Craft Focus - Apr/May (Issue 66)

84 craft focus PR expert, Michael O’Connor, explains how to succeed in the world of influencer marketing Influencer marketing, the practice of using well-connected people to mention and share your product, is a buzzword at the moment. Social media influencers typically have thousands of followers across Instagram, YouTube, Twitter and Facebook, and talking to the right one could really help your brand. The premise seems simple enough: you make a pitch to an influencer, someone with a large social following or significant impact within your industry. That person shares your content or mentions you to his or her followers and you immediately get a welcome surge of attention and interest in your product or your brand. That’s how it’s supposed to go, but that’s the simplified version. Most newcomers to this area can end up getting ignored, no matter who they choose or how carefully they word their messages. To help, I’ve listed a few ideas to give you an insight and help you reach out and connect successfully. 1 You aren’t targeting the right kind of people One of the most common culprits is a simple targeting issue; you aren’t reaching out to the best influencers available to you. This could be because your targets aren’t relevant to your industry, or aren’t very active. It may be that they don’t collaborate with others or they are too high or low on the ‘totem pole’. Or, it could be a combination of these and other factors. In any case, you need to dig deeper when researching prospective influencers. You can start by broadening your search using social and content discovery tools like BuzzSumo or Little Bird to find new prospects. You should also make sure you get to know influencers before you contact them. Be aware of their areas of expertise, how under the influence