Contents
There’s a ton of work involved in creating a successful online business, especially when it comes to building affiliate links that actually convert. But one method many small business owners are finding success with these days is influencer marketing — a great way to help your business reach the masses quickly and affordably.
But finding and landing influencers, especially popular influencers, can be a tough task. How do you find influencers? How do you reach out to them?
In this post, we’ll share with you a few tips on how to reach out to influencers (and interact effectively with them) so you can build the kinds of relationships that will ultimately help you promote your business.
Take your online business to new heights with ThirstyAffiliates – get started today!
What Is An Influencer?
Though it can be a brand or business, in most cases an influencer is an individual who has a large and highly engaged following. This following can be through the influencer’s blog or social media profiles as well as offline. In any case, influencers have massive sway when it comes to their followers’ purchasing decisions.
Influencers have this power because they’ve established themselves as authorities in a specific field and have built trust with their following. Therefore, when an influencer recommends or promotes a product or service, their followers trust their judgment and are more likely to buy.
What Does A Good Influencer Look Like?
When it comes to your business, you don’t want to work with just anyone. And that counts for influencers, as well. There are a number of different qualities you should look for when seeking out influencers and deciding whether they’re the right fit for your business. Following are a few of the most important.
- Shared Values. Anyone you work with, whether an influencer, business partner, or even staff, should have goals and values that align with yours. Pay attention to potential influencers’ posts and content to make sure the things they say, the way they say them, and the products and ideas they promote fall in line with your values.
- Integrity. There are many influencers out there who are simply in it for a quick buck. Although they may have a large following, a closer look will reveal that they don’t care much about the products they promote. You want to find influencers who are authentic and genuinely strive to offer their followers value. You also want to make sure that these influencers are trusted by their audiences and actually can influence them to take action with your brand.
- Reliability. Be sure you can rely on a potential influencer before you take on a project with them. Look into past campaigns the influencer has participated in and take note of how they promoted the product. How much effort did they put into the promotion? Were posts consistent? Were posts thorough and thoughtful or generic?
- Consistency. You definitely don’t want to work with an influencer who never creates content unless they have a campaign to promote. Seek out influencers who post regularly and who are consistent in the timing and quality of their posts.
Tips For Reaching Out To Influencers
Reaching out to influencers doesn’t have to be complicated or intimidating. Following are a few tips to help you out as you get started.
Learn About Them First.
To build a stable connection with an influencer and make your pitch more memorable, learn a few things about them before reaching out. Initiating contact with an influencer simply because they have a large following could easily be a waste of time for both of you.
Approach an individual because you notice how excellent their photo quality is, you love a series they have on their social media, they write great captions, or they have a star quality about them that you really appreciate. Then tell them about it! This will show that you’ve taken notice of their value and that you’re interested in a partnership because of its potential benefit to both of you.
Interact On Social Media.
One of the best ways to attract and engage with potential influencers is to interact with them on social media. When an influencer notices that you’re liking, sharing, and engaging with their content, they’ll be more open to hearing from you about a possible collaboration.
Keep It Short And Sweet.
Your initial communications with influencers shouldn’t be long-winded. That initial pitch, whether via direct message or email, should be short, sweet, and to the point, so the influencer can get the information they need to move forward without having to invest too much time. Remember, influencers are busy people, and they don’t have time to sort through a long, drawn-out email or direct message.
Clearly State The Goals And Rewards.
Before and while you’re reaching out to influencers, make sure you both clearly understand the goals your business has for working together. Also be very clear as to how the influencer will be rewarded or compensated for their work.
Build the online business of your dreams with ThirstyAffiliates!
Final Thoughts
Influencer marketing is a rapidly-growing method with high impact, and it can deliver a great ROI. When you take the time to find the right influencers to work on your promotional campaigns, you’ve got a great chance of achieving success.
Have you ever used influencer marketing? Do you have questions about how to reach out to influencers? Let us know in the comments!
Also, to learn more about influencer marketing, check out our posts on content that works best for your program, whether affiliate marketing works without a website, and how affiliate commissions are paid.
If you liked this post, be sure to follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn! And don't forget to subscribe in the box below.
