Building relationships with influencers can help take your marketing efforts to a new level. However, if you try to rush the process you run the risk of coming off as spammy and insincere.
In this episode of Here’s Why, Mark and Eric will explain why influencer relationships matter, how to obtain them, and how to make the best use of them.
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Links Mentioned:
- How to Build a Relationship With an Influence
- All of our “Here’s Why” Videos
- Subscribe to our YouTube Channel
Full Transcript:
Mark: Eric, what’s wrong?
Eric: I’m sharing under the influence.
Mark: What???
Eric: Let me clarify. I’m sharing online under the influence of major influencers.
Mark: Oh, that’s different!
Eric: Oh yeah, and there’s no denying that influencers can have a huge effect on marketing campaigns. In this episode, I’ll explain why influencer relationships matter, how to obtain them, and how to make best use of them.
Stay with us!
Mark: So Eric, why do influencers matter?
Eric: Well, Mark, the simple answer is, influencers have influence.
No, really, that sounds obvious, but it’s why building good relationships with influencers can be so beneficial to your marketing. True influencers aren’t just people with big social media follower numbers. The most valuable influencers are those who are proven thought leaders. When they share or recommend something or someone, people in their audience take note. And better yet, they take action.
Mark: OK, I get that. So should I find some influencers relevant to my market and start pitching my content to them?
Eric: Only if you want to get quickly labeled as a spammer. No, to get the most from influencers, you need to build a relationship with them, and that can take time.
Mark: So how can I build those valuable relationships with influencers in my business vertical?
Eric: I’ve recorded a Digital Marketing Classroom video in which I teach seven steps to build valuable relationships with influencers. I recommend you watch that video, but let me share three quick tips that will get you started. First, get as familiar as you can with what the influencer writes and talks about. That will enable you to interact with those influencers in ways meaningful to them.
The second tip flows out of that first one. Work on becoming very useful to the influencer you’ve targeted. That doesn’t mean just re-sharing her or his stuff, although that’s a start. Go beyond that to engaging regularly with the influencer, striving to always add something constructive and valuable to the conversation. Look for opportunities to actively contribute to the influencer’s success. Perhaps you can contribute some data to a project they’re working on, or introduce them to someone that can help them.
The third tip is to be patient. Relationships take time. Resist jumping the gun and pitching the influencer too early for something that will benefit you. Instead, a good first step is to offer to collaborate on a project, or to ask for them to contribute an opinion or tip to something you’re creating. If you do these things well, over time the influencer may come to recognize your value, and he or she will begin to promote and connect you naturally.
That’s always the best!
Mark: Thanks, Eric. What Eric just shared with you is the rudiments of influencer relationships. For a deeper dive, I highly recommend his Digital Marketing Classroom video, which you’ll find at the URL on your screen now.
Fantastic! Really informative. Must watch for digital marketeers. 🙂
All relationships take time because gaining trust from other people doesn’t happen overtime as well. The same thing applied if you want to have a good relationship with the influencers. They are an important factor in every business. Having them with you will make your marketing efforts come into a next level which is really good for your brand. Thanks for sharing your thoughts about it as well and give us a broader idea about it.