Influencer Marketing 101: Effortless Approach To Influencers

Introduction

Influencer marketing is not just about collaborations. Your business depends on how you approach, greet, and receive your brand influencers. While approaching a person is not an easy task, whether it is for personal or business purposes, it becomes even more difficult when the person whom you want to approach is an influencer.

An influencer is somebody who has a large number of followers on social media and who wields a great deal of influence over them. As a result, they have the power to make or break your product.

Therefore, it is of utmost importance that you know how to approach them in the right way so that they can help you in promoting your product. Here are 10 ways to approach an influencer for marketing purposes:

Influencer Marketing #1. Do Your Prep Work

The first and most important step is to do your research and prep work. You need to identify the right influencers who would be interested in your product and have a large following that is relevant to your target audience.

Once you have identified them, you need to study their social media channels and see what kind of content they usually share. This will give you an idea about the kind of approach you need to take. And not only this but do not forget to check their follower consistency. This is especially because of the increase in the bot followers, which are of no use to you or your brand.

There might be thousands, even millions of influencers out there, but consistency and reputation are entirely THE factors to consider when looking for an influencer to do your bid on influencer marketing. Here are a few ground rules when looking for an influencer:

a. There should be a good mix of content (photos, videos, blog posts)

b. Regular updates

c. Responsiveness to questions and comments from followers

d. Average likes and comments on each post

e. ABI (average number of followers that the influencer has about the number of people that he/she follows) should be greater than 1

Influencer Marketing #2. Build a Rapport

The next step in building influencer marketing is to build a rapport with the influencer. This can be done by engaging with their content and commenting on it regularly. You can also share their content on your own social media channels.

When you do this, the influencer will start to notice you and will be more likely to respond positively when you approach them. If you are a bigger brand, you can also consider sponsoring their content.

Here is some advice on how to approach an influencer for your influencer marketing purposes: “Find their interests outside of their niche and offer content that speaks to those interests. For example, if they love fashion, share your latest fashion campaign with them.”

Influencer Marketing #3. Make It Personal

When you contact an influencer, make sure that your message is personal and tailored to them. They should be able to see that you have taken the time to learn about them and their work. You can do this in different ways. An email, guest post, or even a social media message can be personalized to an influencer.

Your message should also be clear and concise, and it should explain what you want from them and how they can help your brand.

How to write a perfect outreach message:

Let’s take a look at what should be included in an outreach message:

a. Introduction – Start with a brief introduction of yourself and your brand.

b. Compliment – Compliment the influencer on their work and tell them how much you enjoy their content.

c. Explain how you can help each other – Tell the influencer how working with you can benefit them.

d. Ask for what you want – Be specific about what you want from the influencer and how they can help your brand.

e. Thank them for their time – End your message by thanking the influencer for their time and considering your request.

Example of a perfect outreach message:

If you are a fashion brand, your message might look something like this:

Hi {Influencer Name},

I’m {Your Name}, the founder of {Your Brand}. I love your fashion sense and how you put together different looks. I’ve been following your blog for a while now and I’m impressed with your work.

I’m reaching out to you because I think we can help each other out. I think your followers would love our new collection of summer dresses, and in return, we would be happy to give you a commission on every sale that you generate.

What do you think? If you’re interested, I’d be happy to send you some more information.

Thanks for your time,

{Your Name}

Influencer Marketing #4. Offer Something of Value

Influencer marketing is not just about greeting and meeting your influencers. As cruel as this may sound, influencers have a fair amount of value in the market to mow or grow your business instantly. When you reach out to an influencer, you must offer them something of value. This could be in the form of a discount on your product or early access to it. Freebies are also a great way to get them to make a review or haul videos on your products.

You could also offer to send them some free samples so that they can try out your product and write an honest review of it.

Influencer Marketing #5. Hire An Agency

If you don’t have the time or resources to contact influencers yourself, you can always hire an influcer marketing agency to do it for you.

An influencer marketing agency will have a database of influencers that they can contact on your behalf. They will also be able to negotiate favorable terms and conditions for you. This is relatively easier and time-saving because you will have an expert team working on it.

If you are looking for an agency that will help you with influencer marketing, we suggest that you check out our services at 12 Channels. Give us a call today and get a free consultation with our marketing experts. Your business is our priority. We’ll spend time understanding your needs and wants, then put together an effective plan to help you grow! Our team of dedicated professionals will manage marketing campaigns while working within any budget – so all services are tailored just right for each client’s unique situation.

Influencer Marketing #6. Use Social Media Tools

There are several social media tools that you can use to find and contact influencers. These tools will help you to save time and effort when searching for influencers.

Some of the most popular social media tools include:

a. BuzzSumo – This tool allows you to search for content and influencers by keyword.

b. Followerwonk – This tool helps you to find and connect with influencers on Twitter.

c. Inkybee – This tool allows you to search for influencers by topic, location, or language.

d. Klear – This tool provides you with a database of over 1 million influencers.

e. Little Bird – This tool allows you to find influencers by topic or interest.

