Attracting Influencers: How to Effectively Reach Out and Get the Best Influencers

For every brand that’s in the market, you can expect an equal number—if not more, of influencers. The age of social media has greatly improved the popularity of influencers because it allows them more reach and a bigger audience.

While influencer marketing is not a new concept, new techniques and strategies pop up to grab influencers’ attention. Because the reality is that just as influencers would want to partner with more brands to grow their niche, businesses also now want to leverage influencers’ additional input into their brands.

If you’re new to influencer marketing and have no idea how to start driving influencers to your brand, we’re here to help. Here are some ways to grab their attention, and to make sure that they will stay in the partnership for the long haul.

How To Grab Their Attention

When influencers were just far and few, they did most of the legwork to get brands to notice them. Traditional marketing and advertising put brands on a pedestal. They can reach their audiences with easy strategies like broadcast and print advertising.

Then social media happened, and suddenly brands have become exposed and available to their consumers 24/7. A crucial step in marketing, word-of-mouth suddenly became post-online or talk-in-forums. While the medium has shifted, the act of having someone influence another person through opinion and reviews hasn’t changed.

But it did bring in a new set of characters who leverage this important strategy. Influencers become the thought leaders who specialize in a niche for their opinions to matter to followers. Now, brands also need to grab their attention, because the cream of the crop influencers can reel in quality consumers.

Start small before going up the ladder

It’s easy to equate popularity with sales. After all, a popular brand remains high in sales because a lot of people know about it. This does not always work with influencers.

There are different types of influencers, each bringing with him/her an audience of varied potentials. If you are a new brand that’s just starting out or if your brand is fairly new to the idea of influencer marketing, practice discernment with your chosen influencers.

Just because a mega-influencer appears to be a catch-all does not guarantee that his/her followers will take the bait into following your brand. Sometimes, micro-influencers can bring in their 1,000 followers to your brand easily.

Don’t be afraid to start small with your partnership ambitions. Better yet, don’t treat partnerships depending on the size of the follower count. This could easily blindside you to their potential for quality content and engagement.

The chart shows that the fewer followers an influencer has do not hinder their engagement. In fact, they have more rates of engagement with their followers, compared to mega-influencers. (Source: Markerly.com).

Show them your cards

Be open to them about your goals. Influencers appreciate it when they know the ins and outs of the strategy, especially if they can contribute towards improving it.

If you use an influencer marketing platform, let them know beforehand. Influencers appreciate brands that are open about their strategies. Sometimes, they even appreciate it when you loop them in strategizing.

Some influencers may resonate with your brand’s vision, especially those with passion projects in your industry. Just because you are the brand does not mean you cannot learn a thing or two from an influencer.

It’s their job to know the ins and outs of the industry. Whether you are crafting a B2B influencer marketing strategy or creating a campaign for consumers, it’s a good idea to let your influencers in on the planning stage. This is even more crucial and profound if you have been working with an influencer for a long time.

Influencers can grow with the brand not just in follower count, but also in their vision. They know the technical side of influencer marketing, but they can also pick up on the brand’s vision to add to their own branding. Maintaining the partnership also means understanding the different ways by which the brand and its influencers can grow with each other.

Prove that you’ve done your homework

Responsible influencers do their homework whenever a brand approaches them. As much as it is flattering to be chosen by any brand, big or small, they also want to make sure that the brand fits perfectly with their image and knowledge base.

Consider this influencer trait a crucial one. Unless you are targeting a spokesperson or a mega-influencer who typically wants more reach and can include core niches in their field, it’s good to have influencers who are specialists in their fields.

Some influencers aim to be thought leaders in their industries. This lets them specialize in their abilities. Having influencers who value their reputation can also boost your brand, in the same way that your brand can also boost their standing in your industry.

Rejection happens, but always keep your grace

No one likes to be rejected, but that does not mean you can’t be gracious about it. No matter your brand, there may be influencers who will not share your vision. Don’t take this against them.

Some influencers may have a particular vision for themselves and their affiliations. Other times, maybe their current portfolio may not be in line with your brand’s intentions. In some cases, they may have a lot on their plate, so they are not yet looking for more partners at this time.

It’s a game of patience. Sometimes, it’s also about timing. Just because they cannot work with you on a campaign right now does not always mean closed doors. Avoid burning any bridges—especially those that you have not yet even tried yet—because who knows how else you may partner up with them in future pursuits?

5 Important Questions to Ask

Before embarking on your hunt for influencers, make sure that you also see your partnership offer from their perspective. These five questions will help you explore how you could approach an influencer.

If you are new in influencer marketing, these questions can serve as guidelines. They can help marketing managers understand what influencers grapple with and consider whenever a brand approaches them.

How do I find my niche as an influencer?

Every brand that influencers include in their arsenal should build their portfolio. This can be challenging for newcomers because they need to expand their reach. At the same time, they also want to stick to their specializations. These two goals do not always match, which usually makes this a common hurdle to influencer marketing.

