Online influencers have completely re-shaped the world of digital marketing. If marketers can create well-researched and inspiring content, then they have a great chance of appealing to influencers who can then share the content with masses of loyal followers. However, sometimes it can be difficult to know which stance you should take when working with online influencers, and your end goal needs to be thought about carefully. Influencer marketing may come with its own unique potential for expanding growth and building up your audience, as well as providing excellent networking opportunities; but there are some downfalls when not done correctly.
Read on to discover some tips on how to incorporate online influencers into your link building strategy, successfully.
Originality
Unique and innovative content is one of the most valuable ways of reaching your target audience and enticing influencers to work with you. Alongside the useful ‘how to’ articles, there’s also great benefit in long-form content and creating pieces that push boundaries and encourage discussion in your industry.
The content creation market is a highly competitive one, so it’s vital that you find new angles and perspectives when developing ideas, otherwise you’re just going to get lost in the crowd. It might take the form of choosing a niche topic to expand on or presenting a different idea on a subject that’s already been covered extensively. However you choose to go about it, don’t forget to think outside of the box.
Opt for an in-depth approach
It’s easy to throw out a short post on a topic, but influencers are far likely to share your content when it’s clear that you’ve put a lot of time and effort into creating it. For example, instead of writing a vague post on starting a blog, why not choose a different tactic and tell people how to start a blog and achieve a particular goal in a niche topic?
With help from a niche topic, readers are far more likely to find your information helpful and covert as a result. Going beyond the basics will make it a more appealing piece for influencers to share and provide commentary on once it’s been published.
Don’t be afraid of controversy
It’s fair to say that by this stage, all of the safe topics have been covered thousands of times. So, without going too far, consider choosing a more controversial topic for your next post. It’s less likely that others will have covered the topic beforehand, making it more unique, plus the divisive subject matter makes it a hit for sharing and inspiring discussion.
Try to find an angle on a topic that will resonate with your audience, as well as research and data to back up your perspective. Social media is a great way to discuss these types of content afterwards too, providing a different outlet to connect with your audience base.
Have influencers review your brand
Reviews provide excellent shareable content, so try to find influencers in your industry that can review your products or services. Choosing mid-level influencers with up to 10,000 followers will make your campaigns more budget-friendly but also allow you to expand your reach and build up your audience. These types of influencers are also more likely to agree to work with you as they’re far less likely to be working with larger brands.
When working with influencers in this way, be sure that they follow the correct FTC guidelines for disclosure to avoid any legal problems.
Sponsored posts
Sponsorships create brilliant exposure for brands and can be achieved in a number of ways. You can opt for sponsoring ads on the influencer’s website or you can sponsor specific blog posts, social posts or video content. Some sites will take sponsored posts written by the sponsor themselves, which is a great way of keeping costs down, as influencers typically charge more if they have to write the content themselves.
Build relationships
Often, companies are too focused on what they can get out of an influencer relationship. However, strong relationships are vital for future opportunities. Link building is a two-way street, so you need to provide benefit to the influencer as well as your brand. Developing and nurturing actual relationships with influencers is the best way to achieve this, so find ways to help each other. This means supporting their goals and business ventures when possible, such as through mentioning them in other articles you write or by meeting with them at events.
Links today, business tomorrow!
Online influencers can provide excellent value to brands looking to develop a successful link building strategy and grow their audience reach. From meeting up at mutually-beneficial events to producing unique and innovative content that they can share easily, there are numerous ways to benefit from influencer relationships.
No matter what combination of methods you use to build associations with influencers, from giveaways and product reviews to sponsoring their site or specific blog posts, you will find that it’s a great way of reaching a bigger audience. If you’re new to link building (digital PR) with influencers, you might find that it’s a bit of trial and error in finding what best works for your brand. But the rewards are well worth it, allowing your business to grow its network and increase conversions and traffic.
