As the digital landscape changes more and more people no longer question whether they should include social methods in the mix. It's more about how can they maximise methods on social to stay ahead. One thing which has really taken off in the last couple of years is enlisting social media influencers to help build your brand and take the awareness of your products to the next level. Brands associated with influencers are likely to get impressive results...


Using social media influencers as a tool to build your brand


You will have tough competition in 2018 and the coming years if you want to land a popular social influencer as brands are snapping them up from every direction. The main target for you will not be landing them but keeping them for the long run. By building a long-term relationship with a social media influencer you, in turn, remove competition from rival brands. However, you will need to tread carefully as consumers can detect partnerships which seem unnatural and forced; the key is to build relationships organically that mesh with both your brands. If successful, social media influencers will not only boost your brand engagement but also theirs too as 20-50% of all purchasing decisions are made from word-of-mouth marketing.


How to find social media influencers


Firstly, before finding your chosen social media influencer, you will need to ask yourself who you are trying to influence. By doing this, you can understand your target's interests and who they follow. For example, if you sell to 30 to 50 year old females you will need to research what platforms they mostly spend their time on and where they consume news etc. This allows you to pinpoint a social media influencer who works perfectly with you and can advertise your brand to an audience who is interested in that given subject. Now, when it comes to actually find a social media influencer there are various different tools and websites you can use:


  • Buzzsumo: Even though Buzzsumo is not a free site, it may be worth your time investing in. They have a very powerful search engine that enables you to find key influencer data from their site. From this, you can discover, follow, and reach out to different social media influencers.
  • Followerwonk: Followerwonk is completely free to use. This site allows you to follow and discover different social media influencers on Twitter. The search results will provide a list of Twitter influencers along with their number of tweets, followers, how many people they’re following, their social authority etc. Followerwonk allows you to keep a list of social media influencers you want to keep track of and reach out to.


When it comes to reaching out to your chosen social media influencer you don’t want to be too aggressive. A good way to grab their attention would be to join and participate in an online chat they are leading. For example, Twitter constantly has chats on at the same time every week under various different hashtags. Those on your social media influencer targets will start recognizing your Twitter handle. Therefore, when you finally reach out, it is not random and your social media influencer is more likely to respond. However, the best method of engaging would be through human connection (if possible). If your social media influencer is local, you can keep an eye on their social feeds to see the events they advertise. By going to these events you can make a natural human connection. Keep the conversation light so you can exchange business cards with this person and continue cooperating later.

The power of social media influencers

There are many ways in which social media influencers can help build your brand's visibility online, we've listed some of the main ways below;

  • They create on-brand content
  • They increase your reach and visibility
  • Your conversions will be boosted
  • You can track sales through a unique code
  • Your brand will be aligned with theirs
  • They build your credibility
  • They can aid your SEO


Social media influencers in Devon


Devon is not a place with an abundance of social media influencers, however, there are a few personalities which can be noted to boost your brands' credibility. Blogs such as ‘The Unmumsy Mum’ and ‘The Devon Foodie’ are based in Devon and these guys would really be able to help you out if their audience correlates with your brand.


Do you need help integrating social media influencers into your marketing strategy?

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Get in touch with us and learn how we can help you with this.

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Nathan Hoare

Digital expert with extensive global marketing experience