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- 2. TABLE OF contents 6 Introduction 9Overview 10 Definitions of Influencer & Blogger Outreach 13 Why You Choose to Do an Influencer Campaign 14 Types of Outreach Campaigns 18 How to Find Influencers 22 What to Look for In an Influencer 29 Developing an Influencer Strategy 30 How to Create a Pitch 33 Outreach & Follow Up 34 Analyzing Results of Campaign Performance 37 Legal Things to Be Aware Of 39 What Next?
- 3. Influencers are becoming an increasingly hottopic in the marketing industry. about the author(s) Katie Malone Katie is a Senior Digital PR Specialist at Internet Marketing Inc. As a Senior Digital PR Specialist, Katie flawlessly handles the promotion and distribution of all content through a variety of media channels but specializes in Influencer Marketing and Native Advertising campaigns. She is a huge proponent of Social Media for networking and is passionate about creating authentic connections with new people. Connect with Katie on Twitter: @katiemsandiego or LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/katiemsandiego. Kellen McAvoy Kellen is the Manager of Social Media at Internet Marketing Inc. She has led countless successful social media campaign initiatives including trending Twitter Chats, Interactive Quizzes, Contests, Ambassador Programs, and Blogger Outreach efforts. Kellen was named Agency Professional of the Year at the SDX Brand Diego’s in 2015 and was the lead strategist behind the award-winning quiz “Which Running Destination Fits Your Personality?”. She is a huge advocate for developing authentic social media relationships and working with influencers who will act as an extension of the brand voice. Connect with Kellen on Twitter: @kellenmcavoy or LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/kellenmcavoy. Kevin Lang Kevin is a Content Specialist at Internet Marketing Inc. He assists with the planning, research, and execution of content strategies and campaigns. Kevin has worked on a variety of content deliverables including Blogs, Infographics, Landing Pages, and Interactive Quizzes. He’s passionate about crafting content that helps brands tell compelling stories and create meaningful brand-to-consumer relationships. Connect with Kevin on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/kclang. 5
- 4. People are becoming immuneto traditional advertisements and are sometimes even actively ignoring them. Influencers are becoming an increasingly hot topic in the marketing industry. People are becoming immune to traditional advertisements and are sometimes even actively ignoring them (changing the radio station as soon as a commercial comes on, installing pop-up blockers, recording TV shows to skip commercials, etc). Not all ads are being ignored, though. Some fit so seamlessly into the lives of a consumer it’s hard to tell a product/ service was even being pitched. In the post-digital age, one where the consumer is in charge of brand messaging, companies are poised to sink or swim. If you want to swim, you need to make influencer marketing your very best friend. It seems like everyone and their mom has a blog. They’re popping up everywhere about everything. It’s not just blogs though. There are vlogs, social celebrities, brand ambassadors, journalists, you name it. But what has become so special about these publishers is that they have very specific audiences that are extremely relevant to brands of all types. What’s even more special about them is they tend to have extremely engaged audiences/ followers. There’s definitely a blog out there with an audience relevant to your products, services, or brand. So what does this mean for your brand? Influencers are in constant search of content for their audience. Marketers are in constant search of channels with highly engaged audiences to deliver content to. But, as a brand, you can’t simply find an influencer and think you’re done. Influencers will be looking at the bigger picture in terms of their brand and content strategy. Getting influencers to pitch your products, services, or brand can be tough if you don’t have the right approach. Luckily for you, this eBook can help. 6
- 5. IN THIS eBOOK, youwill learn: How to find an appropriate influencer for your products, services, or brand How to develop an appropriate influencer strategy How to reach out and maintain a relationship with an influencer How to determine the success of an influencer marketing campaign How to evaluate the influence of an influencer 9
