Table of Content
Why Brands are Increasingly Partnering with Influencers?
1.The Lucrative Rise of Influencer Marketing
The exponential growth of influencer marketing is undeniable, as evidenced by its impressive journey from $1.7 billion in 2016 to $9.7 billion in 2020. The upward trajectory continued in 2021, soaring to $13.8 billion, and in 2022, it reached an astounding milestone, becoming a thriving $16.4 billion industry.
This remarkable expansion can be attributed to several factors. First, the increasing popularity of short video formats on platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube has played a significant role in driving the demand for influencer collaborations. Additionally, the global pandemic has had a profound impact on consumer behavior, fostering a surge in social media consumption and engagement. Lastly, the optimization of data collection methods has empowered marketers to leverage social media ads effectively, contributing to the industry's impressive growth.
2. The Power of Influencer Content
Influencers possess the skills of adept publishers, demonstrating exceptional effectiveness in their craft. They excel at engaging their audiences and eliciting the desired reactions, making them akin to expert PR representatives for your brand.
One of the most challenging aspects of launching a new product or service is building trust with your target customers. Fortunately, influencers already enjoy the trust and loyalty of their followers, simplifying this process for you.
By leveraging their established trust and combining it with compelling and captivating content, you can create a winning marketing campaign. However, it's crucial to approach working with influencers respectfully. Always seek their permission and obtain approval before sharing or reusing their content, ensuring a mutually beneficial partnership.
3. Influencers are Masters of Brand Awareness
Influencers possess unparalleled skills when it comes to crafting brand awareness. It is their primary focus and area of expertise. Their ability to captivate audiences is so remarkable that it's not uncommon to find influencers speaking about a single product for over an hour, a feat that even the product's creator may struggle to achieve. Consider influencers as the reigning monarchs of public relations. Their innate talent lies in effectively spreading awareness and generating interest in brands and products.
However, achieving optimal brand awareness requires partnering with the right influencers. It's essential to conduct thorough research and identify influencers who are relevant to your niche. By collaborating with influencers who resonate with your target audience, you can ensure that your brand message reaches the right people, maximizing the impact of your marketing efforts.
4. Influencers can Engage on a Whole New Level
While marketing departments strive to respond and engage with consumers, they often face time constraints that limit their ability to dedicate full attention to each interaction. In contrast, influencers excel in the realm of engagement.
An influencer's primary focus is to wholeheartedly engage with their audience, offering undivided attention to their potential client base. Through genuine connections and the establishment of deep trust, they possess the power to effectively promote and sell your product.
Unlike marketers and advertising agencies with stable salaries, influencers rely on engagement for their survival. This dynamic drives them to work harder, going the extra mile to ensure the satisfaction of all parties involved. Their unwavering commitment to keeping everyone happy is deeply ingrained in their pursuit of income and success.
5. The Strength of Influencer Marketing
A remarkable 89% of marketers affirm that the ROI from influencer marketing is on par with or surpasses that of other channels.
Despite concerns surrounding the measurement of ROI, which often leaves marketers hesitant to incorporate influencer marketing into their strategies, there are numerous effective methods to assess its impact.
To gauge the ROI of influencer marketing, it is crucial to have a reliable analytics tool in place. Additionally, implementing effective organization and pacing strategies is essential for optimal results.
By leveraging these measurement tools and employing a structured approach, marketers can gain valuable insights into performance and returns generated by influencer marketing campaigns. The strong ROI potential of influencer marketing makes it a worthwhile investment for brands seeking impactful and measurable results.
Don't
1.Send lengthy emails
When reaching out to influencers via email, it's important to keep the initial message concise and straightforward. The primary objective is to gauge interest rather than secure an immediate affirmative response.
This principle applies even when contacting influencers. Providing an overload of details about your brand, product, mission, payment terms, and more right from the start may lead to being ignored. Remember, being ignored is far worse than facing rejection. If you inundate them with a lengthy message, the likely outcome is that they will simply disregard it.
To maximize your chances of engagement, keep your email brief and straightforward.
2. Request a post without building a connection
When brands approach influencers solely to offer a product in exchange for a post, the chances of receiving positive responses are usually low. This approach can come across as transactional, giving the impression that you only value them for their promotional capabilities. It's crucial to avoid creating this kind of first impression.
Instead, prioritize a giving mindset without expecting immediate returns. By leading with a genuine interest in establishing a connection, you will be more successful.
3. Forget to follow up
Failing to follow up on your initial email or message significantly reduces your chances of receiving replies. It is advisable to send follow-up messages at least twice after your initial communication.
