Businesses spend money on marketing material to generate more website traffic.

Unfortunately, 63 percent of businesses still struggle to attract leads.

Influencer marketing bridges the gap between companies and their consumers.

Connect with influencers and reach your target audience, getting more customers and traffic – it’s that simple!

Why Do You Need to Learn to Get More and Better Influencers Onboard?

Influencer marketing is the fastest-growing online customer acquisition channel, beating email marketing, paid and organic search.

According to 89 percent of marketers, the ROI for influencer marketing campaigns is also comparable to or better than other marketing channels.

Brands can reach a wider audience by convincing influencers to advocate for their business.

You can get valuable feedback and improve your products or website.

If someone is unfamiliar with your brand, hearing their favorite YouTuber or Instagrammer mention your organization in a video boosts your visibility.

Influencers also build trust between your brand and prospects. If someone is on the fence about purchasing something from your site, an influencer’s opinion could sway their decision and convert them into a new customer.

No wonder 59 percent of marketers plan to increase their influencer marketing budgets.

Find high-impact, relevant influencers to bring in the customers your business wants and needs, and build up a successful brand.

Make It Personal

It’s easy to forget that influencers are people too because they operate like small businesses.

But that’s partly the reason why influencer marketing works so well – followers trust them and relate to the content they create.

Due to this, engaging and negotiating with influencers differs greatly from sending out copy-paste emails to every contact.

A good influencer will view collaborations as partnerships. Communicate your expectations clearly and upfront, reply quickly to queries, and follow-up once the promotion is complete.

Do not treat influencers as another digital marketing channel. Build an actual relationship. So, begin a conversation right from the start.

Send personalized messages to show why your brand would be the perfect fit for their image.

Bigelow Tea, for example, partnered with Cherished Bliss’ Ashley Thurman to highlight the healthy aspects of drinking tea and connect with customers. Ashley promoted the brand on her blog by showcasing recipes that were perfectly timed for the season. The result? An 18.5 percent increase in sales!

Invite Influencers to Brand Events

This is important as you get to address your influencers directly for the first them. What you need to do is:

Send a formal email with the right tone of voice so influencers are instantly engaged and attend your party or gala
Focus on real life experiences that communicate your brand values better
Communicate your brand’s approach through the event and consider what potential influencers may find exciting, relevant, and interesting.
Position your brand as an industry expert or innovator for a rewarding experience.
You can also exchange goods for a promotional Instagram story as Mercato suggests in its blog.

Always present a networking opportunity for influencers to meet new people from the industry or other influencers.

Use this time to establish an informal relationship which will prove fruitful for your business.

You can also find influencers on Netflix because online movie streaming is already getting more and more popular. Use the best VPN for Netflix to access the full library of movies and identify the influencer of your choice. You can also use platforms like Influence to locate influencers on Netflix.

Allow influencers to understand what your brand is all about and connect with it on a personal level. Invite them to speak at events and start conversations on relevant topics. This also helps you maintain or build your reputation and positioning in the market.

Samsung partnered with graphic designer and influencer CyreneQ in 2016 to broadcast the launch of the Note 7 to consumers eager for the new product.

She documented her journey to the event and gave followers a sneak peak at the device to drum up interest.

Keep an Open, Flexible Mind

Treat influencers as partners and compensate them fairly. Handle disagreements regarding pricing in a respectful manner so both parties are satisfied. Ensure the influencer remembers your interactions fondly.

Understand how effective word of mouth marketing is in the digital world and the hold influencers have over their audience. You can also create videos surrounded around controversy for products related to CBD, as they have the tendency to become viral on social media. This strategy is adopted by brands like CBD Central.

Not only can they make your brand, they can break it as well. So even if you fail to reach an arrangement, take the rejection with grace and courtesy.

Remember, influencers will not work for something that does not benefit them. Offer something concrete to get them to accept your proposal. It doesn’t always have to be money; some influencers accept services and products in exchange for their services, such as discounts for followers and a commission if they sell products.

Please recognize that not all influencers are the same. Some will accept free products as payment, others need financial compensation. After all, they need to pay the bills and in many instances, this is their job.

Australian skincare brand Frank Body launched in 2013 with one product – their signature coffee scrub. The company sent samples of the item to beauty influencers and bloggers across the globe. Frank Body soon became a hit on Instagram with models and beauty gurus endorsing the scrub. The company is now worth $20 million.

Be Actively Involved

Adopt a proactive stance when it comes to collaborating with influencers. Do not simply discuss your goals and leave them to do their work.

The best brand-influencer partnerships work when you:

Define clear goals for the influencer
Share or engage with their work on social media channels
Make them feel like a true partner
Work with authentic, relatable personalities rather than celebrities

Keep in mind that a true partnership benefits both you and the influencer, more so than one-offs. So develop repeat relationships.

Pay attention to the influencer’s ideas and contributions, and they will continue to support and promote your products long after the ‘work’ is done. Return the favor by resharing content they have created especially for your brand on your website and channel.

Show the influencer you value their work and validate your relationship with their followers. Just think about the number of people who will notice your brand if you have influencer-produced content on your page – it’s a lot!

Snapchat takeovers are a good example of this trend. Brands hand over the reins of their corporate profile to influencers for a brief period of mostly unfiltered antics. Stride Gum did a Snapchat takeover with DJ Khaled to promote the ‘Mad Intense Gum’ campaign. The brand promised a fun day for followers of the king of Snapchat.

Concluding Remarks

Always be creative and explore your options when partnering with an influencer. As you learn the ropes of influencer marketing, you will waste less time on the planning stages of your campaign and find brand success. Think of any influencer as a service provider, get personal with your campaign strategy and design, and measure key KPIs to keep a track of progress.