- 6. Definitions Of Influencer &Blogger Outreach Influencers are considered industry leaders with audiences ranging in size and demographics. Influencers can be anyone with an audience that is relevant to your brand. Let’s take a look at who influencers are, and how they are qualified as an “influencer.” Influencer marketing is a type of marketing that focuses on using key leaders to drive your brand’s message to the larger market. Rather than marketing directly to a large group of consumers, you instead inspire / hire / pay influencers to get the word out for you. (TapInfluence) Influencers can be anyone, from celebrities to your next door neighbor. (MOZ) Influencer marketing involves marketing products and services to those who have a sway over the things other people buy. This market influence typically stems from an individual’s expertise, popularity, or reputation. (Marketing Schools.org) Blogger outreach is mainly about building relationships. It’s reaching out to other bloggers to find out how you can help each other. (Razorsocial) An influencer is anyone, regardless of age, gender, location, occupation, etc. that inspires others to act. Anyone can become an influencer, and it’s not just reserved for brands or the media now. Influencers can be bloggers, social media personalities, or simply anyone who is an expert at or engages in conversations about a particular topic. -Stacy Miller Director, Communications, Cision and PR Newswire Who & What Defines an Influencer “ ” 10
- 7. Why You ChooseTo Do An Influencer Campaign Influencers can help increase the reach, brand awareness, and engagement of a brand or brand specific campaign Influencers can help increase the reach, brand awareness, & engagement of a brand. FRIDAY It can act as an extension of your brand voice by reaching a new, highly engaged audience Influence purchasing decisions Influencers have established credibility & trust Create a unique variety of content ROI On average, marketers who implemented an Influencer Marketing program in 2014 received $6.85 in earned media value for every $1.00 of paid media, according to a report by Rhythm One. SEO Benefits Higher propensity to gain authoritative links High level of relevance for the topic Ability to drive search engine share of voice for your brand if the influencer is blogging frequently Social shares/mentions Guide to Influencer Marketing | IMI 13
- 8. Types of OutreachCampaigns Product Reviews Influencer writes a review about the brand’s product in exchange for receiving the free product Product/Service Promotion Influencer promotes the brand’s product/service in exchange for receiving the product/service for free or monetary compensation Digital PR Brand builds its relationship with key content writers and online journalists through digital and social outreach Instagram/Twitter Takeovers Influencer “takes over” the brand’s Instagram/ Twitter account for a set period of time and engages with their followers Twitter Chats Influencer hosts a live Twitter conversation focused around a general topic, using a unique hashtag to let people follow and participate in the discussion Content Development/UGC Creation Influencer creates unique brand-sponsored content that aligns with the brand’s product/service Giveaways Influencer hosts and promotes a giveaway in which they choose a winner to receive the brand’s product Infographic/Content Distribution Brand republishes its existing content on other media sites and outlets to drive new traffic Social Shares Influencer shares the brand’s content with their followers on their website, blog, and social media Event Awareness Influencer creates or raises awareness for the brand’s event through their website, blog, and social media Guide to Influencer Marketing | IMI 14
- 9. Types of Influencers Bloggers Peoplenot associated with the brand but may have mentioned them or have an audience interested in their products/services How to engage: Comment on their blogs and send personal pitches that are relevant to their unique audiences Social Influencers (Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, Pinterest, Facebook) Independent influencers with a significant social media following that may or may not have a blog How to engage: Interact with them on their favorite platforms and offer them incentives to participate in social media contests/chats Vloggers (YouTube, Periscope, Facebook Live) People who create blog entries in the form of video content and publish them online How to engage: Offer them unique products/samples that are relevant to them and their audience Journalists People who regularly contribute to an online publication within a specific beat How to engage: Pitch exclusive and timely stories that align with topics they’ve covered in the past Brand Ambassadors Group of people that promotes the brand and acts as an extension of their marketing team/message How to engage: Suggest opportunities to do product reviews/giveaways in exchange for free products or exclusive deals When determining the compensation of an influencer it’s important not to base payment solely on number of subscribers or followers, but more on the number of people watching, liking and commenting within a two week time frame. Try to identify if there’s an average number to more easily determine engagement and more importantly, whether the creator is still relevant in the space. -Ryin Bradley Director of Business Development, Grapevine Compensating Influencers “ ” Guide to Influencer Marketing | IMI 16
