How do you identify and reach out to the right influencers for your brand?

Before sending a single email to potential influencers you need to : - Define Success - Define metrics and KPIs - Define where in your sales funnel this campaign is - Finalize your budget, and offer for each influencer - Know what you want from your partners - What type of content ( video, written, photo ) - How much content ( 1x/week, daily, monthly ) - Cadence of posting, and medium

Start by clearly defining your target audience and the type of influencers they are likely to follow. Look for influencers who align with your brand's values, niche, and target demographic. Utilize social media platforms, influencer marketing tools, and industry-specific databases to research and identify potential influencers. Once you've identified potential influencers, craft a compelling pitch that outlines the value proposition for the influencer, emphasizing how their partnership can benefit both parties. Establishing a mutually beneficial relationship is key, so be prepared to offer something of value in return, whether it's monetary compensation, free products, or exposure to your brand's audience.

Define Goals: Determine campaign objectives. Audience Research: Understand target audience. Influencer Search: Utilize tools to identify relevant influencers and ensure they are located in the appropriate geographical region. Evaluate: Assess credibility and engagement. Reach Out: Personalized messages highlighting mutual benefits. Negotiate Terms: Discuss collaboration details. Track Performance: Monitor campaign metrics. Maintain Relationships: Cultivate long-term partnerships.

The best way to get started is to make sure you're clear on your ICP. Your Ideal Customer Persona should include - Demographics ( Age, Gender, Location, Income, Title, Education, etc ). - Pain Points - Identify the challenges and pain points of your customers. - Motivators - What motivates your customers to buy? - Behavioral - What is their consideration journey? Overall, creating an ICP requires a deep understanding of your target audience and the factors that influence their purchasing decisions. By using these criteria to define your ICP, you can create a targeted marketing strategy that reaches and resonates with your ideal customers.

Define Goals: Know what you aim to achieve (awareness, sales, engagement). Understand Audience: Ensure influencer's audience matches your target demographic. Research: Use tools like BuzzSumo or Upfluence to find potential influencers. Evaluate Metrics: Check followers, engagement rates, and audience demographics. Review Content: Ensure their style aligns with your brand. Reaching Out Personalize: Address them by name and reference their work. Value Proposition: Clearly state the benefits and compensation. Be Concise: Specify your request and campaign details. Offer Freedom: Let them maintain their unique style. Follow Up: Send a polite reminder if needed. Use Contracts: Clearly outline terms to avoid misunderstandings.

There are many ways to find relevant influencers - my opinion is that it's hard to really know if an influencer will be a great fit until you test with them. For that reason, I believe in a diversified approach that involves making many small bets in the form of 1-off posts to evaluate long-term potential. Once you've done tests with 10-20 partners, you can evaluate the similarities and differences between the partners who have done well vs performed poorly. Scale the winners, cut the losers.

Leveraging third-party platforms to check engagement rate, brand reputation, and follower authenticity. Don't be afraid to ask for examples of past campaigns they've ran, and results generated.

Be clear in your ask. Talk to them as people. Build a good relationship and rapport. Ask for, and accept their feedback. Be clear in what you want from them. Be clear in what you're giving them. Most influencers already have an idea of what they accept in the form of payment, don't haggle too much.

If you did a good job of initially defining your success metrics and criteria, this should be a no-brainer. Having proper tracking will ensure that you can rely on data instead of hunches. I recommend a platform like Partnerstack to track full funnel, from first click to conversion. You also need to evaluate each partner in the program as an individual channel instead of lumping everyone in the program into one "channel". They each have a unique audience, a unique relationship with their audience, and should be evaluated as such. If one partner or even 10 partners don't work, it doesn't mean influencer marketing won't work for your brand. It just means you need to keep testing.