Social media has changed our lives in many ways, many of which are beyond our imagination. It affects our buying habits and purchase decisions. Over time, it has also evolved into a new kind of marketing. Nowadays, it’s all about digital marketing or, more specifically, influencer marketing. And this modernized version of digital marketing is remarkably effective.
Quality content is king, or so they say, and the use of it by social media influencers to influence the public is growing by leaps and bounds. But who are these influencers anyway? An influencer can be a social media personality, celebrity, blogger, or industry expert. Social media is a platform that influencers utilize to increase their reach and their influence. By uploading content, both sponsored and not, on Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, Snapchat, and many more emerging platforms, these influencers can establish authority and authenticity.
Influencers have become useful tools in the marketing strategies of business owners. Although we typically see influencers marketing for small and medium businesses, large, big-name businesses have been known to use influencers as well.
Influencer marketing is considered a combination of traditional and modern marketing strategies. A particular celebrity or personality endorses a product or a service using online or modern-day marketing campaigns. This unique type of online marketing creates a mutually beneficial relationship for influencers and brands. For example, a beauty cosmetics blogger with millions of followers tagging a startup lipstick company in a review of their lipsticks creates traction for the business while the influencer benefits from free lipstick.
A 2019 influencer marketing report by MediaKix claimed that 17% of companies allot more than half of their marketing budget to influencer marketing campaigns and that it grows by 5000% each month. Even more astounding, approximately 92% of marketers believe that influencer marketing is the most effective kind at the moment!
Businesses work with influencers to improve their brand recognition. In this day and digital age, it’s crucial to build a successful relationship with at least one influencer because of the sheer number of people on social media. With massive amounts of followers, influencers are considered to have the power, knowledge, and position that affects the decisions of their audience. And their followers care about the opinion of influencers. This dynamic is what drew brands to influencers to begin with. Plus, once a long-term partnership is developed, brands often begin considering the creative ideas of influencers regarding how they incorporate the brand in their content. However, brands can’t fully impose their marketing strategies if it’s not aligned with the branding of the influencers.
To develop and maintain a good reputation, your brand needs to build a good relationship with influencers. News travels fast, and it’s all about content and branding these days. So, how do you go about it? Where do you start? Based on my experiences, I’m sharing insider tips on how to build relationships with influencers. Let’s get into it.
How to Build Relationships with Influencers
Whether it’s a short-term or long-term collaboration, setting a good relationship with influencers can help you gain more benefits like authentic endorsements, sustainable brand recognition, and consistent market user engagement. Here are the tips that will help you build relationships with influencers.
Identify Influencers in Your Industry
To get to your target audience, you have to know how to find the best people to help you build brand awareness. In looking for influencers in your industry, consider the following steps:
- Specify your branding objective. Outline what you want to establish through brand awareness and brand identity.
- Know your marketing objective. Set an influencer marketing plan that specifies the type of campaign you want to focus on. is it sponsored content, affiliates, brand ambassadors, or gifting.
- Research who is famous in your niche. Use keywords, hashtags, and industry-related terms to know who is getting engagement in your industry.
- Research Influencers Your Competitors Collaborate With. Find out who is helping your rivals make traction in their online presence and note their strategies.
- Consider the Influencer’s Authority. Look at the quality of their content. Does it get a lot of engagement, followers, and higher website rank?
Provide Value to Your Influencers
Just like any other relationship, the brand-influencer kind takes two to tango. Brands shouldn’t only focus on their gains. You should make sure that the influencer will get good value out of your collaboration too.
A good strategy example is offering giveaways to the influencer and their audience. Always consider their audience. Giveaways and contests are win-win marketing for you and the influencer who will boost their followers and engagements.
Provide them with great exposure. If you have other marketing platforms like newsletters or blogs, feature them to create new fans.
Create online events that highlight the brand and the influencer, whether they’re macro or micro-influencers. This tactic also helps them get more awareness and brand identity.
Following All Social Media Profiles of Your Influencers
By following their social media profiles, you show support, which helps them strengthen their credibility. It’s also easier to tag them when you follow them.
Treating Your Influencers as Collaborators
As a collaborator, allow influencers to give marketing input. Let them have their creative freedom. In addition, they have insights into what your target audience wants and need. Communicate with them with a personal message.
Provide Appropriate Compensation
To foster long-term relationships with influencers, you have to remember that you’re both building your brands. So, provide compensation that aligns with both your branding. It can be cash, personal exposure, or experience. If you’re a travel and hospitality brand, then you can offer free travel to influencers.
Sharing Your Influencers’ Content
It’s a give-and-take relationship. So, share influencer posts with your network. They’ll appreciate it and most likely respond positively to our requests.
You, as a brand, and the influencers, have a term partnership. It would be best if you approach influencers as a collaborator. It is not an employer-employee relationship. Create opportunities to connect with them on the creative side and make sure that those are mutually beneficial. It’s your mutual goals that are the core of how you build relationships with influencers.
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