Influencer marketing is on the rise. So, more brands are booking influencers and creators to collaborate with them.
And with influencers becoming more popular... some brands overlook the most important thing: building relationships with influencers.
It's not just about collaboration anymore. It's more than that. It's about building and maintaining relationships with the creators and influencers you work with.
You'll learn more about it today because we'll discuss...
- What is influencer outreach?
- What are the benefits of working with influencers?
- 5 Steps to smashing your influencer outreach strategy
Let's start with talking about...
What is influencer outreach?
First, let's have a refresher. What is influencer marketing?
It's the process of marketing your products through social media personalities or "influencers." These are people with significant influence and following on social media.
Now, what is influencer outreach?
Influencer outreach is the process of reaching out to your preferred influencers. You need to do it right because first impressions last. And that's one factor if the creator wants to work with you.
But before we get into it, I'm sure you want to know...
3 Benefits of working with influencers
With influencer marketing, you can...
1. Reach the target audience
Collaborating with influencers means you can tap into your target audience you haven't reached yet. This is because they have followers from your niche.
So, collaborating with them means reaching people interested in your brand. And this is a great way to achieve your marketing and business goals. Also, it's essential to...
2. Build relationships
You can build long-lasting relationships with influencers, which benefits them and your business. They have a brand, and you have an influencer to work with. Win-win!
But aside from that, building relationships is essential in any business. And influencers can bring more value to your brand. It's also to...
3. Strengthen the credibility of businesses
Influencers can be a type of social proof. Since they influence their audience, people can trust their recommendations.
If they recommend your products, it can make your business credible. So, are you ready to know the...
5 Steps to smashing your influencer outreach strategy
The first thing you need to do is...
1. Define your goal
This is one of the first things to do in any digital marketing strategy. You need to define what are the goals of your influencer marketing campaign.
Because hear me out... you don't want to launch an outreach campaign and exert an effort to reach out to relevant influencers only to find out they don't align with your goals.
So, define the goal of your campaign. What is it that you want to achieve?
- Do you want to increase your sales?
- Do you want to spread the word about your new product line?
- Do you want to increase brand awareness?
Knowing these will also help the influencers identify if they can cater to your needs. Why? Because some influencers can help you with brand awareness but low sales.
Once you set your goals, you can now start to...
2. Identify influencers for your campaign
Consider this phase a "research" to find the right influencers to work with. You can discover influencers on social media platforms or using influencer marketing tools.
For social media, you can find them using hashtags or through key influencers in the industry. You can also find them by searching for specific keywords related to your niche.
But you don't need to send them a message immediately. Here's what you need to do instead:
First, find prospects and compile your list.
If you have a beauty brand, list all the possible influencers you can work with. Put them in an excel or a spreadsheet so you can have an overview or use influencer outreach tools.
Next, here comes the filtering or "segmenting." It's time to narrow down your prospects. You can make considerations for budget, the number of followers, and if they fit your brand goals.
You might need to opt for micro-influencers if you don't have a huge budget. Or, to increase your reach immediately, you might need to work with an influencer with millions of followers.
Also, make sure they align with your branding. If you have a "fun" and bold brand, find an influencer that can convey your brand message.
So, consider these three when choosing the right influencers to work with. Once you narrow down your choices, you proceed to...
3. Connect with the influencers
Before implementing your influencer outreach campaign... why not connect with them first? This makes your brand look more genuine and thrilled once you offer them a collaboration.
You can start connecting with them on their social media channels by commenting, liking, or anything to engage with their posts. You can also use influencer marketing platforms.
This will make your outreach strategies less business-ish and a bit more personal. Why? Because you are interacting with them not as a brand but on a personal level.
For example, they post a new outfit. You can compliment their style. That will make them happy. And this way, they will notice your brand even before offering them a collaboration.
You can hit the follow button if you don't have time to do this. At least the influencers would know you're interested in their content before working with them.
Again, influencer marketing campaigns aren't limited to collaborations. You need to establish good working relationships, too.
Next, it's time to...
4. Send influencer outreach emails
Having influencer outreach strategies is crucial to ensure you are doing it right. This also includes creating an influencer outreach email template you can send to creators.
But even if you have a template, don't forget to personalize the emails. And it goes beyond using their names to address them.
Here are some things to remember when sending out influencer outreach emails:
- Take note of your influencer campaign goals
- Consider your relationship with the influencer
- Find the right timing
Here are also some things to include in your influencer outreach emails:
- Have a catchy subject line
- Introduce yourself and your company
- Add some personal touch to the email, like compliments or something relatable
- Add the details of the campaign
- Ask for a quotation or their rates
- Mention the deliverables
Here's an example:
Hi, [INFLUENCER'S NAME]!
We are [INTRODUCE YOUR COMPANY].
We love what you're doing on your social media accounts! We love how you talk about [TOPICS], and because of your expertise, we know you're the right fit for our brand.
Our product launch will be on [DATE], and we're looking for influencers who can [GOAL]. So, we'd love to send you some of our products to test out!
We'd love to hear your rates for [DELIVERABLES]. If you're interested, we can discuss this further through a quick call or over email.
We are so excited to see how it goes!
Best,
[YOUR NAME/COMPANY]
You don't need to go all out on giving the information. You can include the basic details, so the influencers know what they need before deciding if they want to move forward.
Once they reply, you can discuss further details with them and the contract. Setting guides and protocols to run the project smoothly is also important.
And last but not least...
5. Measure the results
Once you launch your influencer campaigns, you need to measure the results. It's important to see which strategies worked and which didn't.
Find who are the social media influencers and what content brought in more sales, reach, and engagements. Then identify who you want to work with again on your next campaigns.
Doing so will help you improve your influencer marketing campaigns and get more results.
Take your influencer marketing strategy to the next level with these outreach tips!
Finding the right influencers and knowing how to connect with them properly will help improve your influencer marketing strategy.
These people will help you achieve your goals. So, use these tips to take it to the next level! But wait... there are more things to learn in influencer marketing.
That includes following advertising guidelines, the FTC rules, legalities, drafting a contract, and more... But don't worry! You can...
Llouela Asim
