Use influencers to write guest blog posts
Use influencers to write guest blog posts
1. Consider your goals and determine whether you want the influencer to guest post on your site or a third party site.
Determine whether you want to: Position yourself as an authority in your industry: invite the influencer to guest post on your site. Get exposure for your site or build backlinks: ask the influencer to guest blog on third party sites.
2. Find an influencer with the right expertise, name recognition, and audience to boost your content marketing efforts.
An influencer brings an engaged following and broad knowledge of your target audience to the table. Influencer marketing is effective because of the level of trust between influencers and their audience. The right influencer brings: Look for an influencer with: In-depth knowledge of the industry that your product is in, and trust from their audience in that knowledge. Name recognition within your industry as a leader. An existing audience that suits your target market for the product or campaign.
3. Offer freebies, special discounts, a financial reward, exclusive access, or free membership to the influencer.
Freebies: Free samples of your products or a trial of your service. Discounts: Give them a special discount or deal on your solutions. You can also send them on special trips. For example, Marriot sent bloggers on different itineraries and had them share their experiences with their audience. Financial reward: Pay the influencer to create or share your brand’s content. Offer fixed compensation for each post. For example, Away, a company that sells modern luggage, partnered with Man Repeller to give away a luggage set. Man Repeller shared the content on its blog for a fee. Exclusive access: If you’re launching a new product, ensure the influencer tries it out before introducing it to the public. For example, Chanel gave influencers a tour of its flower field and perfume manufacturing facilities in France. Its campaign to promote Chanel No.5 L’Eau got over 900,000 likes on social media in the first month alone. Membership: Give the influence access to a product, service, or facility. For example, Ritz Carlton partners with influencers in its niche and provides free hotel stays in exchange for publicity.
4. Provide the requirements, guidelines, and instructions to help the influencer deliver content that suits your needs.
Give influencers some creative freedom because they know how to engage their audience. You can also interview them to gain insights into the subject and ghostwrite. Then create a well-written, informative article that the influencer can share on their blog. Link the article back to your site, but ensure that it doesn’t look overly promotional or spammy. This will expose your brand to an influencer’s audience and also drive traffic to your website. Make it easy for the influencer to promote by suggesting copy for social and creating graphics, video, or infographics. You may also suggest social media posts that you’d like them to share. This will help influencers craft something that matches your preference.