The Power Of Influencer Marketing & How To Find Them

Are you looking to step outside the box of standard marketing practices and try something new?

Is your marketing strategy feeling stagnant and you just need that new thing that could change everything?

Maybe you are about to launch your business for the first time, or you are launching your brand new offer. You need to find ways to not only make yourself stand out, but to market to your niche in a way that will grab their attention. 

I know first hand, as an online service provider, marketing myself on social media, by email, and via SEO practices may seem a bit redundant after a while and you might be looking for ways to spice things up!

Maybe your a business coach and you are looking to sell out that conference or build up enough awareness to land you that next speaking gig.

Whatever the case may be, influencer marketing can have a positive effect on your business goals.

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Influencer marketing is a form of social media marketing involving endorsements and product placements from influencers, people and organizations who possess an expert knowledge/social media influence in their respective fields. It’s meant to reach a target audience you wouldn’t reach otherwise, build trust with that audience, and to drive engagement.

You may be thinking, “How can this work for an online entrepreneur like myself?”

Let me show you.

A few months ago I was working with a public speaker who was touring the United States hosting events. His event tickets weren’t selling as he had hoped, so I suggested reaching out to a few influencers in those cities that may be interested in attending and promoting the event.

After researching and pitching to those influencers that seemed like a good fit, we got a few to attend his events. They took photos and videos and really showcased what the event was all about on their social media platforms. His event promotions and engagement started happening on a whole other level. One that wouldn’t have been possible if we hadn’t partnered with some of those amazing influencers.

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So, how can you find influencers?

On social media, duh. Finding the right influencer may take time, but it’s easier than you may think.

Think of it as a science. Figure out which of your posts are performing the best so far. What hashtags did you use on those posts? Hashtags are probably one of your most common reasons for that one post performing as well as it is. Ok, now click on that hashtag of your choosing and take a look at the top performing posts for that hashtag. It’s more than likely that those top posts are showing the top influencers. 

While influencer marketing is very common for Instagram, many other social media platforms are recognizing their own set of influencers anywhere from Snapchat to YouTube, even TikTok – Instagram doesn’t have to be your only platform to find influencers.

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So, now that you’ve found your influencer, here comes the fun part.

Pitching to influencers can be rather intimidating especially if said influencer is somewhat of an idol in your field and has the biggest following you have ever seen. Don’t let it scare you. Influencers are people just like you.

Pop a simple, yet convincing message into their inbox with a quick blurb about who you are, what you do, and how they can help you. If they don’t respond within 24-36 hours, send them a follow up. 

Not all influencer marketing is free. 

As a travel blogger, I have covered many events, hotels, and restaurants, but not once did I ever get paid. It’s not because I couldn’t have charged a small amount, but it was because I was just starting out and I felt like I couldn’t charge them. Instead, I was able to attend the event for free (which I wanted to go to anyways), ate at upscale restaurants for free (which I would have wanted to eat at eventually), and stayed for free at hotels (that I would have otherwise paid for). That to me was enough of a payment and I had one hell of a good time doing it!

However, not all influencer marketers will expect the same. Especially those that have 100’s of 1000’s of followers. They may require a fee for their time. So, when you are budgeting your marketing expenses, be sure to have some wiggle room. Keep in mind, it’s also open for negotiation. 

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Once you find the right influencer for you, it’s time to determine your goals and message.

The two most common reasons you are probably considering influencer marketing is to elevate your brand awareness and increase sales. However, I highly recommend focusing on a more specific need like I did for my client as mentioned above. Yes, he wanted to increase brand awareness and sales, but ultimately he just wanted more people to sign up for his events. He wanted to connect with people across the nation and sell out his tour.

So, how can you track the progress of using influencer marketing?

Ever heard of Sprout Social? This platform can help you track performance while analyzing what works and doesn’t work in your social campaigns. It’s super helpful for anyone trying out influencer marketing to see if it’s actually working the way they want it to! Sprouts reporting makes it easy to track those influencer posts and an OBM like myself can set it up for you while providing you those reports, so you don’t have to stress yourself out to add one more thing to that long to-do list of yours.

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Influencers are here to stay, and I highly recommend it’s a bandwagon you should jump on, like, yesterday. 

If you’ve set up marketing campaigns before, you can see that setting up influencer marketing campaigns isn’t much different. You still need to research, set a budget, determine goals, and find the right influencer for you.

Keep in mind, success varies, so don’t give up after your first one that might be a failure. It’s the same rule in marketing, don’t give up and keep trying, keep perfecting.

What strategies have worked for you when it comes to working with influencers?

If this is your first time, don’t let all this information overwhelm you. An Online Business Manager like myself can save you SO MUCH time by finding the right influencers for you and managing the campaigns. Let’s face it, you don’t have the time to do the research, track the reporting, manage the project because you are too busy handling all the other things in your business while still trying to have a life!

Let’s create a strategy to find you the perfect influencer for your launch, event, or offer. There’s no point in waiting until the timing feels right, because the right time is now. Book a call with me today: www.calendly.com/crystalstatskey