In my last post I introduced the idea of Influencer Marketing to you, so do check it out for an overview. In this post, we’re going to give you a rundown of the various ways you can work with bloggers.
Update: March 2020
We’re in the thick of schools and local services closing, some of our favourite retailers are temporarily shutting their doors, and most of us are practicing ‘Social Distancing’ due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic.
All of us are spending more time on social media, for news and for entertainment.
And content creators – also known as bloggers, Instagram or TikTok influencers, YouTubers and Pinterest aficianados are all spending even MORE time creating content.
This content is getting more eyeballs and building trust with their audiences.
NOW is the time to work with influencers (aka. content creators) to spread the word and brand awareness about YOUR business.
Influencer Marketing is a multi-million dollar industry. According to MediaKix, there was a 90x increase in Google searches for the term “influencer marketing” from 2013 to 2016, but interest around the topic doubled in the first nine months of 2017 and there is no evidence of it slowing down. During the same time, searches for “Instagram influencer” have more than tripled. The reasons for the growing interest are many, but a key principle underlies all: Influencer marketing is working for all types of brands.
You should definitely consider working with Influencers along with other marketing efforts for your brand.
The first step for you is to come up with a goal for your campaign.
Some general goals for your influencer campaign could be:
- You want to get your product or service in the hands of people
- You want to grow your Instagram following
- You want to generate brand awareness
- You want to generate sales
- You want to retain existing customers and build community
- Attract a new audience or target market
Know What You Want to Achieve.
So now you have some good idea of what you want out of this. You can create a budget and plan around that goal.
Here are some ideas for working with Influencers:
1 | Host an Event
Hosting an event and inviting local influencers is good for local businesses, brick & mortar shops, and restaurants, product launches and to be able to have people touch, feel and taste something.
The upside is you will have face time with everyone, and be able to build relationships that can be nurtured and grown past the event to continue working with these influencers.
If you have a local shop or restaurant, this is a fantastic way to reach your local customer base.
2 | Gifting
Gather a list of influencers and reach out to them to gift your product or service. Keep in mind that gifting is just that, there should be no expectation in return if you are truly gifting. If you have a high-value item that would want to guarantee coverage for, see the section below on contra-agreements.
3 | Contra-Agreements
If you want to ensure that you receive coverage from an influencer when sending out a product or service for them to use, be sure to create your request in writing.
When you reach out to them, provide them with the details of what you have to offer, and ask them if they would be willing to provide a blog post, Instagram post, or other social media mentions in exchange. Be specific. If your goal is to be featured on Instagram, be sure to outline that. Keep in mind that they are not under any obligation to provide you with something unless it is outlined in a contract or email/written agreement.
Some influencers will not provide any coverage without payment in addition to the product, and that’s okay. Just be prepared for that possibility. See Sponsored content below.
4 | Sponsored Posts
If you have a monetary budget, you will receive more guaranteed coverage and have much more say in how the influencer(s) cover your product or service, because they’re being paid. Dollars pay the bills in their business, not products, so you will likely see a lot more positive responses to your requests if you have a budget.
Determine how much you can and will spend, reach out to bloggers and come to an agreement with dollar amount and deliverables on their end.
5 | Collaborations
Sometimes bloggers will reach out to you and ask to collaborate. This could be either a request for a product in exchange for coverage, they may be asking for a service for coverage, they may be asking to use your product in a photo shoot and return the product thereafter, there are plenty of different types of ‘collaborations’ so be sure to outline the agreement: what is being provided and what is being delivered.
I am hosting a free Working with Influencers program (regularly $297!) starting on March 26 – April 16. JOIN ME! –> Just email me your Facebook email address and I’ll add you to the group.
