How to Market via Influencers
If you missed last week’s post about whether or not influencer marketing is for you, please click here to read it. You are still here, so you’ve decided to market using influencers. Below you will find an overview of everything you need to know. You will likely need to do further research (spoiler: there’s a lot of research required), but let’s dive right in.
Assuming that your product is created, your brand is solid, your website is launched, and you are ready to SELL…
Step One:
Create a budget. Go into this with an expectation of how much you want to spend. You can have a budget of $5, but if that’s your budget, say it! Stick to it. This type of marketing is easy to spend on, and walking away from a deal may be difficult, but having a concrete budget will help you find exactly what you are looking for — I promise!
Step Two:
Identify your Ideal Client. If you need help with this, I have a comprehensive guide on finding your Ideal Client. Once you know who wants your product, it’s about giving them the tools to discover your product.
Step Three:
Research influencers and compile a list of prospective influencers.
Things you SHOULD pay attention to:
Engagement & reach (learn how to calculate engagement here)
Demographic (IE are their followers your ideal client?)
Location! If your product is relevant to a location, don’t choose influencers across the globe.
Other brand deals they have done
What the cost is to work with them
Things you SHOULD NOT pay attention to:
How many followers they have. It’s easy to get caught up on this, but the influencers with lower follower counts often have higher rates of engagement and lower costs.
What their aesthetic is.
Whether or not you personally are influenced by them. This may be the most challenging step, as you have to be extremely objective. Pay more attention to the numbers than the content itself. If what they are doing is working, it’s not your job to judge.
Step Four:
Draft a request letter. Do NOT send them a direct message (DM) over Social Media unless their profile specifically asks for one. If there is an email in their bio, they want you to use it.
In your email, you should explain who you are, what your product solves, how it works, who your ideal client is, and why you think they might be a good fit. Ask them what the next steps would be to work together and be sure to include links, images, and testimonials! Please do not overwhelm them with this though: be as concise as you can and challenge yourself to do all of this in as few words as possible. Once you have your request letter, sleep on it. Then, edit it. Then, edit it again. Now you are ready to send it to your list of influencers. Be sure to send each one at a time and address it personally. Be sure that when you are explaining why they would be a good fit, you include information specific to them and not general influencer info.
Step Five:
Take the time to go through the responses, learn about the price, ask questions, and think about your brand. Pick out the influencers that stood out to you. Is what they are asking for realistic? Are they going to generate content for you? Will they be posting it on their story only? Generate a timeline and be specific about what you are asking for. Stick to the timeline.
Step Six:
GO!
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