3 Steps to Building a Strong Online Presence using Influence Marketing

Gartner Analysts writes, “Digital marketing is what you put into it. The sweat equity of picking, prioritizing, engaging and measuring multiple channels and continuously optimizing investments is the ingredients of the magic elixir that turns good digital marketing intentions into real business outcomes.” Developing a digital presence can prove a daunting task. With so many voices out there, how does a brand get its message heard? Two words: Influence marketing. In the digital realm, influence marketing means actively engaging with key individuals that already have a large following online. Targeting these individuals will rapidly boost your exposure to a large swath of relevant and active potential customers. So how does one get the attention of well-established influencers online? Let’s take a look at a few proven tactics:

1. Follow and Engage Influencers

Commenting and sharing posts from key influencers invites them to reciprocate Start by identifying the most influential players in your market and following their blogs and social media pages. Consistently share their content and comment on posts with relevant insight. By actively participating on an influencer’s page, they may reciprocate the gesture by commenting on your page or sharing your work too. Don’t be shy! You can even directly ask an influencer to kindly re-share one of your posts. This leads to automatic exposure within the right audience and an endorsement from an already established source.

2. Interview Industry Influencers

Reach out and engage influencers by interviewing them for your social media or blog Influencers frequently look for positive and engaging promotional pieces to plug themselves and their businesses. An interview offers a free endorsement opportunity, and influencers will likely agree to participate. Publish the interview on your blog and social media channels, and the influencers will share that post on their own network of sites. In return, you can ask for an interview as well that would offer unique, relevant content to the influencer’s audience. This reciprocation can often form a longer, more sustainable business partnership in which the influencer will happily share more content from your network.

3. Build Brand Credibility

Establish your brand as a credible source of information In order to get endorsements from influencers, your brand will need to establish itself as a reliable, relevant source. This starts with regularly publishing quality content and actively commenting on social media and blog posts with insightful information. This will develop your brand as a respectable, reliable resource. Make sure to provide regular updates regarding company announcements and launches as well so that influencers will take notice and share your content. They have built their own networks on trust and confidence. If they nod in your direction, others will follow. By growing your social and digital community, you build overall brand awareness and turn leads into sales in no time. Building a relationship with key influencers in your market will quickly and effectively help your business build a stronger presence with the right audience.   To check out a great infographic on how to achieve the perfect marketing mix, click here.