- 10. 1st and foremostidentify your brand’s goals and bandwidth so that you know what you’re looking for in a tool. Second, consider features like: the number of influencers a tool has data for, CRM functionality for nurturing an influencer network in house, and tracking and campaign analysis. -Kristen Matthews Influencer Marketing Consultant & Thought Leader @kristenwords How to Find Influencer Tools “ ” Compensation Chart OFTEN NEVER SOMETIMES Brand Ambassador Social Media Influencers Independent Bloggers Journalists/Contributors Guide to Influencer Marketing | IMI 18
- 11. How to FindInfluencers Brands want to find and work with influencers whose audiences may be interested in their product or service. These tools will give you a huge boost in your influencer marketing efforts because of the aggregate data and efficient capabilities they provide. Influencer Tools How to Find Influencers GroupHigh Identify bloggers to work with by searching through its blog database Reach out to bloggers using email templates and built-in email tools Monitor progress of blogger outreach campaigns by seeing who you’ve contacted, who has accepted, and who has posted your content TapInfluence Access thousands of experienced influencers with acceptance rates of over 80% Identify relevant influencers by comparing profile, performance, and audience data Build and execute influencer marketing campaigns Measure campaign performance with multi-tracking analytics *Pricing: Standard - $1,999/month; Enterprise and Agency – Contact for quote Bloglovin’ Activate Build your influencer community Activate and manage influencer campaigns Measure social engagement and blog performance in real-time Cision Identify influencers using its media database of 1.6 million contacts and outlets Search by topic for coverage and recent tweets from relevant contacts and outlets Access in-depth profiles to build relationships with influencers that matter most *Pricing: Contact for quote BuzzSumo Search for key influencers in any topic and follow them directly within platform Analyze the content, topics, and domains that influencers share Set up alerts when an author publishes new content mentioning your specified keyword(s) *Pricing: Pro - $99/month; Agency - $299/month; Enterprise - $999/month Grapevine Identify and collaborate with trusted YouTube creators to promote your product/service *Pricing subject to change. Guide to Influencer Marketing | IMI Guide to Influencer Marketing | IMI 2120
- 12. ReadyPulse Discover relevant influencers,customers, and brand ambassadors and their content Activate influencers to create user-generated content (UGC) for your brand Collect, review, and manage consumer-generated content across multiple social channels Measure revenue, conversions, visits, impressions, and engagement from UGC campaigns *Pricing: Contact for quote Pitchbox Find targeted influencers Create personalized templates to reach out to influencers (includes automated follow-up) Manage social media activity, contact history, and influencer relationships Monitor performance of influencer campaigns *Pricing: Startup - $95/month; Business - $195/month; Agency - $295/month; Enterprise - $1,000/month NinjaOutreach Create templates with custom fields for personalized influencer outreach emails Monitor performance of outreach templates (open rates, click through rates, and reply rates) Set up in-app and email notifications to alert you when influencers reply *Pricing: Small agency - $49/month; Large agency - $129/month; Enterprise - $249/month HelloSociety Find influencers to create professional-quality content for your brand with their unique style Influencers create content that’s specifically made for the platform it gets posted to InstaBrand Partners your brand with the right influencer from their database to create organic content and endorse your product to their followers *Pricing subject to change. We’re big believers in mixing influencers on a campaign who have different reach levels. Influencers with large followings can generate impressive analytical reach numbers, but it’s our experience that the lower to middle reach influencers have greater engagement with their audiences. If you think about it, that makes sense because influencers with smaller reach can stay connected with a larger percentage of their followers. -Dave Williams President, CFO, FitFluential What to Look for in an Influencer “ ” Guide to Influencer Marketing | IMI 22
