencers are and by building a relationship with them, they can help expose your brand to their audience and drive their followers to act. Their authority as an influencer means that their followers trust them, making it easier for influencers to promote your brand.
Our team has realized that there are two major challenges facing any brand that's trying to employ influencer marketing. Those are:
- Finding influencers that are relevant to their brand and
- Figuring out how to build a meaningful relationship with them.
The following are a few influencer marketing strategies that you will want to use in any influencer marketing campaign strategy.
Identify The Right Influencer
This can actually be a bit more difficult than you might think. For example, you would think that a food critic would be a relevant influencer for a small restaurant, but this might not be true if the food critic only reviews fine dining-type establishments in NYC and you're running a small sandwich shop out of LA. You've got to look for an influencer who operates within your niche of the industry.
Additionally, influencers with the biggest audiences aren't necessarily the best. You're more likely going to have to compete with other brands to get the influencer's attention and they're also likely going to require a greater amount of compensation for their attention.
Courting The Influencer
Immediately reaching out to an influencer isn't generally a good idea. It can come off as a little spammy to do so. If they've never heard of you before, they're also more likely to just ignore you, especially since as an influencer, they're probably being contacted by other brands on a daily basis.
Because of this, it's important that you court the influencer before you engage with them. What exactly does this mean? It means that you should make your presence known so that they know who you are before you reach out. The best way to do this is to start following them on social media and to begin engaging with the content that they post, such as by leaving valuable comments and sharing their content on your page.
By engaging with their content, you're providing them with exposure to your own followers, which they will appreciate. This gives you a good foundation from which you can hopefully build a relationship on.
Engaging The Influencer
Once you've courted the influencer and have made your presence known, it's time to engage them. The easiest way to reach out to them is through direct messages on social media. Don't just blurt out that you want them to mention your brand. Instead, tell them why you follow them and why you love their content. This is enough - you're not trying to advertise your brand or push yourself onto them right away.
In the message, relay that you would like to connect with them and that you will send them a personal email soon. When you send an email, it should be somewhat informal and provide information about your brand, such as a link to your site. Don't tell them what you want from them until they engage with you and express interest. You don't want to come off as a door-to-door salesman, after all.
Be Clear About Your Needs
Know what you want from the influencer ahead of time and determine an appropriate offer for their services. If you're not clear about what you want, you could end up paying for something that's not helpful.
And check out these blogs on influencer marketing that our team wrote to help get you on the right path!
- 7 Secret Social Acronyms Brands Need To Know For Influencer Marketing Posts
- How Much Money Should A Brand Spend On Influencer Marketing
- 3 Brands Show How To Market Mobile Apps Using Influencers
- 3 Examples of Influencer Marketing Gone Wrong
- 4 Reasons To Choose An Influencer Agency Versus Influencer Platform
These are a few tips on influencer marketing that work. Influencer marketing can be extremely effective if done right, which is why you should be sure to contact us at Hollywood Branded for help developing an influencer marketing strategy that suits the specific needs of your brand! And for more tips... check out our Only Guide To Social Influencer Marketing You'll Need, and download it by clicking the image below.
