How to Use Influencer Marketing to Generate Leads For Your Business

There are two kinds of inbound marketers out there today.

Those who are getting traction with their content and generating leads, and those working day in and out and wondering why the hell they aren’t getting any results.

If you are stuck in the latter category, you know it’s not a fun place to be.

If there’s no turnout despite writing quality posts, and marketing across channels, you need to figure a plan B. Simply learn how a little tug from someone higher up can change things.

We’re talking about – Influencer Marketing.

Influencer Marketing is Changing the Game.

Influencer Marketing is somewhat similar to celebrity endorsements of products.

“Influencer marketing is partnering with individuals who have significant audience with a particular consumer segment. It’s a process of co-creating content that helps drive mutual value and measurable business goals.”

In spite of the similarities, there are big differences between plain endorsements and influencer marketing:

The influencers can be anyone: they are likely to be ordinary people who have an extraordinary following in social networks, who have created and shared content based on their passion over the years and have attracted a large amount of following.

Influencer marketing involves an exchange of value, not always money: although some campaigns start with the exchange of money for promotion (especially on Instagram), this is not the only way to make things happen. Some of the most successful campaigns come after months or years of building relationships with influential people.

Influencer marketing is done primarily through social media channels, video streaming sites, blogs and personal websites.

People Find Influencers To Be More Interesting Than Brands.

There is a reason why influencers are so important in today’s marketing. Companies need them desperately.

Consumers of this age are smarter and do not fall for marketing gimmicks or hard selling brands. They perform intensive research before making purchase decisions. This has resulted in an all time low trust in brands. People trust other people.

If you’re looking for recommendations on almost anything, from the best pizzeria in the city to the kind of accounting software your company should use, you’re much more likely to tell or take suggestions from a trusted friend.

This is why the personal brands of influential people like Neil Patel have become so powerful. Purely driven by his passion for Digital Marketing, he has become a global authority by creating high-quality content in this regard.

People trust him. And that trust is sacred.

Does that mean that an apparel company should get in touch with him and ask him to support their new line of summer swimwear? Not necessarily. This is why:

Influencer Marketing begins with building Relationships.

If you are now convinced that your company could benefit from collaboration with an influencer, you may be wondering how to do it.

Start by identifying influential people in your industry that are aligned with the values ​​and offers of your brand. Be sure not to point too high at the beginning: if your company is not well known, you may want to target influential people who are at the middle level of the hierarchy. Tools like followerwonk, buzzsumo and Klear help you recognize influencers.

DO NOT directly send out a cold email asking them for favors. They receive this day in and day out, and will most definitely ignore such an approach unless they’ve mentioned that their preferred mode of contact. Begin by building a relationship. Successful influencer marketing campaigns work because the influencer is already familiar with your brand and they like what you do.

When you commit to a possible influencer, do not overdo it. You must operate basis a term period and ensure that each interaction is a true exchange of value. In order to appear less desperate try to not like, share and publish everything that they do and be subtle in your approach as a brand.

So, here’s the takeaway: when you find someone who shares your interests and has many followers, there are two things you can do.

You can build a relationship with that person by working hard and being authentic, nice and generous. Or you may miss a great opportunity to connect and achieve amazing things together.

What’s your choice?