- 13. What to Lookfor in an Influencer Quality Content 1 Engagement 2 Audience Size 3 Unique Page Views 4 Domain Authority 5 Potential Impressions 6 Budget/ Compensation 7 Voice/Tone 8 Appropriate Niche 9 Quality Content Use of original imagery & writing Make sure the influencer content doesn’t lack substance Make sure influencer content isn’t filled with grammatical and spelling errors. If so, engaging with them can hurt your brand Make sure your influencers make sense for your campaign goals (backlinks, sales, email subscribers, social shares, traffic, etc.) Personal stories of influencers genuinely using, liking, and mentioning a product, brand, or service appear to be more authentic and trusted by consumers than product reviews. Bloggers with a smaller amount of sponsored content are more trusted than bloggers with a large amount of sponsored content because they appear to be more authentic. Look to see how active the influencer is on their website, blog, or social media If the influencer is an infrequent poster on their website or blog, their audience probably isn’t very engaged Engagement A large audience doesn’t necessarily mean influence Look at the likes, shares, replies, comments, etc. on their website and social media to understand what kind of engagement they usually get Take note of their audience’s reactions and see if they’ve actually influenced their decisions and actions Is the engagement consistent on the influencer’s social media? If they’ve done previous endorsements or partnerships, see what their audiences reaction was Look at what their audience said in the comments and shares Audience Size Review audience of influencer or blogger to determine potential reach of the content. A larger audience is not always best. An influencer with a small, highly engaged audience may have more trust with their niche and may be a better representation of your brand message than a large blogger with an audience that is not as engaged. Guide to Influencer Marketing | IMI Guide to Influencer Marketing | IMI 2524
- 14. Unique Page Views Resistthe urge to only look at unique visitors when measuring an influencer’s reach An influencer with a smaller reach that aligns best with your brand is more valuable than an influencer with 100,000 unique monthly visitors who only mildly aligns with your brand Domain Authority Domain authority is a score from 0-100 developed by Moz that predicts how well a website will rank in the search engines. When an influencer has a high domain authority, it means that their website has been linked to numerous times and it is a strong site. This is important because your website can have tremendous SEO benefits from influencers Links to your website from other websites helps build “authority points” that help you rank higher on Google Check out their Alexa ranking at http://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/website-value.net Mozbar Tool/Extension: https://moz.com/tools/seo-toolbar Potential Impressions # of followers # of monthly views on their website # of e-mail subscribers Appropriate Niche It’s important to identify the RIGHT influencers that display authority in the same niche as your brand (don’t be tempted to choose high-profile influencers with tons of followers if they don’t match your brand) An ideal influencer will already be talking about the topic you’re pitching them Make sure that your influencers are people that your target audience will find relevant, authentic, and trustworthy Voice/Tone Look at how an influencer’s content is aligned with your brand’s messaging Read through their past content to get a sense for what type of consumer they are Make sure to choose an influencer who showcases the same personality as your brand’s Make sure the influencer appears to be authentic and genuine to their audience Bloggers with a smaller ratio of sponsored content appear to be more authentic and trusted Budget/Compensation Some influencers will do it for free, but most medium-high tier influencers require compensation Develop a compensation package for your influencers Examples of compensation include monetary, or in the form of a product or service 2726
- 15. Brand Awareness Potential Reach,Video, Views, Followers, Engagement Rates, Page Views/Unique Monthly Visitors, Blog Comments Website Traffic Page Views/Unique Monthly Visitors, Engagement Rates, Blog Comments Content Links Whether they have mentioned the brand before, Page Views/ Unique Monthly Visitors, Engagement Rates Purchase Page Views/Unique Monthly Visitors, Followers, Engagement Rates, Affiliate Programs, Coupon Codes, Tracking Tags Loyalty Engagement, Social Listening, Referrals, UGC First, establish your goal and define success metrics. Then look to bloggers/influencers who may be able to help you achieve your goals. Say you want to get more User Generated Content (UGC): look for bloggers who take high quality imagery and receive high engagement rates on their content. Maybe you’re looking for product sales: identify bloggers who are comfortable using affiliate links, sharing product discounts, have a “liketoknowit” presence, etc. Here are different goals and metrics to look at when identifying how you should select influencers. Driving business online requires both authority and trust. Authority can come through certifications, testimonials, and - most of all - recognition from your peers. Influencer marketing is critical to growing your reach and acquiring the trust and authority of relevant audiences. -Douglas Karr CEO, DK New Media Developing an Influencer Strategy “ ” Guide to Influencer Marketing | IMI 29
