I'm not a big brand, how do I start influencer marketing?

Send direct messages to as many influencers as possible.

Find them on your preferred social media. Ask them to give you feedback about what you do, how they started out, to work together, …

Look for that feedback, connect and grow your network.

The Influencer

Contact real people. Not a company page but a profile on social media with a first and last name. Try to learn about them, understand them and help them with something. Create a real human connection.

Many will not reply. That is ok. Some will, and their feedback and connection are gold.

Always contact one person at least twice. Most influencers will answer you only after the follow-up. It’s a big mistake to not follow up always do.

That’s also why you worked on your ideal client avatar at the beginning. You listed your ideal client’s influencers then.

There are many types of influencer and can be sum up in 4 categories:

1.?The Inner Circle (family, friends, colleagues)

2.?The Popular

3.?The Notorious

4.?and the Enthusiast

The Inner Circle is you and me, your family, friends and colleagues. We are all the influencer of about 15 people.

The Popular is both well known to everyone and no one really. They attract the masses and have high prices.

The Notorious is not known to everyone, only to a few people in their specific field.

Finally, the Enthusiast is not popular or notorious. They have less followers, are more available and less pricey. But they are there and they regularly provide value. They might become notorious or popular later. For now, they are the micro-influencers we want to contact at first.

You can start with people you already know. You might also have more chances and get more responses with people who have about the same popularity/notoriety than you.

The Contact

Write two message templates. One for the 1st?contact and one for the follow-up. Don’t spend too much time on it. Write it, send it to about 20 people and adapt it over time. Once you’re happy with the responses you get, keep on using the same template and try new versions from time to time.

There are 7 parts to a typical message template:

1.?Greeting -- Use their first name

2.?Hook -- Comment about an event they’ll speak up at, a post they shared or something that affects their business, make it about them

3.?What’s in it for me? -- You are the one asking them to do something, what do they get out of it?

4.?Who you are -- Your short bio, like an elevator pitch, linked to your ask

5.?Your ask -- What do you want them to do?

6.?Greeting -- Time to get creative, add a ps or a link to an interesting article or funny gif, something that can help them right now

7.?Signature

Here are 2 simple template examples with my ideal client:

1st contact

Hi Corale,

Just saw your post about how you’re both dealing with work from home and kids. Your advice was so practical, thank you so much for sharing them!

There is much advice here on LinkedIn about working from home but not all hit the mark like yours. And that’s why I’d like your help.

I’m regularly posting advice about work from home and would love to do a cross-post with you. We’d post part of our content on my account and the other part with yours.

How does that sound? Would love to hear what you think.

Have a nice day,

Fanny

Follow-up

Hi Corale,

I was checking my messages here on LinkedIn and wondered if you saw my message, or if you’d like to do that cross-posting thing. It’s ok if you don’t, thanks anyway!

Have a nice day,

Fanny

______________________________________

This article is part of a series about digital marketing for remote freelancers.

In total, they are 7 articles, 7 steps. Each step is one digital marketing tactic. They have an order. The earlier, the more basic and necessary. They build on each other. You need the earlier steps before starting the later ones.

You can read the other articles here:

Step 1 Your Ideal Client Avatar -- 4 ways and 13 questions to work with only the best clients

Step 2 Your Ideal Client Journey -- They learn about you. They buy from you. And they buy again.

Step 3 Comment on Social Media -- You can get your next client on social media, you're 5 steps away from it

Step 4 Document on Social Media -- Too busy to post on social media? I got something for you.

Step 6 Build your Website -- But isn't building your website too much for a freelancer?

Step 7 Send your Newsletters -- Don't depend on social media algorithms, send an email

Those articles are part of a project called 'The Freelancer Jungle'.

You can check the Steps on its website.

You can?subscribe to the Jungle Letters?and receive all the Steps right in your inbox.

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