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7 Strategies for Effective

Influencer Marketing

Melonie Dodaro
 7 Strategies for E ective In uencer Marketing

One of the keys to e ective in uencer marketing (aka getting real results) is doing it

authentically.

But just what does that mean?

Being authentic in your in uencer marketing e orts means investing the time to learn as

much as you can about each in uencer you want to reach out to, and then
communicating with them in a personalized manner that works to establish, and then

build a real relationship with that person.

In uencers get countless emails, all wanting something from them, and most of them

coming in the form of a generic, template email that can be spotted a mile away.

7 Strategies for E ective In uencer Marketing

 7 Strategies for E ective In uencer Marketing

Now consider that these in uencers are people just like you and me, also with an inbox

full of spam and junk mail on top of receiving a hefty amount of these (often

impersonalized) in uencer requests. Is it any wonder that they rarely respond to them?

The odds are de nitely not with you if you're contacting an in uencer, regardless of how
good the business opportunity is that you're o ering - that is of course, unless you can

nd a way to ensure that your request stands out, gets their attention and makes them

way to know more.

In this post, I'm going to share seven key strategies to help ensure that you stand out in
the inbox of your desired in uencer, setting the ground work to establish a solid,

mutually bene cial relationship.

1. Know your goals

It's extremely important when communicating with in uencers that you're concise and

to the point.

It's hard to do this if you're not sure what the point is. In fact, how can you even be sure

you know what in uencers you should be reaching out to, if you don't know what you
are trying to accomplish?

Step one is to gure out exactly what you want to accomplish using the help of

in uencers.

7 Strategies for E ective In uencer Marketing

 7 Strategies for E ective In uencer Marketing

Example goals might include:

 Drive tra c to your website

 Promoting a new product

 Brand awareness

 Generate sales (such as a liate marketing or promotions)

 Attract new target market

 Increase social media followers

 Customer retention

Additionally, knowing your goals is vital so you know how you're going to measure the

success of your e orts, which will help you determine how to be more e ective with your
in uencer marketing in the future.

2. Choose the right in uencers

Now that you know what you want to accomplish, you need to select in uencers that

both:

1. Reach your desired target market (demographic) and

2. Can help you accomplish the goals you have determined.

Start by looking at the demographic they appeal to. Is it similar to the demographic that

you serve, or is it one you'd like to branch out into?

7 Strategies for E ective In uencer Marketing

 7 Strategies for E ective In uencer Marketing

Then look at how they interact with their audience and what kind of content they create.
Do they make YouTube videos, or post Instagram Stories? Do they live-stream on

Facebook or post articles on LinkedIn?

The social media platforms they use and the type of content they create will heavily

in uence your decision. If they're using a platform that your customers don't use, or

create content in a format they don't prefer, quite simply, it won't be an e ective alliance.

Ask yourself how that in uencer would make best use of your product or service. If you

can't see them nding value from your product or service, and being able to share that

with their community, they're probably not a good t for you.

3. Research the in uencers

After you've selected the in uencers you're interested in reaching out to, be prepared to

spend as much time as necessary to thoroughly research each one of them.

Be as detail oriented as you can in your research, as this can help you identify not only

what's important or of interest to them, but it can also help you to determine the best

way to make contact.

In uencers are a trusted authority on their topic, they consistently engage their
community and provide helpful knowledge and guidance. Be sure to look for these

characteristics when choosing your in uencers.

7 Strategies for E ective In uencer Marketing

 7 Strategies for E ective In uencer Marketing

Start by looking through their social media pro les - check out their bios, photos, videos

and most recent posts. Check out their website if they have one. Spend time familiarizing
yourself with their content.

Also look at their community. What kind of following do they have? How does their

community interact with them? Even if they have a smaller community, if they're loved
and have a strong in uence over their community (which is your targeted demographic),
it can be well worth the time to approach them.

On the ip side, if they have a huge following but very little interaction with their

community, they might not have any real in uence with their audience at all and may not
be worth your time.