- 16. One thing isfor sure: You can’t just hire an influencer and expect results. You need to develop a comprehensive influencer strategy revolving around goals, metrics of success, content strategy, and relationship management. Developing an Influencer Strategy Follow these 12 steps: Set a Goal Brand Awareness, Engagement, Sales, Website Traffic, UGC, Real life storytelling using product Determine Metrics of Success New website visitors, Sales, New followers, Social engagement, Mentions, Reach Determine how you want to work with influencers based on what your goal is Product reviews, Giveaways, Content creation, Unique hashtags, Video reviews/tutorials/ testimonials, Takeovers on social channels, Live Streaming, Affiliate programs, Pre-Event/Event promotion, Content Sharing/Links, Co-hosting Twitter chats Define your method of compensation Product, Monetary Create a list of influencers who will help you reach your goal Develop your pitch. Include: Why you want to work with the influencer, How you want to work together, What you each get out of the relationship Conduct the Outreach Follow Up & Negotiate Coordinate product fulfillment if applicable, Collect Invoices/W9’s if applicable Share influencer’s content/engage with them Thank the influencer & ask if they are open to other opportunities Measure success of the campaign Continue engaging with the influencer to keep the relationship going
- 17. How to Createa Pitch Make it personal Influencers like to hear that you’ve read their posts and are familiar with the topics they write about Read a couple of posts, their bio, and social media and write a pitch that sounds like you’ve been following their blog from the start Include a link to one of their posts that you particularly enjoyed or found interesting in the intro of your pitch Subject line Write a straightforward and attention-grabbing subject line that makes them interested Using a simple and conversational subject line is more effective than something that sounds too much like a sales pitch Clearly explain why your pitch will be relevant to their website/blog and their audience To Subject Hey Emily, Be clear on what you’re asking for Make it clear in your email right away what your expectations are from the influencer and what you’re willing to give them in return for their time and collaboration - This should be a mutually beneficial relationship so it’s important to be clear on what you each get out of the partnership Let them know that their role and opinions are valued by including them in brand decisions instead of treating them like a secondary extension of your brand In your first email to an influencer, give them the option to work together on an ongoing basis rather than a “one and done” campaign Do your homework Take the time to read through posts on their website/blog before pitching Be familiar with what types of stories and content they post, the tone they use, and who their audience is Try to tie your pitch to something they’ve written about in the past (if possible) Check for spelling/grammar & contact information/relevant links Include all necessary assets (ex: press kits, social promo images, etc.) Provide value Be sure to explain how and why working with your brand will be beneficial to them and their audience Timeline Provide influencers with a reasonable timeline so they can decide if they want to participate in your campaign Be clear about deadlines from the start if you have time-sensitive campaigns (ex: holiday gift guides) Human to human Write your pitch just like how you talk - light and conversational tone Reference something you share in common with them (if applicable) Influencers like to hear that you’ve read their posts Guide to Influencer Marketing | IMI Guide to Influencer Marketing | IMI 3332
- 18. Rule of thumb isto follow up within a week Outreach & Follow Up Outreach Rule of thumb is to follow up within a week (depending on time sensitivity) Follow up should be clear that it is a follow up, don’t repitch Organization Create a template that organizes the influencer, notes regarding your correspondence, blog links, social share links, invoice/W9 links, and any unique discount codes Coordinate appropriate resources for invoicing and product fulfillment, if applicable Tools you can use to keep track and remind you to follow-up include Boomerang, Follow Up Then, and Sidekick Use social listening to create private lists on Twitter to actively engage with influencers you are pitching during the outreach process Set up Google Alerts to monitor conversations around the piece or check hashtag usage Follow up Follow up with any questions they may have in a timely manner Send a thank you email and ask if they’d be interested in working with you in the future 35
