Recent years have seen the emergence of the “influencer economy” – a departure from the typical advertisement venues towards personal endorsements by internet personalities. Influencers command a coveted currency in the ecommerce world: trust. Here are 4 tips to get you well on your way to connecting with influencers to successfully market your product.

Use a Connection Platform

You have a great product, but you don’t necessarily spend your days reading the same blogs as your target audience. So how will you know the best influencers to promote your brand? Enter creator marketplaces, such as ClearVoice. Creator marketplaces are platforms that help connect businesses with relevant influencers, as well as manage and organize promotion collaborations. They make it easy find a great fit, nail down project details and oversee project completion, so you can focus on following through.

Build a Personal Connection

Whether you found an influencer through a creator marketplace or social media, the best first step is your story. Help them get to know you as a brand and see if their values align with yours. Influencer marketing relies on harnessing the trust they have built with their audience, and influencers guard that connection jealously. Help them get to behind your brand, and not only will you land the collaboration, you’ll be rewarded with genuine enthusiasm in their promotion – something money just can’t buy.

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Trust the Influencer’s Voice

Once the collaboration is underway, it is time to step back. It’s appropriate to ask the influencer to cover some key points, but generally it’s best to let them do what they do best – motivate their audience. If you’ve done your due diligence thus far, then you’ve found an influencer who is enthusiastic to promote your product. Let them do it in their own style – they’ve built a following of people who want to hear their voice, so promoting your product in the same style is the most effective way to reach their followers.

Show Your Generosity

Now that you’ve got your audience’s attention, make it easy for them to get involved with your product. Offer a discount code or a giveaway for the influencer to run – anything to lower your future customers’ barrier of entry. If you’ve built on the previous steps, the audience will be coming to you not just willingly, but with enthusiasm, and by making it easier for them to take the final step you can increase your chances of getting more first-time sales and return customers.

Conclusion

Influencer marketing can be a powerful tool in your small business tool belt. To build a successful campaign, remember: more than just pitching a product, you are providing an expression of shared values.