How To Maximize Your Influencer Outreach

When thinking about how to maximize your influencer outreach begin with a plan. Finding the right influencer begins with partnering with an agency that can guide you. Not every influencer will be right for your Brand or for what you are looking to do by employing one. Influencers offer their services on a variety of freelance platforms and through exclusive contracts with influencer campaign agencies.

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Setting out to find an influencer requires work. Just going to a freelance platform where influencers offer their services and choosing one that fits the budget will not necessarily maximize your outreach. When budget shopping for an influencer an agency will be able to fulfill your needs. An influencer agency has a network that they can tap to meet specific needs including, budget, number of followers, and a demographic base that will maximize your reach.

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Whether using an influencer campaign agency or manager or going it alone the parameters in finding the one to maximize brand appeal is the end result.

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Before the search begins for an influencer who will help your brand, know your budget. There is no reason to spend wasted hours interviewing and vetting influencers that are out of reach. The budget for hiring an influencer should include both short-term and long-term expenditure expectations.

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If you are only experimenting with hiring an influencer and looking for a 3 month or 6-month trial, set the budget accordingly. The key is not to underestimate. If you underestimate and exceed the predicted budget, ending the trial too soon will not produce a measurable result.

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If you have decided that the influencer expenditure will be a permanent part of the marketing budget, know your monthly, quarterly, and annual spending expectations. According to the American Marketing Associationin a survey conducted in 2020, 11-25% of firms were dedicating 43% of their marketing dollars to influencers. Looking deeper into the survey 75% of all firms that responded were including a line item in their marketing budgets specifically for influencers. Reference below: 

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The takeaway is that in 2022 firms of all sizes are using influencer marketing methods to increase revenues. If you are new to or looking to increase the use of influencers as part of an overall marketing strategy, set a budget that fits. The budget can always be increased when the influencer begins to maximize outreach and increase revenues. Remember that an influencer marketing agency can guide you in the budgeting process as well as finding influencers that can not only meet the budget but maximize the outreach.

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Once all is said and done, set a budget, track the results, and establish a viable way to measure ROI. If income increases don’t assume that the influencer was the reason. Set identifying links that will let you know that the influencer was directly responsible for the engagement or sale.

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Everyone is looking for the perfect influencer, but exactly what are the qualifications? Everyone has a different idea of the perfect influencer. That is why its important along with setting a budget to know what you’re looking for in an influencer. There are traditional celebrities and YouTube celebrities, sports icons, literary legends, and edgy celebrities, there are influencers that are not celebrities at all. Among the more than 1 million people who now claim to make their income as influencers, there are many who are known only to their followers.

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The perfect Influencer for your brand is the one that will best represent its identity while producing maximized engagement. The perfect influencer for a casino is not the right one for a baby brand. When setting the budget, take time to list exactly who you think would be the perfect rep for your Brand. Remember that the influencer will be a de facto spokesperson for your Brand.

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Think about what you want and don’t want in an influencer.

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▶ Demeanor– An influencer with a demeanor who uses language or promotes other products or services that are diametrically opposed to your Brand is not YOUR PERFECT influencer. An example, your Brand is a family-oriented product, an influencer who on their feeds highlights their adventures at nightclubs, nude beaches or sex parties are maybe not (pun intended, they are definitely NOT) the perfect influencer for your Family Brand.

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▶ Language– An influencer who consistently uses edgy language in their engagements than switches when promoting your brand can not be considered YOUR perfect influencer.

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▶ Overbooked- An influencer that is so popular that they promote so many Brands a day that yours is lost in a flood of engagements with their followers is not Your Perfect Influencer. Even if every other Brand that the overbooked influencer represents is distinctly different from yours, too much of the others means too little of YOURS.

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Zero in on a Perfect Influencer for your brand by following those that you are considering. Learn their methods and be sure they meet your goals.

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So, you found a website that offers direct contact with influencers for hire, and that is within your budget. Plan your next move before you push that hire button. The influencer you hire may cause a maximized outreach and tarnish the Brand. Planning is essential in interviewing, vetting, and partnering with any influencer.

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An influencer during the founding of the United States, Ben Franklin, said: “a penny saved is a penny got”. Some may take this expression to heart and think it best to go out on your own and save a small fee charged by the marketing manager who specializes in hiring influencers for brands. Ben might be right that those pennies that are saved are pennies that are kept, but you may have a lot less if the wrong influencer is hired.

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A couple of hundred years before Ben lived a man named Robert Burton, an influencer of his age. He also coined a famous expression about the penny. He said, “…. penny wise and a pound foolish….”, this is interpreted to mean that you can sometimes save a penny and waste much more by not spending more upfront.

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To maximize your influencer outreach, have a plan, set a budget, chart a course. Choose an influencer within your budget who interacts with a demographic that suits your brand, its identity, and image. Purposely track and perform regular analysis of results. Partnering with a professional influencer management teamwill make your pennies go further.

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