Influencer Marketing #7. Use LinkedIn

LinkedIn stands out as an exceptional platform to identify and engage with influencers. Leveraging the search function enables you to pinpoint individuals of note within your industry or niche, while engaging with LinkedIn groups and actively participating in discussions can be a valuable means of forging relationships with influencers and augmenting your profile.

Influencer Marketing #8. Attend Events

Another great way to connect with influencers is to attend events that they are speaking at. This will allow you to network with them and get to know them better.

You can also use this opportunity to pitch your product or service to them. If they are impressed, they may be willing to write about it or promote it to their followers. There are several events that you can attend, such as conferences, meetups, and trade shows. And on top of that, it will also be beneficial to your networking strategy if you are sponsoring an event. I.e If you are looking to get the attention of influencers, you could sponsor an event that they are speaking at. This will ensure that your brand is front and center when they are promoting the event.

It will also give you the chance to have one-on-one time with them, which would be beneficial to building a relationship.

Influencer Marketing #9. Get introduced

In the event that you possess an acquaintance who maintains ties with an individual of influence, it would be beneficial to inquire of them to act as an intermediary to introduce you. This avenue represents the most efficacious means of establishing contact with an influencer, as they are more liable to acknowledge the overtures of a familiar individual.

Moreover, the influencer in question would be predisposed to evince greater interest in your proposition, being apprised of the fact that the intermediary is someone they know and have faith in. This exercise may also be construed as a form of networking, a strategic endeavor that holds the potential to furnish advantages of utility to you in future career or entrepreneurial projects.

Influencer Marketing #10. Be Persistent

When endeavoring to establish a connection with an influencer for your influencer marketing campaign, it is of utmost significance to maintain steadfastness in your approach. Influencers, being individuals of considerable repute and influence, are oftentimes inundated with numerous messages, thereby rendering it arduous to attend to each message instantaneously.

In the event that you fail to elicit a response from them, it would be judicious to reinitiate communication after a few weeks have elapsed. Furthermore, it would be advantageous to augment your attempts by engaging with their content on social media platforms, thereby showcasing your genuine interest in their work.

By adhering to these strategies, you will be able to proffer your pitch in a manner that resonates with the influencer, thereby securing their endorsement and facilitating the promotion of your product or service.

More Influencers, More Merrier

Should the pursuit of an extensive influencer marketing initiative be a goal of yours, it would be of the utmost benefit to your brand to cultivate a network of diverse influencers. The advantages of engaging with multiple influencers are manifold, as detailed below:

1. The potential to extend your reach is amplified, as each influencer commands a distinct following.

2. This strategy yields a greater quantity of content, as a greater number of individuals contribute to its creation.

3. The ability to harness a broad range of feedback and ideas from diverse sources is another key benefit.

4. Establishing relationships with multiple individuals within your industry enables you to foster a larger network of professional affiliations.

5. Each influencer possesses unique insights and skills, affording you the opportunity to learn from their expertise.

However, it is crucial to bear in mind that not every influencer will be well-suited to your brand. Research is indispensable in identifying suitable candidates to partner with. Building a rapport with your influencers is paramount, as this lays the groundwork for a mutually beneficial partnership. Furthermore, automating aspects of the process can serve to conserve time and streamline operations.

Influencer Marketing With 12 Channels

As discussed previously, 12 Channels represents a highly felicitous platform for your influencer marketing campaigns. Allow us to explicate upon the manifold advantages of utilizing 12 Channels:

1. It serves as a highly economical method for contacting influencers, as you are solely liable to remunerate for the tangible results achieved.
2. With 12 Channels, you are bestowed with the facility to accurately monitor the progression of your campaign, enabling you to discern its efficacy.
3. The scalability of your campaign is facilitated with unparalleled expeditiousness and efficiency via 12 Channels.
4. 12 Channels bestows upon you absolute dominion over your campaign, providing you with the liberty to effectuate changes at your discretion.
5. The unparalleled universality of 12 Channels ensures that you have access to influencers from across the globe, amplifying the reach of your campaign.
6. You can harness the versatility of 12 Channels to connect with influencers across an extensive spectrum of industries, rendering it a highly adaptable platform.

I.e, with its unprecedented flexibility and versatility, 12 Channels represents an ideal platform for your marketing exigencies. Whether you opt to integrate a mere duo of channels or partake in a comprehensive, all-encompassing marketing blitz utilizing all 12 channels, the possibilities for brand success are boundless!

Sign up now and get started on your influencer marketing campaign today!

Conclusion

Employing influencer marketing as a means of promoting your product or service is a highly effective strategy. However, it is imperative to exercise discretion in the manner in which you approach potential influencers.

In this guide, we have discussed why social media influencers are important, 10 ways to approach them, and how 12Channels can help you with your influencer marketing or other marketing needs.

We hope that this guide has been helpful and that you will be able to use it to create a successful influencer marketing campaign. Thank you for reading!