We have previously spoken about the importance of boosting your influence on social media. In my previous blog post I mentioned how working and collaborating with key influencers can offer you a serious boost. However, it’s not quite as easy as highlighting the influencers you want to work with and contacting them, you have to make them sit up and notice you. So how do you get those influencers to want to work with you?
You have to bear in mind that appearing on your influencers’ radar isn’t going to happen overnight, it’s a steady process of exposing them to your brand without overwhelming them. The key is to get your influencers to naturally become aware of you, without feeling as though you have bought their attention. These are some of our top tips for getting your targets to sit up and take notice.
1. Be selective
When identifying the key influencers in your industry it can be easy to be distracted by the number of followers they have or the size of their audience. Every brand will want to work with the “top” influencers who have hundreds of thousands of followers, as it could result in a higher level of exposure, but everyone will want to work with them. A massive social media following, and thousands of website visitors each day also means thousands of emails a day from brands looking to collaborate. Therefore it would be more beneficial to target lesser-known influencers, who maybe have a tenth of the following of the key players – they are more likely to notice your brand and are therefore more likely to be interested in working with you.
2. Subtle social media hints
Influencers are more likely to listen to you if they are naturally exposed to your brand over a long period of time. If you see them sharing relevant content on Twitter, a simple like or retweet is a good way to show them you are interested in what they are saying while making them aware of your brand. Differentiate yourself from the crowd by taking the time to show them you appreciate their work. Over time they will start to recognise your name, either consciously or subconsciously, making them more likely to be receptive to working with you.
3. Help boost their influence
Working with influencers should always be a reciprocal relationship that benefits both parties. Make sure your targets are aware that you are also looking to help them by increasing their influence in your industry. If they truly believe that you want to form a relationship that will benefit you both, then they are more likely to want to help your brand as well.
4. Don’t treat it as a numbers game
When you are looking to work with influencers you can’t just send out hundreds of emails and hope that something comes of it. Of course the more influencers you contact the more responses you should receive, however, this is not always the case. You could spend hours contacting hundreds of different influencers and still end up wasting your time. Time that could be used more wisely to form meaningful relationships with a carefully selected few. Far more beneficial in the long run.
5. Put a face (or voice) to a name
When working with an influencer through various social media channels it can be easy to do everything virtually. However, it will be of great benefit to meet up, whether in person, over the phone, or through a Skype call. By doing so you can show them that you are actually interested in working with them and it is not just another task to help boost your brand. Taking time out of your schedule to get to know a person shows genuine interest.
Getting the key influencers in your industry to notice your brand is a process that requires a lot of time and effort. You’re building a lasting relationship that will ultimately benefit both parties involved by increasing exposure and boosting influence in the industry for the both of you.