4. Set the stage

As noted earlier, In uencers email boxes are often over lled, so even if you write an

attention getting subject line, your email can still get lost in the noise.

You can help increase the chances of success of your rst email request by setting the
stage. You do this by familiarizing them with your name and the name of your brand.

So how do you get on their radar?

7 Strategies for E ective In uencer Marketing

 7 Strategies for E ective In uencer Marketing

You already know what social media platforms they use and the kinds of content they
create from your research. Start by connecting with them on each of their platforms, in a

manner appropriate for each platform.

For example, follow them on platforms like Twitter, Instagram and Facebook (don't try
to friend them immediately). Subscribe to their YouTube channel or send them a

personalized connection request on LinkedIn.

Once you're familiar with their content and community, make meaningful comments on

their posts. Ideally you want to work toward creating a discussion. While the occasional
"awesome" or "great post" comment is appropriate, these types of comments will likely

not get you on their radar.

Your overall goal for these interactions is that your name will be somewhat familiar to
them when it pops up in their email box. Combined with a great subject line, this will

make them much more likely to take the time to open your email and read it.

5. Send your email request

The subject line of your email request can determine the success of your outreach to
in uencers. Even if your name seems familiar, if your subject line is ine ective, they'll skip

over it with the rest of the junk in their inbox and delete it.

Ensure your subject line stands out.

7 Strategies for E ective In uencer Marketing

 7 Strategies for E ective In uencer Marketing

Whether you go for an attention-grabbing subject line or one that perhaps references

some of their past work, keep it short and informative so they know what to expect.

The body of your email needs to be equally short and to the point.

Good etiquette never goes out of style. Start your email o with a personal greeting that
includes their name. Add a personal touch by complimenting them on their work.

For example, you might mention that you regularly read their blog posts and nd them

extremely insightful and well written. Perhaps mention your favorite post and why you
like it.

Next you'll want to dive into your purpose. Tell them why you're writing to them. This
should be only a sentence or two, you don't want to go into a lot of detail here. Your goal

is not to lay out your whole vision but rather to nd out if they're interested and a good
match.

Go on to explain in a sentence or two exactly what you want from them. Clarity in this

step can help prevent wasted time on both sides.

Then you need to let them know how they'll bene t from this partnership. Brie y
explain why they should agree to your request.

7 Strategies for E ective In uencer Marketing

 7 Strategies for E ective In uencer Marketing

Finish your email by letting them know they can reach out with any questions and add an
appropriate closing salutation. It can often be helpful if you include your social media

pro le links as part of your email signature, so they can easily research you and your
brand.

The entire message shouldn't be more than ve to ten sentences long. Make it easy and

quick to read.

If you don't hear back right away, wait a few weeks before writing again. You may need to

try several times before you get a response. Be patient and keep in mind that they receive
hundreds of emails every day.

7 Strategies for E ective In uencer Marketing

 7 Strategies for E ective In uencer Marketing

6. Build the relationship

Once they've responded that they'd like to work with you, the e ort doesn't end here -
now the process of actually building a relationship with this person begins.

Like all relationships this takes time and e ort. Some ways you can do this e ectively

include being quick to reply to any communication with them and by taking the time
necessary to answer any questions or concerns they may have.

Reciprocity can be a valuable tool when building relationships with in uencers.

Look for ways to add value to your relationship with them. As an example, is there some
kind of free gift or o er that you can give to them to share with their community? Make

sure that the gift will truly be valued by their community and doesn't come across as
gimmicky or salesy.

7. Measure your success

While it may feel like a success just to nd and start relationships with the appropriate
in uencers, it's important to track the success that each one contributes to each of the
goals that you rst determined for your in uencer marketing initiative.

It's only by measuring and analyzing the success of each of your in uencers in attaining

your goals that you can make timely choices to modify your in uencer marketing strategy
to get the best results and with the right people.

