As a social media influencer, you have probably heard about the benefits of working with brands and getting paid to promote their products. Even if you already have your own clothing or makeup line or you use Patreon to monetize your work online, working with brands as an influencer can be an interesting side gig.
Even if you have already achieved success on social media, you shouldn’t expect brands to reach out to you. In other words, you are responsible for finding opportunities and reaching out to brands to promote their products. Here are a few ways to identify clients through social media.
Have A Strong Social Media Marketing Strategy
Considering that you already have a decent social media following, you probably know at least one or two things about social media marketing. Yet, you should still pay special attention to your social media marketing strategy when you communicate with potential clients, as it can significantly impact your success.
These potential clients will first look at your social media profile. Ensure that the content on your profile has a consistent visual look and you post regularly. Interact with your followers in the comment section and always stay polite and respectful. Categorize your content if the platform you are using lets you do so (e.g. Instagram Highlights).
Create Your Target Audience Profiles
You may be reaching out to various brands which have different target audience profiles. If you are a lifestyle influencer, you could work with makeup, healthy food, or even eco-friendly clothing brands! You just need to identify these profiles and choose hashtags to search for potential clients.
Here are some tips to follow:
- Look at your current content. Which topics does it cover? What is your major niche and what are some more specific niches within it?
- Check your statistics. Some social media platforms let you check your audience statistics, so checking those can help you identify who is following you and interacting with your content.
- Use keyword research tools to determine which keywords you should use for each one of your niches.
Diversify Your Platform Choices
So, you are an influencer on Instagram with a decent follower base. Obviously, you might start by reaching out to brands on Instagram. But you shouldn’t stop at that. Diversify your platform choices and reach out to brands on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and other social media platforms.
Brands you find on Facebook might want you to promote their products on Instagram as well! If you have a website, you can even put customer reviews from different social media platforms on your reviews page. This will show your potential clients visiting your site just how diverse your audience is.
Reach Out and Engage in Conversations
When you reach out to potential clients, you can create templates to use instead of writing similar messages every time. This will speed up the process, allow you to contact more brands, and customize the messages to fit your needs.
In addition to that, don’t utilize only direct messages for your outreach. You can engage in conversations with potential clients in the comment sections as well. This can help you break the ice, ask them whether you can message them about a possible collaboration, and then set up everything privately.
Build Lasting Relationships with Returning Clients
Even as you reach out to brands and secure collaborations, remember to build lasting relationships with them so that they will return. You don’t want to spend time looking for new clients again and again – you could spend this effort elsewhere.
After each collaboration, try to end the conversation on a positive note. Be friendly and polite but also professional. Later, get in touch with the brand again to continue building the relationship and possibly secure another gig.
Final Thoughts
As an influencer, don’t expect brands to reach out to you. You should reach out to potential clients who might have products that they would like you to promote.
That being said, it’s not difficult to get started. Use the tips in this article to reach out to clients on social media and find new gig opportunities for yourself!
Author’s Bio
James Baxter is a professional ghostwriter, editor at academic writing services and blogger, who loves sharing his experience and knowledge with readers. He is especially interested in marketing, blogging and IT. James is always happy to visit different places and meet new people there.
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