- On today's episode, we're talking all about
how to get the attention of the top
influencers in your industry.
With our influencer marketing outreach strategy.
Let's get to it.
(upbeat rock music)
Hey there, my name is Adam Erhart,
Modern Marketing Strategist
and welcome to The Modern Marketing Show
where we help you make marketing that matters.
So if you're interested in the latest
and greatest marketing strategies, tools, tips,
tricks and tactics, you might wanna consider subscribing.
Now on today's episode, we're talking all about
the exact tactics that I've used in my business
to build a multimillion dollar network
of high impact influencers.
But more importantly than the business growth
and financial impacts that connecting
with these influencers have had
is the fact that they're really good people
and they've become great friends,
good colleagues and good business partners.
And that's what I want for you.
So without further ado, let's dive right into
the meat and potatoes of how to create
a greater relationship with the top influencers
in your industry.
Alright, so step number one is to identify and strategize.
What this means is making a list of the top influencers
in your industry that you wanna connect with
and then trying to figure out the strategic reasons
behind why you wanna form these relationships.
Now if you're watching this video,
I'm gonna go out on a limb and say
that the main reason that you wanna get involved
and start a relationship with some of these influencers
is for business growth opportunities.
So that's great and we're gonna cover
how to do that and the benefits of it in just a minute.
But also understand that there are benefits
to connecting with influencers far outside
just the normal business growth.
Including making a lot of great friends
with similar interests and who have already achieved
some level of success that you're aspiring too.
In fact, many of my best relationships
actually started this way.
And they turned out to be some
of my most profitable relationships later down the road.
But that early seed was planted
by just trying to go out there
and be a good friend to these people
that I really looked up to and really aspired to be like.
Now when it comes to identifying
and making a list of the top influencers in your industry,
I'm gonna suggest you start smaller then larger.
Because the last thing you wanna do
is make a list of 100 plus names
and start sending out cold email pitches
and just try to kind of weasel your way in there.
It's not gonna come off as authentic
and it's not gonna be well received.
Rather, if you pick a few, maybe 10 or less
of the top influencers that you really resinate with.
The type of people whose message connects with you.
The type of people who've built a business
like you wanna build.
Or the type of people that create
the content you wanna create.
From there, you're going to be able
to follow the rest of the steps a lot easier
and it's gonna be a more authentic
and more ethical way to build these relationships.
Alright, step number two is to research and engage.
Now this step is important because it's all about
building a real and thorough relationship
which means that you're going to need
to start engaging and consuming some of their content.
The way to do this is to do it unobtrusively
by getting on their radar slowly and authentically.
Whether this means commenting on a YouTube video,
tweeting back to one of their tweets,
sending them a message on Instagram,
whatever it is, find a way to start engaging
with the content and then sharing your thoughts
and you opinions with them.
Also, for bonus points, don't be afraid
to send them a thank you or to share their stuff
which really shows that you're getting behind
and promoting it.
And I can almost guarantee, it doesn't matter
how big the influencer is, when someone thanks them
and shares their stuff, it's a real, real support system.
And it's always well received.
Now a quick word of warning.
You can go too far if you try and jump in there
and just overnight start commenting on everything
and sharing everything and posting everything.
And just doing that for a couple weeks
and then falling off the radar if they don't respond yet.
So understand that you've gotta do this authentically
and you've gotta play the long game.
Real relationships aren't built on a couple retweets
and a couple comments on a post.
Rather they're built over time by providing value
and engaging with the influencer.
Alright, all that said, let's move on to step number three
which is invest and apply.
Alright, so if we've talked about sharing and engaging
and commenting on their stuff,
well that's a great first step.
But to really separate yourself from the crowd,
and to really go out there and make an impression,
you're gonna have to put some money where your mouth is.
And this means to invest in their products,
or their services, or their programs,
or anything else that they might be selling.
Now the benefit of investing in their programs
or services or offerings or whatever it is they're selling
is that it immediately separates you from the thousands,
or tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands,
even millions of other people that follow them
but don't put up the cash.
But to really take it one step further,
just buying their stuff isn't enough.
So you wanna leverage this and throw some gas on the fire,
but actually using it.
But not only using it, using it as best you can.
Getting the best results you can possible
and then letting them know.
Which leads us nicely into step number four,
case study and appreciate.
So the key with step four and the key with showing them
that you're actually serious about them
and about their message and willing
to get behind them and support them
is to take what you've bought
and to put it to the best use possible.
And then document the results that you've gotten.
So as an example, if they sell a course
on how to do Facebook ads, take the course on Facebook ads,
run some Facebook ads, get some results
and then let them know about what you've achieved.
If they happen to sell, say a Photoshop package,
well, buy the Photoshop package,
apply it to the photos and then send them the results
that you've managed to do with their program.
Or if they sell a fitness or nutrition program,
well then, buy the fitness and nutrition program.
Actually use it, get some great results
and then tell them all about it.
Again, what you're doing here is separating yourself
from the herd of people that just follow them,
people that follow them and maybe buy their stuff.
But there's a very few percentage of people
that'll follow them, buy their stuff, put it to use
and then tell them about the results they've gotten.
When you do that, you really stand out on their radar.
And if you do it enough, they really start to pay attention.
Alright, and now it's gonna take us to step five
and the final step of the influencer
marketing outreach strategy.
And that is to expect nothing in return.
Now this last one is a bit of a tough pill to swallow.
But I really want to encourage you
to not expect anything back
and certainly not, anytime in the near future.
After all, again, relationships take time,
specially important relationships with busy influencers.
And the more popular they are,
well, the reality is that the more messages
they get on a daily basis, the more emails or posts,
or anything like that response to their content.
So it's gonna be tough for them to make sure
that they respond to each and everyone,
much less read every single one.
Again, that's why you're gonna wanna follow
all the steps we've just covered
to help separate yourself from the herd.
But it's important that you don't approach
these relationships with the expectation
that you're gonna get something back.
Because you're gonna come across
as one of those takers or someone who looks fake
or someone who's just out to get what's theirs.
And this is why it's important
to only reach out and only start following influencers
that you actually like.
Because building relationships,
whether it's with influencers or anyone else in the world,
takes time, specially really meaningful relationships.
Alright, so those are the five main steps
of this strategy but I've got a few more bonus tips
for you right now in a lighting round.
Rule number one, don't cold pitch.
The last thing anybody likes is an offer
or a message in their email inbox
that's selling them something
when they have no idea who you are.
So don't do that.
Lesson number two, we've covered this before,
I need to say it again, this does take time.
This is not an overnight strategy,
specially if you wanna build a real meaningful relationship
with the influencer.
Point number three, you wanna aim to provide value
anywhere, everywhere and at anytime
that you've possibly can.
Think about providing value and you really can't go wrong.
Number four, remember, they're busy.
And they get a lot of requests so always be looking
for ways to differentiate yourself
and help them by supporting their goals and their mission.
And number five, and probably the biggest
and most important bonus tip I can give you,
is to stand out by doing more
by caring more and thinking about the things
that others are not willing to do.
If you can take that extra step and go that extra mile,
you're gonna stand out
and you're gonna make a bigger impact.
Alright, so there you have it.
Let me know which tip you found the most helpful
in the comment section below.
I'd love to hear it.
Also, if you wanna let me know who the influencers are
in your industry that you wanna connect with.
Who knows?
I might even know 'em.
Also, if you enjoyed the episode,
make sure to give it a thumbs up,
subscribe to the channel and if you have any questions,
comments or suggestions for a future video,
make sure to leave them in the comment section below.
So thanks so much for watching
and I'll catch you next time
on the Modern Marketing Show.