The world of digital marketing UK is not what it used to be. Every other day, a new technique or method comes along and changes the way how we view online marketing. Similarly, a new addition in the form of influencer marketing is shaking up the community. If truth be told, influencer marketing is a new concept with many people still unfamiliar with its working. A great tool to improve your content strategy.
Unlike its predecessors, influencer marketing is pretty uncomplicated. The idea behind this particular branch of marketing is that you identify a group of influencers in your community and collaborate with them. This is done in a bid to reel in the followers of any particular influencer and convert them into the loyal followers of the involved brand.
It is pretty much how it worked with The Oprah Winfrey’s Show. A lot of the paid sponsorships and collaborations were passed off as Oprah’s favorite things which became an instant hit with her followers.
Now, you must be thinking, ‘but that is Oprah!’ Of course, nothing of such magnitude can happen with your brand, unless there is some major celebrity involved. However, you can still benefit from it and improve your overall content strategy with the help of influencer marketing.
First things first! Before heading off to find a suitable influencer, you need to define your content goals because it will help you create suitable content in collaboration with any social influencer. Also, the defined goal is the first step towards having a successful content strategy, so always ensure to start from there.
Before bringing any influencer on board, you need to ask yourself a few questions;
Do you want to increase your online web traffic?
Do you want more people to see your content?
Do want to convert visitors through your content?
Or do you want to increase your engagement levels through content?
It is not mandatory that you stick with these questions. The point is, depending on your goals, you will have a set of various unique questions. Jot them down on a paper so that you have something concrete, to begin with.
Additionally, being clear on your goals will give you something to measure your content strategy’s success against. For instance, if your goal is a higher conversion rate, then you will want your content to reflect your goals. Also, you will look for such collaboration opportunities that ensure maximum conversion and likewise.
Identify the Influencers and Establish a Connection
Working with an influencer is a two-fold relationship which is you either want to write for them or you want them to write for you. So you need to find someone who is comfortable working with both the possibilities.
Now, comes the part of identifying a suitable social influencer. Every niche has some sort of influencers with a large following; someone who is capable of influencing the thought process of other individuals.
So scour your niche, listen to what your target audience is talking about, and who they are actively following. Once you have identified the influencers in your niche, you can begin by analyzing their social profiles.
Since you want to establish a connection with the targeted influencer, you need to make yourself known. So follow their activities, give them likes, and leave genuine comments on their content. Remember, you do not want to come off as too aggressive, so take it slowly, and gradually make progress.
Once you have reached the point where you feel confident enough to communicate, send them a personalized email. Use this opportunity to pitch your idea and introduce yourself along with your brand.
Tell them that you have been following them for a while and how they are the perfect candidate to carry on your idea.
The majority of the time, social influencers only agree to do work if they are being offered something in return. So, ensure to make this part of the deal prominent as well.
Improve your content strategy … Make Your Content Strategy Easy to Follow
A healthy relationship is the one in which the responsibilities are equally shared. The same goes for this professional collaboration as well. You need to make it easy for influencers to collaborate with you and this should reflect in your overall content strategy.
If you want the influencers to write a couple of blogs for you, you can prepare a small draft and ask them to edit it however they like.
Likewise, if you want them to produce creative video content for you, both of you can work together on the script and so on. Following a content strategy that does not burden one party will always work in your favor.
Let Influencers Take over Your Content
Content is not necessarily limited to articles or blogs only. Content includes every piece of material that contains useful information and is directed towards the online users.
So, live videos, social TV, pictures, and posts; everything comes under your content strategy.
So select a particular day and let your chosen influencer take over your content. But before moving ahead with this idea, discuss it with the collaborating party and make a list of all the things or activities that they will do once they take over your content.
This is an effective content strategy because your viewers will get fresh content from social influencers. Also, the news of content takeover will be shared by the influencer on their social profiles, so their followers will also view the segment. This will result in more engagement and maximum exposure.
Improve your content strategy … Maintaining Relationships
Once your content collaboration comes to an end, be sure to send them an email thanking them for their services. You can also use this opportunity to ask the social influencers to share the collaborated content with their audience as well.
If you get comments directed at the influencer, you can let the influencer know so that they can provide with a timely response. Also, let them know how well the collaborated content is performing.
Of course, you can do well without a professional follow-up; however, doing so would only strengthen your ties for future collaboration.
The bottom line
Influencer marketing is the new king of content; with every industry nabbing even the smallest opportunity to work with them. Although it takes time, money, and efforts, a content strategy with just enough amount of influencer marketing can do wonders!
So, invest your time in building great relationships with the right candidate and incorporate their efforts into your content for improving your content strategy.
Anne Taylor is a serial blogger with technical and business background. She loves writing about digital marketing, IT industry and workplace productivity. She is currently the content writer for Hire PHP Developers.
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