In the age where social media gurus are taking over the internet, using influencers for your business is a very strategic move. Social media influencers have extensive outreach, and their word has an impact. People give their word a say.
Whether it is a small business or an established brand, you will find sponsored posts on every influencer’s Instagram. Their business thrives because of these sponsored posts.
So, if you still have not reached out to any of the social media influencers for your business as of yet and need ways to get started with, here are our top three tips that can help you out:
Do your homework before even beginning to talk to them
Not every influencer you will find on social media can represent your brand best. Likewise, not all of them are going to agree to do the job for you. The first thing you need to do is to identify the ones that go with the vision or as millennials call it, the vibe of the product.
There are apps to apply additional filters to the search. You can either make use of any of those or do the research yourself. For instance, if you are a make-up brand, you will want to go with the influencers that are actively doing make-up reviews or are involved in make-up tutorials, etc.
Once you start looking, prepare a list of them. Do not settle for less than 20. Remember, these influencers have their mailboxes glutted with emails. Some of them might not even read your email. So, have plenty of options and prepare yourself to reach out to all of them to find the one for you.
Make your email/message worth it
For influencers, the first impression is the only impression that you can have on them. One email can make or break the deal for you. It is your chance to impress the influencer. The best way to go about it is to set a compelling subject for the email. ‘Request for a sponsored post’ is what a brand like Adidas and any other well-known brand get away with because well, their name says it all.
But for businesses that are getting in touch with the influencers to make their business known, there needs to be a lot more than that. For each of the influencers, you are going to write to, identify a hook that they will definitely go for. Make sure your content reflects that you know them and what they do. If one of these influencers has done something relevant to your business/product, insinuate towards it in the emails. This will add a personal touch to the email that the influencer might find compelling.
Do not use the common salesperson phrases and try to be creative with the way you present your idea. Tailor emails for each and do not use the same email for all. The generic emails for the influencers are always a big no.
Alternatively, there are SEO specialists such as VM Interactive and Healthy Links that can do the job for you.
Invest some time in writing the emails and trust me, it is worth it.
The more natural the drill, the higher the chance of getting a response from them
If you want the influencers to market your brand or product, minimize the exercise for them. Many times, the influencers agree to do a collaboration with you but back out because it is too much work for them.
Try to keep the drill as simple and easy as possible for them. If they don’t have to take out a good amount of time from their busy schedules to do the job for you, they will happily agree to it (obviously if it works for them).
However, if you don’t take their tight schedules into account, a proposal that has a lot of work for them (as in for them to invest their time and energy in), it will definitely sound enervating to them. And the chances of getting a positive response from them will be meek.
So, make sure you are not asking them to do too much work. Understand them so that they try to understand you better.
Also, make sure your email is not vague. Tell them what you want as clearly as possible. Do not rely on them writing an email just to inquire about what kind of work are they expected to do.
These are just a few basic things to get connected to social media influencers. Make the most of the first chance that you are getting to interact with them. Invest some time in knowing them now to work with them in the future.
Until next time!
