Are you looking to add influencer marketing to your marketing plan? Before you run off, start with five key questions to see if it’s the right fit for your business. Time is a precious commodity, and you can’t get it back.
1. What’s your goal?
Decide what you want out of your influencer program. Common goals include increasing the rate of conversions, driving website traffic, more powerful content creation, or an improved brand image.
2. Who’s your audience?
Clearly define which target audience you’re hoping to reach with your influencer marketing so you choose the right influencers. This will also help you choose the platforms that best align with your goals and your upcoming influencer marketing campaign.
3. Which influencers are right for my brand?
When you’re looking to add influencer marketing in your marketing plan, consider four key factors:
- Relevance: are these influencers connected to your brand or audience, and to what extent?
- Resonance: do they have the ability to break through the clutter, deliver your message and make a positive impact on your target market?
- Reach: look at the numbers. What’s the size of their audience? How many people see their content on a consistent basis?
- Style: Evaluate their creative. Are their visuals well designed? Will their style appeal to your audience?
While it’s important to find the right fit with influencers, review their content to make sure it’s relevant to your brand, products, and services. Also check to see that their style and brand personality is similar and enhances your look and feel. Next is to evaluate their reach and engagement levels. A smaller audience that’s really engaged might be better than a large audience that’s not. Macro-influencers aren’t always as effective as micro-influencers.
4. What’s the best way to contact influencers?
Start by following influencers in your industry on the social platform where you’re looking for a partnership. Comment, engage for a while, then send them a direct message. Create a unique pitch that benefits you both.
5. What kind of pitch is best?
An influencer is a businessperson just like you, so be organized in how you pitch. Include the following in your campaign brief after you establish a connection:
- The key connections you see between your two brands
- What type of content you’re looking for
- The amount of brand or product visibility you’d like to see
- Specific features of your product or service that you’d like them to emphasize
- A timeline to submit content for review or the date they need to post the content by
- Content rights you have as the brand. Here’s an article on negotiating your next deal
- Any campaign-specific hashtags you’d like to include
Here’s a sample cold email pitch to personalize
Subject: Collaboration opportunity with [Brand Name]
Dear [Influencer Name],
My name is [Your Name] and I work with [Brand Name], a [Brand Description]. I came across your profile and was impressed by your [Influencer Niche] content. Our brand aligns with your values, and I believe we could make a great team.
We’re currently looking for influencers to collaborate with on our next campaign, and I think you would be a great fit! Our goal is to [Campaign Goal] and we believe that your following and expertise in [Influencer Niche] would be invaluable to us.
In return, we’d be happy to offer you [Offer], as well as a [Discount Code/Exclusive Access]. We would also be happy to provide you with [Brand Assets] to help promote our partnership.
Thank you for taking the time to consider this opportunity. I look forward to hearing back from you soon.
Best regards,
[Your Name]
PS: Write something that you love about them or their brand
Final influencer marketing tips
- If the influencer lists an email, start there instead of a direct message
- Be clear, concise, and direct in your pitch. Don’t write a novel.
- Know exactly what you want from the relationship and create a detailed outline to follow
- Consider the influencers’ expertise and how it fits with your products or services
- Trust your influencers and avoid micromanaging – don’t feel the need to approve every piece of content
- Provide their audience a special offer using a code to track your campaign and measure results
Considering an influencer marketing campaign? Before you add these strategies to your marketing plan, follow some tried and true guidelines and tactics. You can’t always try before you buy, but you can study a potential partner’s profiles, audience, content, and engagement. That will bring you one step closer to see if they’re the right fit. Protect your brand.
Want more influencer marketing tips? Listen to this podcast on the Fast Marketing Minute, How to Choose the Best Influencer for Your Brand or read more about small business marketing here.
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