Influencer Marketing has been making quite a buzz lately. Not only is it a great way to get your brand in front of a wide audience but it also fits very seamlessly into your holistic digital marketing plan.
NB: This is an article from Blue Magnet
While the idea of reaching out to bloggers or content creators seems like a pretty simple idea, there are a few key ideas you need to keep in mind to make sure you land a successful partnership.
Know Your Audience
Identify your target audience. Just picking a blogger in any category, such as “fashion” or “mom,” is not enough. You need to create an actual persona for your ideal guest; give them a name and backstory to really visualize this person. Is your hotel in an area with lots of family-friendly attractions? Do you see Jennifer, a mom of 2 toddlers, staying at your hotel to visit an amusement park? Or are you more of a business destination with a world-renowned convention center? Are you catering to Jessica, the big wig CEO in town for the next tech conference? Or are you close to an incredible shopping center that Olivia, the young fashion blogger from NYC, just can not miss out on? You need to make sure you are reaching out to bloggers and content creators aligning with the guests who love your hotel..
Personalize Your Message
Once you know who you are searching for and you have a list of qualified bloggers to reach out to, it is time to start crafting your outreach email
Add Value
Everyone wants to feel valued. Influencer Marketing is such a new world that a standard of compensation has not been established, so content creators rely on their personal idea of worth when evaluating collaboration requests. They want to see a mutually beneficial agreement when they partner with a brand. When you are planning your pitch, never come to the table empty handed. Compensation does not always have to be a free night stay. You can offer to host an event for bloggers to check out your cocktail menu, take a tour of your newly renovated suites, or even allow them to set up a photo shoot to create some content. If offering space on site is not an option, brainstorming a trendy topic, some travel tips about your area or an eye-catching piece of content from your own blog that can be the inspiration a blogger needs to create something unique.
Give specifics in your pitch
As mentioned this is the influencers business and they receive collaboration request emails all the time. You want to make sure you are giving them specific details quickly and efficiently in your pitch. If they are reading a long complicated email and they do not see an immediate benefit to them and their business, they will hit delete. Keep your message short, sweet, and to the point.
Add Urgency
Finally, add a sense of urgency to your pitch if you can. Getting into a blogger’s schedule is probably the hardest part of pitching. If you can tie your outreach to a specific event or holiday, it can help keep your campaign in the forefront of the blogger’s mind and gives a set date on their schedule.