7 Strategies for E ective In uencer Marketing

 7 Strategies for E ective In uencer Marketing

Wrapping Up
In uencer marketing is one of the most e ective and e cient ways to connect and gain

credibility with your target market - if you do it correctly. Done incorrectly, in uencer
marketing can waste large amounts of time and money, and potentially hurt your brand

image.

The secret to e ective in uencer marketing is that it's all about connecting with

individuals who share the same overall values and ideals as you. In addition, you want to
build a mutually bene cial relationship and partner with each other in ways that make you

both more successful. The key ingredient is to be authentic and personal, just as you

would in any other meaningful relationship.

Have you tried in uencer marketing? What was your experience? Let me know in the
comments below.

The post 7 Strategies for E ective In uencer Marketing appeared rst on Top Dog Social

Media.

While big businesses are busy pursuing macro-in uencers, you can be collaborating with

these types of in uencers who are not as expensive, yet have a stronger in uence on their
followers. Micro-in uencers are individuals who have a smaller following than top-tier

in uencers, but are considered experts in a speci c niche. Micro-in uencers have been

found to have a higher […]

7 Strategies for E ective In uencer Marketing

 7 Strategies for E ective In uencer Marketing

Shane Barker

June 15, 2017

While big businesses are busy pursuing macro-in uencers, you can be collaborating with
these types of in uencers who are not as expensive, yet have a stronger in uence on their

followers.

Micro-in uencers are individuals who have a smaller following than top-tier in uencers,

but are considered experts in a speci c niche.

Micro-in uencers have been found to have a higher engagement with their followers and
a greater in uence on them. A big-data research found that micro-in uencers show the

best ROI for brand partnerships.

Working with micro-in uencers is more cost-e ective as they charge far less per post than

macro-in uencers. However, if you are considering working with a micro-in uencer, you

will need to know a few things about how to nd them in the rst place.

5 Steps to Find Micro-In uencers

You can try the following tips in your search for a suitable micro-in uencer.

#1. Look among your fans

7 Strategies for E ective In uencer Marketing

 7 Strategies for E ective In uencer Marketing

You might come across a micro-in uencer on your list of social media followers. Such

in uencers could be already interested in your business and would be more than willing
to help promote your brand. It might be a bit more di cult to convince a micro-

in uencer who doesn’t have the slightest idea about your business.

#2. Run a hashtag research

You can make use of hashtag research to nd micro-in uencers who are already interested
in the kind of products or services that you o er. However, when using a hashtag keep in

mind that it should be speci c, not generic.

#3. Look for local bloggers

If you own a business that operates in a speci c geographical area, local bloggers can help

you get the attention you need. Such micro-in uencers have a good number of followers
in the local area which can be of bene t to you.

#4. Use In uencer Discovery tools

In uencer research tools, like Klear, Ninja Outreach, or BuzzSumo, deliver accurate and

fast results which leave you with more time to concentrate on other aspects of marketing.
Such tools are useful since manually looking up the pro les of micro-in uencers can be

time consuming.

#5. Use Google search

7 Strategies for E ective In uencer Marketing

 7 Strategies for E ective In uencer Marketing

Whenever there is anything that we need to nd out about, we “google it”. Using

Google’s search engine to nd the most relevant micro-in uencers for your business

generally yields successful results.

Once you have found the most suitable micro-in uencer for your business, start
designing a campaign. It is quite clear that working with the right in uencers can give

your brand a real exposure. Follow this micro-in uencers guide gifographic to learn more

about working with micro-in uencers:

7 Strategies for E ective In uencer Marketing

Wrapping Up

In uencer marketing is one of the most e ective and e cient ways to connect
and gain credibility with your target market - if you do it correctly. Done
incorrectly, in uencer marketing can waste large amounts of time and
money, and potentially hurt your brand image. The secret to e ective
in uencer marketing is that it's all about connecting with individuals who
share the same overall values and ideals as you. In addition, you want to build
a mutually bene cial relationship and partner with each other in ways that
make you both more successful. The key ingredient is to be authentic and
personal, just as you would in any other meaningful relationship.