Social media is huge today.
If you’re not using social media to market your products, then you’re missing out. And if you’re not using social media influencers to market your products, then you’re making a big mistake. Maybe you don’t know how to do it or are nervous about approaching them, but remember – they want to earn money too, and if you present an amazing product that you know their audience will love and that they can earn on, they’ll thank you.
- Engage with Influencers
Don’t just contact them out of the blue without them knowing who you are or at least something about you. If you know someone who knows them, ask them to introduce you. Engage with them online and offline at events. Share their posts, comment and be pleasant for a period of time.
- Build Relationships with Influencers
As you engage with them, focus on building a relationship so that you’re connected outside of just what you want from them. In fact, they should have no idea that you want anything from them because you should be focused on being friends and colleagues.
- Ensure That Their Audience Is Engaged
Before working with anyone you think is an influencer, don’t be blinded by their large following until you know for sure that they’re really engaged. Some people buy followers, which is unethical; they do it to convince people to pay for promotion when it’s really false.
- Choose Transparent Influencers
You want anyone who represents your products to be as honest as you are. Find people who are transparent with their intentions and tell the truth about being paid for promotions. Most people don’t care if they’re being paid, only that what they say is an honest and true assessment of the product or service.
- Sponsor Their Contests and Giveaways
Another way to get involved is to wait until they have a contest and ask for giveaways. If you step up and offer a relevant and juicy giveaway, they’re going to remember that.
- Follow Their Friends
When you find an influencer that seems promising, find out who is following them and follow as many of them as you can. It’s really a win-win if they market to your audience anyway, as a good number of them will follow you back.
- Hand It Off
When you do find someone that you want to use to promote your stuff, let them have the control – at least creatively. Simply supply the product and let them go for it. They know what their audience likes, so let them do their thing without micromanaging it.
- Make It Easy
Before asking anyone to do you a favor, make sure that you have a way to make it super-easy for them to promote. When you get the go-ahead, set up their affiliate account for them so that all they have to do is sign in and grab the links. You can even send them the link.
Using social media influencers to market your products is really a no-brainer. In the days of TV advertisements, stars were often used to market to the public. This is really no different than that, except that it’s within your financial reach to do it. If you think about it, the internet is really a level playing field for the right marketers.