Engaging with Influencers for Social Media

Article by Emma Gosper, Digital Advisor, Western Sydney Business Centre

If you’re looking for a way to take your business social media to the next level, consider collaborating with a Social Media Influencer to help build your business brand and your social audience.

Influencers are social media users who have a massive established base of fans and followers as well as having a positive reputation in their respective field or industry. Many influencers have hundreds of thousands of followers, so it would be extremely beneficial to get your name out in front of their audience. These people have established trust and credibility amongst their audience, so you are creating positive imaging within your brand.

The collaborative opportunities can be as wild as your imagination. It could be something as simple as them sharing your content, writing a blog/article on their story, a discount code for their audience, or it can be something as complex as continuous brand representation. Of course, the partnership needs to beneficial for both parties, so think about what you can offer them in return for promoting you, such as a free membership for your gym, free meals at your restaurant, or a cash contribution.

To find an Influencer, think about people who inspire you in your industry. For example, if you are a personal trainer, you may already be following a potential influencer who you look up to such as a fitness guru, body building champion etc. Once you find out whom these people are monitor their accounts, what they are posting and if they are promoting any other brands.

When you’re ready to make contact, most influencers who are open to new opportunities will list a contact email in their profile, so email them and ask if them if they are interested in collaborating. Send them a detailed email about your business, what you can offer them in exchange and how they can reach you if they are interested.

Alternatively, get yourself noticed by them. Start tagging them in your posts and repost their content to your audience, its easy content for your accounts. They might even share your content to their audience in return, without any collaborative agreement.