With the rise of social media, it is easier than ever to create an influencer marketing strategy. From Instagram and YouTube personalities to movie stars and reality TV show judges, there are a plethora of celebrities that will fit into some area of your business model. Even “C-List” celebs can have a massive following on social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook.
When you start reaching out to celebrities for your product or service you want to be sure that you do it correctly. Knowing who they are, what their audience wants to see, and who’s working with them will help get your product noticed by more people than just one star – if done properly.
Here are five ways that may help:
1 – Do Your Homework
One of the first things that you’ll want to do is become a big fan of the celebrity. This will help you understand their personality and what they like to take photos or talk about. It can also give you insight into the types of products they may be interested in promoting along with their target audience’s likes and dislikes.
Once you have this knowledge, it’ll make it easier for you to make your influencer marketing strategy choose how your product would fit into their stock portfolio. You may need to pay them – and maybe even pay them more than market value – for your item, but they’re usually worth every penny if it helps bring awareness to your brand or service.
2 – Know Their Audience
The second step in making an influencer marketing strategy is knowing your market. You know who they, now learn who follows them. You need to know where their audience is most active. This can be on a certain social media site or in a specific magazine. If you’ve done your homework correctly, then this shouldn’t be much of an issue for you. Once you understand what content your fans are looking at, it will make it easier to create the perfect ploy to get them interested in your product.
3 – Get Creative & Be Original
If all you do is contact these stars out of the blue and ask them to promote your product; chances are that they’re going to turn down your request – especially if someone else has already done so. You’ll want to think outside the box here and come up with some sort of idea that may help set you apart from the rest.
If you can get creative and come up with an interesting way to promote your product, then you may be able to stand out from the crowd. For example, if you’re selling a shoe that will repel water; maybe contact some well-known swimsuit models who would like to talk about how they love wearing them while in their bikini on the beach during a rainstorm.
4 – Don’t “Bag” The Celebrity
If you do manage to get the attention of a famous person or popular blogger; don’t overwhelm them with promotional materials right away. You want them to know more about your brand so it doesn’t seem like they’re just promoting someone else’s items for money – they aren’t! Treat these folks with respect as they will most likely turn you down if you’re not careful. They’re doing this to help promote their brand in the first place so don’t forget that!
5 – Have A Plan
If you want to be successful with your plan, then you need to know what type of results you expect from it. How much money are you willing to spend? This includes paying the celebrity and how much upfront or on the back end commission should they get for using their followers’ influence.
You also need a clear idea of what kind of follow-up marketing tactics can be implemented once your campaign is complete. Do you have any offers that may be of interest to their fans? If so, let them know about these as well. Your ultimate goal should be to set up a long-term win-win situation that benefits both sides while still maintaining some sort of balance.
A few other tips on making an Influencer Marketing Strategy include:
- Be sure to lay out the groundwork before you start contacting celebrities and other social media influencers. You’ll want to know what their followers look for in terms of products that are being promoted and how much they charge when doing this type of work. This will give you a better idea of how you can stand out from the crowd!
- Keep your contact list handy so you’re prepared when it comes time to get in touch with these folks. If someone doesn’t reply or say no then just move on to someone else, there are millions of other influencers out there that would love to promote your product – you just need to find them!
- Before you contact any of these folks, make sure your idea or product is as perfect as it can be. You want the biggest and brightest stars in the industry promoting something they truly believe in; not what’s just a quick cash grab for them. Sure, this may cost a few dollars upfront but if it helps improve sales then it’s worth every penny in the long run!
- If someone does agree to work with you on this, don’t take their help for granted. This person has developed a strong following over time which usually means they know how things are supposed to be done when working fans on social media outlets.