- 19. Analyzing Results of CampaignPerformance Break it down by the goal of the campaign, the KPIs for that goal (engagement, sales, etc.) and how you measure/collect the data around that goal and KPI Sales/Conversions: How much revenue did the influencer campaign bring in? How many coupons were redeemed, affiliate links clicked/redeemed, or product purchases made during the campaign? Impressions/Reach: How many people were exposed? It’s helpful to establish a protocol for how impressions will be measured before the campaign Click-Through Rate (CTR): What percentage of people who saw the collaboration clicked on it This number will illustrate how effective the call-to-action (CTA) was in the collaboration Traffic: How many people visited your site or attended an in-person event as a result of the collaboration? Site visits can help quantify the uptick in traffic, and identify traffic sources Having your influencer use UTM codes can help you monitor the sources of your traffic New social media followers: How many followers did you gain as a result of this collaboration? Engagement: How many likes and comments did the influencer get on the collaboration? How many influencers engaged with the content? (Likes, Comments, Shares, Repins, Video Views) Sentiment: Was your post popular because it was awesome, or was it because people were complaining about your brand? Monitor the comments made on the campaign. Leads: How many emails or sign-ups did you capture as a result of the collaboration with the influencer? Track the ROI from new sign-ups resulting from this influencer campaign Additional KPI’s: Cost Per Impression (CPM) Average Sale Value Cost Per Acquisition (CPA) Guide to Influencer Marketing | IMI Guide to Influencer Marketing | IMI 3736
- 20. Most influencers expect somekind of compensation when working with brands Legal Things to Be Aware of When Working with Influencers Disclaimers If you pay an influencer to promote your brand on their blog/social media, they must include a disclaimer on each sponsored post Nofollow links If an influencer receives a free product/service in exchange for writing a review, they need to use the “Nofollow” tag on all links to your website and social media Alerts search engines that these links shouldn’t be counted as natural/organic links to the brand’s website Invoicing Most influencers expect some kind of compensation when working with brands Be sure to reach a mutual agreement between brand and influencer about appropriate compensation (ex: free product/service vs. monetary compensation) Content Usage/Terms of Use Brands who wish to use/own any influencer-generated content would have to document those rights in a license to the company and influencers would need to provide consent beforehand Social posts/FTC rules (#ad, #sponsored) Facebook/Twitter/Instagram: Include #ad or #sponsored on brand sponsored posts YouTube: Disclaimer must be made at the beginning of the video and preferably repeated multiple times for longer-form videos (not enough to just put a disclaimer on details or description page) Examples of when influencers need to include disclaimers: If you pay an influencer for a sponsored blog post and they share the post on their social media If you ask an influencer to promote your post on Facebook/Twitter/Instagram/Snapchat a specific number of times If you pay an influencer to do an Instagram takeover If you give a gift to an influencer in exchange for a blog/social media post If influencers include affiliate links within their blog posts or social media posts If influencers are participating in a contest/sweepstakes via social media (include #contest or #sweepstakes) Guide to Influencer Marketing | IMI 39
- 21. What Next? If youneed any help creating your influencer marketing strategy or conceptualizing ideas for influencer campaigns, feel free to consult with one of our influencer marketing experts by calling (866) 563-0620 or e-mailing contact@internetmarketinginc.com How to continue working with influencers/leveraging established relationships Work with influencer to create a yearlong plan for upcoming projects Set up a contract between brand and influencer to establish payment schedule and project collaboration Invest in a platform to organize and manage your influencer marketing strategy and relationships Track all engagement, traffic, and media that you earn from influencers and reward them based on performance (keeps influencers happy and maintains an ongoing relationship) Invite influencers to create content for different areas of the brand’s imaging How to repurpose content across brand channels Review all your content and identify which pieces are evergreen and have the most engagement See if you can improve and add value to any existing topics and articles Repurpose topics and articles into other content types (ex: blog posts, infographics, videos/webinars, eBooks/whitepapers, etc.) Repost and re-promote the new content to social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube) Analyzing other opportunities to work with these individuals Consider creating a brand ambassador program and recruit relevant influencers to join Guide to Influencer Marketing | IMI 41