In this episode of Actionable Marketing In Minutes we discuss marketing influencers with Johanna Mateo!

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Problem:

So… you’ve probably seen Jennifer Aniston on a few perfume commercials … and I imagine you’ve seen dozens of athletes and sports figures on a ton of beverage commercials. Celebrities endorsing products are nothing new. Everyone knows why this type of marketing is so popular. It works!

It works because trusted recommendations seem more credible – more believable, somehow – than other forms of advertising.

Celebrity endorsements are one type of influencer marketing. Glowing testimonials and 5-star customer reviews are another form of influencer marketing.

As you can see, influencer marketing has many representations. And, it is ever-evolving, particularly in the online world.

Today, we’re going to talk about the characteristics of a good third-party influencer… and then we’ll share some ideas about how to connect with them.

Before I get to that, I’d like to pull Johanna Mateo into the conversation to speak a little more about online influencer marketing. Johanna is a Digital Marketing & Web Development Strategist here at DirectiveGroup. She can shine a light on this topic to help us delve more deeply into how to apply it to your specific business situation.

Solution:

Q&A:

Q:

Hi, Johanna. Thanks for joining us today. {pause for response}

If you would, please tell us, what is an online Influencer?

A:

Great question Lisa. The first thing to note is that an online influencer can come in many different faces, it can be a journalist, professional athlete, celebrity or brand advocate. What is

important to note of an online influencer is that they have the attention and the engagement of a substantial audience. The most important thing to note about that is the consistency. Their reach is wide and it’s consistent that benefits the partnership of a company or brand in regards to an influencer program.

Q: (follow-up)

You mentioned celebrities as one type of influencer. Needless to say, most of us don’t have Jennifer Aniston in our budget. What else could we do?

A: (follow-up)

That’s another great question. One thing to keep in mind is that we don’t need a celebrity, in order to achieve a goal of an influencer program. What I mean by that is that companies should focus more on depth over quantity of following. Pick a person who is inside your industry. That person will have press, media coverage and authority within your space to command that attention and that’s why they are an influencer. Look within your own industry, when looking for an influencer, the audience is built-in on their end, and when you do enter the partnership, it will be an easier cross-over audience reach. And you’re more likely to achieve your goals from the influencer partnership. Keep that in mind, along with understanding that if the online influencer only has a 1,000 following but it’s the right type of audience for what you’re trying to accomplish it is much better than getting a 10,000 following influencer who may not be the right influencer due to wrong audience, different industry and you may not get what you you’re after. Keep those two things in mind and you’ll be on your way.

Q:

How can an online influencer help us?

A:

We really need to back into the what before we can start talking about the how. The first thing a company should do before reaching out to an influencer is thinking through what it is they are trying to accomplish out of the partnership. Understanding the goal, that can be increasing brand exposure or selling more of a product by reaching a wider audience that is the right target audience. There are a lot of different examples, but it’s important to first understand the what and then go into the how. The how can be many different ways, but it would take conversation with the influencer. It could be the influencer promoting your product/service in their social media posts, writing a review of your product on their blog platform, or it could be a video sponsorship marketing, etc. Many different ways an influencer can help you. It’s just a matter of understanding what your goal is and the how will come when you speak with the influencer as to what is the appropriate channels and options.

Q:

Why would an online influencer want to work with our company?

A:

The online influencer is in a great spot. They have the attention, and so they understand their role within an influencer program. They very well understand what they contribute to the partnership. The why goes into what you can provide for each other for a win-win. One way could be monetary, some influencers want a direct monetary benefit. But others are happy with the cross-over audience exposure that they get from the partnership. While your audience may be smaller, it may be a great fit so the crossover would work out for them and they may seek that as a long-term gain. As you start doing the research, you’ll discover the why, but there’s definitely room for a win-win for both.

Q:

How can I make the offer attractive/beneficial for the influencer?

A:

The first thing I would recommend is to do your research. Don’t approach an influencer without knowing what your offer is and why. Go in depth, take the time to understand the influence, their content and their audience. If you approach equipped with that information and offer, along with the reason then you’ll set yourself up to increase your chances of a yes. Influencers value their time and will appreciate your research and offer package. From there, start flourishing the relationship. So, first and foremost, do your research, do it in-depth and from there you’ll have the tools to put together an attractive offer.

Q:

Thanks for taking the time to share your insights, Johanna.

A:

Anytime! Thank you.

As Johanna mentioned, you’ll have to earn your relationship and prove yourself to a potential online influencer. You can imagine that many others within your sphere are also approaching him or her, too. The best way to do this is to build a relationship prior to asking any favors.

You can do this by reading their content – as many of their posts, articles, and discussion threads you can find. Then, work to develop a mutually-beneficial relationship based on trust. Start by interacting with them by leaving comments on their blogs; like their Facebook status updates; reply to them on twitter. You get the gist.

One caveat, please be genuine in your engagement and authentic in your interactions.

After you have done the work, then it’s time to reach out. You can make a request or ask their opinion.

Benefits:

As we’ve discussed in this podcast, influencers can greatly increase your marketing reach because a third-party singing your praises builds instant brand credibility in a way that could not otherwise be achieved.

And, when you develop a relationship with an influencer, you potentially gain access to their followers – which greatly enhances your brand.

But, influencer marketing does not come easily. Relationships must be meticulously nurtured and cultivated. If you have the patience to develop these relationships, your efforts could be richly rewarded.

We hope you’ve found this information helpful. Please connect with us on Twitter @DirectiveGroup or on LinkedIn and be sure to share it with in your networks using hashtag #actionablemarketing. Join us next time for more actionable marketing in minutes.