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Influencer Marketing – A Quasi “How To” Manual

At our agency, we’ve been in the blogger relations business since we opened our doors six years ago. We live, breathe and drink influencer marketing, but I’m still uneasy with the notion of building a manual for “how to reach out to bloggers.” Not because I think we have some secret formula when it comes to influencer outreach; the challenge is that blogger relations is more about the relationship and less about the process. Relationships are built organically, over time. There’s no manual for building camaraderie and trust. That said, there are some basic guidelines I can offer up that may help demystify what we take into account when activating influencer marketing campaigns.

  1. Find a common denominator between your product or brand and the blogger. Far too often, we hear of brands sending out pitch emails to a huge list of bloggers often on BCC, with no personalization. Spoiler alert: this tactic will not get you results. It will get you straight into the delete folder. Take time to read each blog you are pitching, see when and where the blogger may have written about a similar subject, and make the connection.
  2. Today’s “blogger” really is an “influencer”. Their influence extends far beyond their blog. We go beyond the blog to review their full suite of social channels and digital footprint. You may learn they have a different content strategy on Pinterest or Twitter than they do on their blog. When pitching, think about their entire eco-system of social activity and how your product or brand might be served on their social channels.
  3. A blogger has a name. It’s not “Dear Blogger” and certainly not “Dear Mommy Blogger.” Imagine how you’d respond if you got an email that read, “Dear PR Hack,” or, ‘Hey you, marketing maven.” I can’t imagine you’d respond positively, so don’t be surprised if your “Dear Blogger” email is met with no response. I wish I did not have to offer this advice in 2015, but I still do. Use the blogger’s actual name when reaching out to them, and yes, you can find their name in the “About” section of their site.
  4. Take the time between campaigns to listen. How do you do that? Go to a blogging conference, read a blog, follow an interesting blogger on Twitter, or even friend them on Facebook. Despite commonly held beliefs, most bloggers aren’t living in their basements, alone at their computer waiting for you to send them a pitch. They have lives, they write, they volunteer, they exercise, and they write some more. The truly great bloggers don’t do sponsored post after sponsored post. They have opinions and it’s worth getting to know something about them.
  5. Focus on the relations and less on the sponsorship part of the equation. Back when I was a PR professional, I had some good solid relationships with a few reporters. I’d take the time to chat with them even when I didn’t have a story to pitch. Those key relationships held me in good steed when I did have a story and no idea how to get it into the media. If the only time you reach out to a blogger is when you are selling, you’ll be sold up the river when you really need their help.

I know everyone out there really does want to crack the crack the “blogger relations” nut. I understand why! Bloggers are influential. They’ve built a platform and complimentary social channels where they share their message. Brands who can build a relationship with a blogger have the opportunity to create rich third party content. Get the relationship piece right and then you’ll get real results.

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What Movies Teach Us About B2B Social Media Marketing

Whether your company is small or large, B2B social media marketing is no trip to a Pixar movie. For some brands, it’s more akin to watching a suspense-filled mystery. B2B companies know they have to use social media to stay in the forefront of peoples’ minds. Even though it’s called “business to business,” company decision makers are people and they use social media to participate in industry conversations. What makes B2B social media marketing a suspenseful mystery are the quandaries of where to start, which channels to participate in, and blah blah blah…

If you are a company getting started in B2B social media marketing, or are currently struggling, I have compiled a few thoughts for your consideration. So… #LetsGoToTheMovies

1) “Big things have small beginnings.” (Prometheus)

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It is important to acknowledge that B2B social media marketing does not always feel natural to online users. These social channels were not created as a mechanism for businesses to interact with potential leads or push marketing messages. Rather, they were originally built to give users an optimal way to connect with friends or family. With that said, users are becoming more comfortable with B2B messaging on social media, but acceptance and engagement is still growing.

>>Lesson 1: Growth will be slow. If you have patience, you will develop an audience and engagement.

 

2) “A little nonsense now and then is relished by the wisest men.” (Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory)

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In social media, the messages, status updates, and tweets shared take on an informal tone. They abide by the relaxed vernacular and popular culture inherent to most social media channels. From a content perspective, this often causes anxiety for B2B brands, which typically employ a more serious, corporate tone. Let’s face it, B2B brands aren’t used to sounding “informal,” and this tone does not correlate with anything else they say or do. Everyday corp-speak can be interpreted as “boring” to audiences.

>>Lesson 2: Achieve a balance of formal and informal tone. If your content reads like mini press releases or has a review process of 60 days, you are essentially creating content that makes you THAT adult at the freshman college party. Let me tell you, you’re not “down with it.”

 

3) “You mustn’t be afraid to dream a little bigger, darling.” (Inception)

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A recent study on B2B content marketing showed that companies who experienced the most success utilized six or seven different social media channels. This highlights the importance of being “everywhere” (pun intended) for your target audience and the need for a sound budget. Using a greater quantity of channels requires bigger budgets and more staff or agency support, which are not always the easiest things to obtain. The research study also found that LinkedIn®, Twitter®, YouTube®, and SlideShare® were all more effective in B2B content marketing than Facebook®. Yet, Facebook remains the equivalent of an online license or passport, meaning you simply do not exist to some people unless you have one, and the fact remains that many users search for businesses on Facebook.

>>Lesson 3: Set expectations from the beginning. Your business must use multiple social media platforms, and your executive leadership team must understand that having advertising dollars set aside for paid social promotions is essential, which is an expectation that not all ELT members share. Unfortunately, your executive team, who might not personally participate in social media, has no clue regarding the amount of time community management of social media channels actually takes. It is critical for you to set expectations from the beginning so you do not strain your team. Such strain could ultimately affect the content’s strength, which will lead to slow growth and low acceptance of the brand by online users.

There are plenty of other B2B social media best practices, but as the Joker says in The Dark Knight Rises,

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If you have additional questions, let’s get coffee, because our goal for our existing clients is to have them say…

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(Ferris Bueller’s Day Off) **Feel free to share this post, it will save Ferris. 😉