Influencer Marketing: 6 Steps to Gaining the Attention of Top Brands

Influencer Marketing: 6 Steps to Gaining the Attention

of Top Brands @juliacantor Influencer Marketing:

6 Steps to Gaining the Attention of Top Brands

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•  What is influencer marketing?

•  What are brands looking for?

•  Great campaigns

•  Six things you can do NOW

•  Questions/Answers

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Agenda

What is social influence marketing?

What is influencer marketing?

•  Social influence marketing focuses on key individuals who have the potential to shape the greater population’s awareness, actions, and purchase decisions.

•  Today, everyone can be a content

producer, so everyone has the ability to change a brand’s reputation.

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Influencers drive action

•  Brands have the opportunity to drive conversation, tap into a network of trust, activate brand advocates to generate rich meaningful content, create online buzz around brands and products, drive traffic and sales by cultivating relationships with social influencers.

90% of people trust recommendations from people they know. (Nielsen)

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Influencers have a network of trust

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What’s in it for the influencers? •  Unique experiences •  Revenue •  Free products •  “Fame”

… and maybe even dog treats, a free washer/dryer or a trip to Disney World (just to name a few)

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Marketers invest in influencers

What is social influence marketing?

What are brands looking for in influencers?

•  REACH – network size

•  RELEVANCE – topic areas

•  RESONANCE - engagement

•  RELATIONSHIP – brand connection

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REACH RELEVANCE

RESONANCE RELATIONSHIP

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Reach, Relevance, Resonance, and Relationship to the Brand

1.  Influencer Identification Tools

2.  Influencer Networks

3.  Self-Identification

4.  Organic Research

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How do brands find influencers?

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What is social influence marketing? Great campaigns

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Kotex: Women’s Inspiration Day

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Food Lion: New Brand Strategy Roll-out

•  Identified influencers in small market areas where Food Lion stores were refreshed.

•  Selected 10 influencers per phase and mailed them a branded package and gift card to buy groceries.

•  RESULTS •  From the 20 Influencers… •  90 posts on blogs, Twitter and

Facebook •  501,465 targeted impressions •  90% positive, 10% neutral

•  Obtained quality content for the brand.

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Food Lion: New Brand Strategy Roll-out

What is social influence marketing?

6 Things you can do now to gain the attention of top

brands

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1)  Expand reach online

2)  Expand reach offline

3)  Increase relevance to brands

4)  Increase resonance through engagement

5)  Build strong relationships with brands

6)  Build strong relationships with influencer networks

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Think about what brands are looking for…

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Expand reach online

TIPS:

•  Be consistent

•  Cross-promote to relevant audiences

•  Engage in a meaningful way

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@socialdivo

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Expand reach online

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TIPS: •  Grow your network at face-to-face events •  Research opportunities to network

•  Develop your elevator speech

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Expand reach offline

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Expand reach offline

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Expand reach offline

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TIPS: •  Be consistent •  Use categories, tags, pages, hashtags

•  Use networks that match the brand •  Update your descriptions and bio pages

@juliacantor

Young House Love

Taza and Husband

Carrots ‘N’ Cake

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Increase relevance to brands

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Don’t underestimate your “About Me” page

Or your social biographies

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Increase relevance to brands

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Increase relevance to brands

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TIPS: •  Respond to those who comment on your

posts •  Follow hashtags during tweetups,

meetups, and conferences (before, during and after)

•  Participate in tweetchats and conversations of interest to find like-minded people

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Increase resonance through engagement

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Increase resonance through engagement

#Foodiechats #Fitfluential

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“Invite” people to engage

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Increase resonance through engagement

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TIPS: •  Reach out to brands •  Maintain communication with brands •  Consider online and offline communication •  Be prompt •  Be professional •  Respect embargoes

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@abcddesigns

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Build strong relationships with brands

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Build strong relationships with influencer networks

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@juliacantor

•  Brands are investing in influencer marketing

•  You have the power to become an influencer or expand your influence

•  Enjoy your dog treats and Disney Vacation!

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Key takeaways

What is social influence marketing? Thank you!