Brands can come in and help by showing what they are looking for in influencers. Just as influencers may hunt for the specific audience and brands they affiliate with, brands can also situate themselves in the niche they want to be in.

Be on the lookout for budding influencers, while also keeping an eye out for established personalities. Having a balance of both helps your brand in two ways. It lets you maximize your reach by tapping varied audiences. It also helps your brand establish a unique niche in the industry with the mix of influencers you have in your own arsenal.

What companies are looking for influencers?

Remember, influencers are not spokespersons. They are partners that you can grow with in a brand and influencer partnership. Some companies tend to look for the most known influencers. Others try to cultivate budding ones so that they are perfectly matched with the brand. Either style can work, and they each have their pros and cons.

Know what your brand’s intentions are when tapping influencers. Are you reaching out to try influencer marketing? Do you have a specific set of influencers for a specific campaign? Are you trying to complement the brand’s reputation with influencers or are you building a new reputation with the values of influencers?

Ask these questions about your brand. In doing so, you don’t only shape your brand’s direction for your influencer strategy. You also see which influencers are relevant to your brand, as well as how you can be relevant to your influencer. Always treat it as a give-and-take relationship where you both benefit.

What are the tools to be used for B2B marketing campaigns?

Before you begin looking for the right tools to use for B2B marketing, it pays to layout a good strategy. Marketing may be all about achieving quotas and meeting sales, but having a strategy at the get-go makes this a lot easier and more efficient.

The market is already teeming with tools for marketing campaigns. If you are just starting up your brand’s influencer marketing strategy, knowing the purpose of these tools can be a good first step.

Research always comes first, because you need to have a good perspective on the market. Always conduct research to understand your market and know how to tap tools seamlessly and effectively.

Make use of tools like an effective website, SEO capabilities, and social media. Brands today, even the smaller ones, know the power of digital word-of-mouth and exposure. Your brand needs a presence online so that influencers can amplify your reach further.

What are B2B tools?

A lot of people assume that it’s easier for brands who are B2C than those who are B2B. After all, when the target is mass consumer, they can tap a bigger market.

However, just because your brand is a B2B company does not mean you can no longer make use of effective influencer marketing strategies. You can target businesses by complementing influencers with B2B tools. Simple metrics can leverage what’s already available on social media. This is useful, especially if you are just dipping your toe to test the waters and trying it out.

Look at tools that track clicks, leads, and conversions, as these help you spot potential areas of business. The next step is to increase reach by tracking organic and paid reach, impressions, and engagement. These may seem like basic approaches, but they also work when dealing with a B2B market.

How do I effectively get influencers for my brand?

This may be the holy grail of questions that still get a variety of answers. There are no easy answers to effectively get influencers for any brand. It’s a combination of doing research on the influencers that fit your brand image, getting them to see your brand’s mission and identify with it, and treating the partnership with respect and care, so that it will become a long-term working relationship that benefits both sides.

It helps if you also have an influencer marketing platform at your disposal. This comprehensive tool allows you to not only track engagement but also see the influencers who could be part of your brand’s influencer campaign strategy.

Making It Easier With Marketing Platforms

Knowing some things, such as Upfluence pricing and how to use Upfluence or other marketing platforms makes it easier to weigh the pros and cons of the platform you choose.

Here are a few popular marketing platforms that you may want to check out. Each has a specific advantage that may work out well, depending on what your brand specifically needs.

Upfluence

Most brands prefer to manage their content and analytics in one platform. Upfluence offers this convenience because it is the one-stop cloud-hosted influencer search and content management solution.

Think of this as an easy tool that will provide you with a database of influencers from various channels. It also makes use of keywords and data of consumers to help track engagements. Additionally, Upfluence has tools that can help make executing campaigns easier. Use email tools for campaigns and track them in real-time so you can monitor the effectiveness of certain campaign steps.

BuzzSumo

If you want to make use of the marketing platform that trusted brands also use, BuzzSumo carries this reputation. Some of the known brands that use this platform include IBM, Yahoo, Buzzfeed, NatGeo, and Vimeo.

This is the go-to marketing platform for brands that have quality content. Its main purpose is to be an effective content analysis tool that can compare content options that work and analyze those of competitors. This will also help you answer the question: what will make my market want to share my content?

Use this to help give consumer insights to your influencer. Bringing this to the table will not only help your brand get good content. You’ll also give your influencer good ammo to create quality output.

GroupHigh

GroupHigh has the advantage of having the biggest and most comprehensive blog search engine of all marketing platforms. It allows brand managers to see which influencers consumers are often listening to.

At the same time, it allows you to track websites and social analytics. Combine this with an exhaustive blogger index and a CRM that has all the necessary functions and features to track traffic and engagement.

If you want to learn more about how to reinforce your influencer marketing strategies using technology, read our guide, “Teching Up Influence: How Technology Boosts Your Influencer Marketing.”