Introduction
There are only so many different kinds of posts to create. The creativity may be there, and frequency, timing, and all the factors may be accounted for, so why are some posts not getting as much interaction as other competitors in the industry?
Especially true for ecommerce companies today, it is out of the question whether or not there is online marketing to be done, but where it must be done to gain the best results.
A step further than placement now creates the need for earning the attention of influencers and convincing them to share the company’s content. An effective way to amplify the content or a specific product being pushed is through making a highly targeted influencer marketing strategy. Although incredibly effective, influencer marketing is not without its own obstacles. Statistically, 75% of marketers consider finding influencers that are fitting for the role the most challenging part of this strategy. This article will guide through steps in order to find influencers and build connections that will in turn help grow your brand.
Step One: Who are you targeting?
As with other forms of marketing, it is important to know who is being targeted when the strategy for finding an influencer is being formed. For example, a health guru may not be the best option for marketing car detailing products and so on. Finding who it is that should be targeted will also help refine the search for qualified influencers. If you have multiple audiences, it may be necessary to find multiple influencers to target different demographics. In this case, focus on the top selling audience first, and continue on from here.
Step Two: Research the Niche
There are many tools that have been created in order to help connect influencers with brands for this exact reason. Here are a few:
Buzzsumo
Buzzsumo is an influencer program suite that creates space for companies to find, follow, converse with and analyze influencer data. The platform has a search engine that helps find influencers that fit the targeted audience for a specific brand and get in touch with them by narrowing in on topics, locations, and additional tools that all work to make the connections more seamless for both sides. Buzzsumo is great for finding influencers on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.
Hootsuite
Much like Buzzsumo, Hootsuite is a great way to find relevant influencers in the industry especially on Twitter. This application is actually free and works to use search streams to discover these influencers by tracking relevant conversations to signified keywords. The Twitter list can be made through the platform and then easily saved into a stream that is easy to monitor.
Although there are many niche platforms to find influencers on, a simple Google search is a great way to begin. By looking for topics relevant to the industry it is likely that Reddit threads, Linkedin groups, popular blogs, or even websites that are frequented by the targeted audience will show up. This is how research can come into play when digging in to discover who the influencers are, what they are sharing on a regular basis, and how this can be leveraged to help grow a brand through partnership.
Now that there is more clarity on how to find relevant influencers to a specific brand or industry, we will outline some ways to get in touch with them to actually create a successful campaign.
Step Three: Connecting With Influencers
Reaching out Professionally
When contacting influencers for a potential partnership, the last thing that should happen is to repel them with initial overzealousness. Liking every photo they have on Instagram dating back to 2015 or retweeting every tweet is a good way to garner attention, but also a bad way to start off a professional partnership. Instead, try to come off less as an overeager sales associate and more professional and down to earth. Creating a human connection is a great way to win over a prospective influencer. It is also key to remember to use any connections that were already made in your network to better chances of a good introduction through common ground.
Joining a Relevant Online Chat Room
There are many conversations happening on the internet through many different platforms at all times. Influencers for any niche on any social media are likely to participate in these chat spaces that include Reddit, Linkedin Groups, Webinars, etc. Along with these examples, Twitter is a great place to begin the search for online chat groups. There are actually conversations on Twitter that occur at the same time every week, organized by a common hashtag.
For instance, #SmallBizChat takes place every Wednesday at 8pm EST. With Twitter chats like this, there is typically a moderator that keeps things in the conversation moving. A benefit of participating in these events are not only to learn more about the niche, but so that influencers in the chat learn the Twitter handle associated with the company. It is more likely for them to choose to work with a brand they recognize than to have a random associate message them for a partnership. Here is a list of Twitter chats and when they occur to help kick off this process.
Tracking Outreach
It is a part of the outreach process to keep in order and track who has been reached out to and what has been said. Being organized is an essential moving part that helps ensure that no influencer is overburdened on multiple platforms with multiple messages or on the other side of things- forgotten about. Keeping track of dates, times, methods, and a brief recollection of the interaction will help make sure that progress is made and relationships are built accordingly.
Conclusion
Within an industry, influencers put in tremendous amounts of work creating content and keeping up to date in order to maintain their position as a leader inside of a niche. Creating a partnership with influencers therefore helps get any message, promotion, or campaign in front of the right audience and heighten the ability for conversions and quality leads.
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