Zak Parker
One of the biggest challenges of influencer marketing on Instagram is finding and building worthwhile long-term relationships with influencers to market through. It’s all well and good getting one post every now and again, but the real success comes from having a network of influencers which consistently provide a good ROI.
Here is how to build positive relationships with Instagram influencers.
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#1 Influencer Audience
It’s extremely important that influencers fall within the circle of your brand and audience. Just because an influencer has a large following does not mean that partnering with them will prove beneficial to your brand. Meltwater offers a number of tools to build a successful strategy on the appropriate social media platform.
Your brand’s goals should align with your influencer’s goals so that both parties can be satisfied with the partnership. Communicating mutual goals at the start of the campaign will help avoid any problems throughout the partnership. In addition to qualitative goals, setting quantitative goals or KPI’s proves helpful in establishing a more successful campaign.
Contributors: Julien Malet from Online Optimism
#2 Pitch After Monitoring Channel For Relevant Content
If you have a target influencer in mind, frequently monitor their channels for relevant content, and make your pitches to them specific and timely. For example, if you're resort in Costa Rica and you notice that one of your target influencers is in the area on vacation, contact them to see if they're interested in working a visit to your property into their itinerary. They'll appreciate the fact that you're following along and paying attention to their content!
Contributors: Amanda Duff from Duff PR
#3 Quality Instagram Business Page
If you are a business looking to connect with influencers, do it through Instagram! Communication via direct message is the most effective way to start the conversation with them. Furthermore, Influencers don't want to cheapen their brand or advertise a product that is not relevant to their audience. For this reason businesses must have a high quality instagram page in regards to their content and following and they must be reaching out to only the most relevant influencers for their product.
Contributors: Chaz Van de Motter from Elite Marketing Studios
#4 Niche Accounts: Don’t aim too high
I heavily rely on Instagram for my business and here is my strategy. Firstly, choose people whose following is in the same niche as yours. For me, that's fit pregnant women. Secondly, don't aim too high. Those who have tens of thousands of followers have very high expectations from brands. Thirdly, treat them as if they're rockstars. And lastly, I interview them for my personal blog and send them a product as a thank you. This ensures that they are invested in your success and they are way more enthusiastic about promoting you.
Contributors: Maryna Shkvorets from Mars and Stars baby
#5 Creating Value Relationships
Getting Instagram influencers to buy into what you're doing is like any other relationship, you need to make sure that you are coming in with a strong value proposition. If you bring value, they will want to work with you, if you are clearly trying to mooch then they will see that. Look at things from their perspective and ask yourself why they would want to push YOUR brand.
Contributors: Matt Bacon from Dropout Media
#6 Follow them
Know what kind of content they post and engage with them regularly. This doesn't mean stalk them. Simply become a fan.
Contributors: Secret Bridgewater from The Social Secret
#7 Replying to stories
Replying to stories is the fastest way to build relationships with an Instagram Influencer. Not only does the influencer see you taking real interest in their message/journey, replying to stories allows you to instantly access their inbox, as opposed to falling into the 'requests' folder. If you don't get a reply the first time - don't worry! Keep paying attention and responding. If you're looking to work said influencers on a collaborative level in future, this process builds trust and increases your chances of being able to reach out to influencers you may not otherwise be able to get in contact with.
Contributors: Viv Conway from Ace The Gram
#8 Stress Creative Integrity
Influencers' first concern is their own brand, as it should be. When an influencer feels creatively free they are more likely to continue a relationship with your brand. Let influencers know that you are looking to collaborate, not employ. The difference is that if an influencer sees you as a collaborator they feel they have more freedom, whereas an employer sets a campaign and sticks to it.
Contributors: Nate Masterson from Maple Holisitcs
#9 Be Direct to the Point
Start with a brief greeting and a short introduction of who you are. Present your request as concise as possible. These influencers are surely busy and they most likely to not have time for any fluff. The moment they sense that you are going around in circles, your email will most likely go straight to the trash.
Contributors: Patricia Milleza from SEO Hacker
#10 Make Your Pitch as Natural as Possible
DO NOT COPY-PASTE TEMPLATES. These influencers are receiving lots of emails every day to know the difference between an intentional and personal email, and a template. Research thoroughly about the influencer and personalize your pitch.
Contributors: Patricia Milleza from SEO Hacker
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