A single post from an influencer can skyrocket your business to success! But how do you ensure you pick the right person to promote your product? A solid outreach campaign with the right approach can get the most out of influencer marketing and drive leads right to your door.
How Effective is Influencer Marketing?
Influencers have the power to shape people’s minds and support a brand. With influencer marketing, you’ll get a more authentic, real-world experience than you would with celebrity endorsements. When people see influencers talking about a product, it’s more relatable than seeing high-profile celebs getting paid to do product shots.
Bring your business up to speed with influencer marketing and the many ways it can benefit you:
- Find new customers you couldn't reach through traditional ways
- Increase website traffic and social media engagement
- Gain consumer trust and loyalty
- Connect with the right audience
- Convert leads to actual sales
- Become an authority in your field
Key Points to Know Before Doing Influencer Outreach
Brush up on the basics to make the most of your influencer outreach. With some know-how, you can unlock the power of influencer marketing and watch your brand's value skyrocket! Here are a few tips to get you started:
Influencer Outreach Is Different From Sales Outreach
Reaching out to influencers for support for your brand calls for something special! Just sending a copy-paste cold email won't do — influencers have a reputation to uphold. You'll need to do more than just the basics to get their attention.
It's time to get personal - get to know your target influencers and what makes them tick. After all, they're humans with unique interests and online behavior. So don't expect the same old strategy to work for everyone — you'll need to tailor your approach to your audience.
You can:
- Analyze their content and see if their tone matches your brand
- Follow their social media accounts and interact with them
- Find out what their niche is
- Get in touch with them and tell them you're grateful for what they do
Audience Size Alone Does Not Indicate Influence and Reach
When it comes to influencer marketing, it's all about finding the right fit for your brand. Think about the influencer's relevance and whether or not they reflect your brand's values.
You may be surprised that influencers with a smaller following are more engaged with their community and can have an even more significant impact on your outreach. Take the time to find an influencer passionate about trying your products and willing to share them with their followers.
Have a Clear Goal in Mind
Are you ready to launch your very first influencer outreach campaign? Before you take off, let's ensure you have some SMART goals!
Even if you can't set exact numbers yet, you can still use the information you have to create plans that are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Timely. That way, you'll have a solid foundation to build on for future outreach efforts.
Start by setting a goal for the number of influencers you want to reach. As you progress, you can monitor your progress with metrics like traffic, lead conversion, and engagement. Once you've got the hang of it, you can use those numbers to set objectives based on the following:
- Your connections with influencers and their following
- How relevant their content is to their audience
- How much authority or influence do they have with their audience
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How to Effectively Find and Reach Out to Influencers
Partnering with influencers isn't just about the money — it's about building a relationship that benefits both parties. Here's how to grab those influencers' attention with your outreach:
Research Content Creators on Social Media in Your Niche
Knowing who has established authority on a topic is key. You want those whose opinions are valued by their community and who get lots of shares, likes, and comments. Make sure you contact influencers who are perfect for your brand! You can use personal email finder tools to make the hunt easier.
Check Profile Audience Size, Activity, and Engagement Rate
Take a deeper dive and get to know your influencers on a personal level! Check their activity and make sure they're regularly posting content. You should also be sure to investigate any potential controversies or scandals they may be associated with. Finally, look at the level of engagement they have with their followers. Is there a high enough engagement rate proportional to their audience size? Is there a drop in engagement, subscriber count, or viewership over time? These are some helpful questions to keep in mind when researching, especially for micro-influencers.
Build Initial Rapport Through Social Media
Greeting influencers with a friendly ‘Hi’ and ‘Hello’ is the way to get their attention! Take some time to get to know them on their socials and chat before you make a sales pitch. Mention a recent post that you thought resonated well or a piece of content that was truly outstanding. Acknowledging an influencer’s craft with a small compliment can go a long way.
Craft an Honest and Personalized Email
Now that you've got a connection, let's fire off that email outreach! Craft an enticing subject line that'll make them want to open it. Get those conversations going with captivating questions or engaging topics that will win them over. Make your email even more personal with behavior-triggered emails to those who have recently opened your message.
Don’t Hesitate to Follow Up
A strategic follow-up email can be a great way to rekindle that fire and get a conversation started. Keep it short and sweet, and why not compliment their recent projects to show you're paying attention? That way, you don't come across as too spammy and can avoid sending multiple emails at once.
Launch Your Campaign
With the help of powerful email outreach tools, you'll be able to create a powerful personalized strategy and keep your influencer outreach going strong. You can even set reminders to stay connected with influencers even after the deal is done and keep the door open for more future collaborations.
Track Results and KPIs
Launching your campaign is just the beginning! Keep an eye on the numbers so you can tweak things here and there. If your email subject lines are lackluster and don’t get any clicks, closely monitoring your open rate will help you make quick adjustments. Likewise, your response rate will reflect how powerful your email is in terms of inspiring action.
Key Takeaways
Put in the effort to do your research and get the right people on board, and you'll be rewarded with great results. Influencer outreach helps you:
- Expand reach to a new audience
- Increase engagement from a new base of followers
- Drive traffic to your website
- Get ambassadors to represent your brand well
- Convert leads to sales
Ready to get started on your influencer outreach campaign? Using Instantly will help you get things started in record time! Try it out completely for free and fully reach your campaign's potential.