Based on influencer marketers' experience using the influencer email tools, approximately half of the responses receive are a result of follow-up messages. By not following up, you are potentially missing out on valuable opportunities. Remember, consistent follow-ups can be instrumental in maximizing your outcomes.
4. Offer payment per post initially
When reaching out to influencers for the first time, refrain from providing a creative brief or discussing budget details. It's important to remember that they don't know you yet. Presenting them with payment terms right away can be compared to proposing marriage on a first date - it's premature and likely to result in rejection.
While offering to pay per post may attract some influencers to promote your brand, it may not necessarily attract the best ones. Influencers who are willing to endorse any product for monetary compensation may not align with the kind of association you desire. Approaching them with an offer to pay per post may filter out the genuinely valuable influencers, leaving you with those who prioritize monetary gain over authenticity. It's best to avoid this approach.
Do
1.Create Personalized Outreach: Building Meaningful Connections
Influencers don't want to be treated like faceless entities in a brand's CRM system. To make a genuine impact, demonstrate to influencers that you've invested time in understanding them individually. When formulating your influencer pitch, it's crucial to personalize each outreach message.
One of the simplest ways to achieve this is by addressing each influencer by their first name. If you plan to employ an automation tool for mass invitations, ensure that all email tokens are functioning correctly, and verify that your content appears polished. Accidentally addressing a potential brand partner as their Instagram handle can be unprofessional and undermine your credibility.
To add an extra touch of personalization to your pitch, incorporate a sentence or two explaining why you believe they would be an excellent fit for your company. Highlight how a recent message in their post resonates with your brand's values or how their vibrant content would add excitement to your next campaign. By showcasing a genuine connection and relevance, you increase the likelihood of capturing their attention and forging meaningful partnerships.
2. Building Authentic Connections with Prioritizing Incentives
Offering incentives before finalizing a paid collaboration can be a strategic approach, especially when the incentives are interactive. By providing influencers with the opportunity to experience your products or attend a local event, they can form genuine opinions before committing to a contractual agreement.
This approach offers several advantages:
- Cultivating Brand Advocates: Allowing influencers to try out your products often results in them becoming genuine brand fans. When they eventually engage in a paid partnership, their authentic enthusiasm will shine through in their content.
- Organic Content Opportunities: Sending complimentary products to influencers, also known as product seeding, creates possibilities for them to showcase your products in casual Instagram Stories or PR unboxing videos. Such organic content can work wonders for boosting brand awareness and even driving sales.
- Meaningful Connections: Inviting influencers to local events provides them with an opportunity to meet the faces behind your brand. This fosters deeper relationships and paves the way for more authentic and long-lasting partnerships.
By offering incentives upfront, you establish a solid foundation of trust, enthusiasm, and genuine interest, setting the stage for fruitful collaborations with influencers.
3. Incorporate Concise Collaboration Details Into Your Pitch
When reaching out to influencers, it's crucial to strike a balance between providing necessary campaign information and avoiding lengthy emails that may deter their interest. While brevity is key, it's still important to give them a glimpse of what to expect.
In addition to outlining the incentives you're offering, consider including a brief section at the end of your email with key campaign details. This can include essential information such as the campaign timeline and specific deliverables you're seeking. Minimizing the need for extensive back-and-forth communication can streamline the process and enhance efficiency.
If you're unsure where to begin, you can access our complimentary influencer outreach email templates, which you can customize according to your preferences. These templates serve as valuable resources to guide you in crafting effective and concise pitches that resonate with creators.
4. Make Persistent Follow-ups
Sending follow-up messages after your initial outreach is essential for maximizing response rates. Spacing out the subsequent follow-ups by 7-10 days is recommended. Influencers lead busy lives, juggling various projects and personal commitments. By reaching out multiple times over the course of several months, you provide them with an opportunity to reconsider your offer and engage in a conversation.
Here are some ideas for your follow-up messages:
- Offer More Clarity: Emphasize the benefits and value proposition specifically tailored to the influencer. Clearly communicate what's in it for them to generate genuine interest.
- Showcase Results: Share success stories and results achieved by partnering with other influencers or brand ambassadors. Demonstrating positive outcomes can entice influencers to explore collaboration possibilities.
- Highlight Niche Ambassadors: Provide examples of influencers in their niche who have successfully aligned with your brand. This showcases compatibility and boosts their confidence in the potential partnership.
- Showcase Product Relevance: Offer deeper insights into how your product or service can benefit the influencers' audiences. Highlight specific ways it addresses their followers' needs or solves their pain points.
Remember, avoid generic "quick bump" emails, particularly in the initial follow-ups. Craft personalized and meaningful messages that show your genuine interest in working with them. Persistence combined with thoughtful communication can significantly increase your chances of receiving positive responses.