The term Influencer is a relatively new marketing phrase which means a person who can influence potential buyers by promoting products or services on social media.
However, in a more general sense ‘influencers’ have been around for a lot longer when it comes to the promotion of brands. In the 1950s Joan Crawford said ‘Royal Cola tastes the best’ and everyone ran out and bought it.
This kind of marketing can be a very effective way to boost your brand visibility and reach your target audience, but it must only be done after careful research and consideration. Here are my top 6 steps you can take to collaborate with influencers in your industry.
Identify
The most important step is to research prospective influencers. If an influencer has reached out to you, don’t just accept because they made the offer. You need to ensure that a prospective influencer aligns with your business, communicates with your target audience and shares your brand values. You also need to ensure that your chosen influencer has a good engaged following and a proven track record of producing quality content.
Build Relationships
Now you have identified some potential influencers take some time to build a relationship with them by:
- Following them on social media
- Liking or Loving their content
- Sharing their content
- Leaving thoughtful comments
- Starting genuine conversations to establish a connection (not diving straight in with an offer to collaborate)
Reach Out
Once you have taken some time to build a rapport, it is time to reach out to your chosen influencer or influencers. You have taken the time to get to know them so personalise your approach…mention some of your favourite posts or pieces of content and outline why you think a collaboration would be beneficial, based on what you know about their values.
Join the NoLimits Business Community
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But the benefits of joining our NoLimits business community don’t stop there. By becoming part of our community, you’ll have the opportunity to connect with other business owners, share insights and ideas, and build valuable relationships that will help your business thrive. Don’t miss out on this amazing opportunity to supercharge your business and join us today!
Proposal
Don’t forget that being an influencer is a commercial enterprise. Ensure your proposal includes the value you can offer. The more established the influencer the more this value will need to be. Free products or services are unlikely to cut it for influencers with an established following. Propose some ideas for collaborations to create excitement; consider giveaways, sponsored events or trips.
Negotiate and Sign
Ensure that the terms of your agreement are clearly set out and signed by both parties. You should have goals and specific metrics you want to achieve. Discuss and agree the scope of the project; deliverables, timelines and any compensation that has been agreed.
Test and Measure
You’ll hear Test and Measure a lot from ActionCOACH it is one of our key mantras! Track the performance of your influencer campaign. Measure the metrics you agreed which could include engagement, reach, followers, website traffic, enquiries or sales. From this data, you will know how successful your campaign was and be able to plan the next one.
Finally, remember to nurture your relationships with your influencers, express appreciation for their work and think about opportunities for the future. A great influencer relationship between parties with shared vision and goals can be very profitable, but beware the wrong influencer can cause untold damage to your brand.
If you need help collaborating with others in your area or industry why not pop a post into the Feed where you will find like-minded business owners and entrepreneurs.
By Duncan McKechnie
Join the NoLimits Business Community
Are you a business owner looking to take your business to the next level? Join our innovative community of like-minded professionals and gain access to a wealth of valuable resources, including a community portal to chat with other business owners, ebooks, business development software, and growth events that will transform the way you do business. Best of all, these resources are completely free and will be available to you forever.
But the benefits of joining our NoLimits business community don’t stop there. By becoming part of our community, you’ll have the opportunity to connect with other business owners, share insights and ideas, and build valuable relationships that will help your business thrive. Don’t miss out on this amazing opportunity to supercharge your business and join us today!