According to influencer marketing hub, for every $1 that a brand spends on influencers, they get a return of nearly $6. But how do you find the right influencer for you who aligns with your brand, your customers, and your values? This week’s Start Scale Succeed is from an Instagram live where Nicole was joined by someone who knows about both sides of the coin, Stephanie O'Quigley. Find out how to build lasting relationships, gifting versus paid, and the do’s and don’ts of influencer marketing. 

 

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• How the influencer aligns with your brand values and customer base is the most important thing to consider when deciding on who to work with. Just because someone has more followers, doesn’t mean they are better for your brand. 
• The best way to find influencers for your brand is to do the research and put the time in. Search who your customers follow, who has done marketing before for someone you know, search through the relevant hashtags. You can also hire someone to find the right person for you. 
• The biggest ‘do’ is to make your outreach personalised. Tell your prospective influencer what about them makes you think they are a good fit. Nobody wants a generic sell that you have no connection with. A bad example of this is when Stephanie was approached by an alcohol brand, despite her being sober and that being easy to find out from her socials. 
• Don’t give it all away in the initial outreach and make it as open as possible. Ask for their thoughts before you start saying what you need from them. 
• An influencer can lose trust with their audience if they push too many brands that aren’t right for them. Remember that being the right fit is a two way street. 
• Be open in the initial contact if you want to gift them something or whether you are looking into paid work. 
• Make sure you agree what the usage of any content is, for example are you able to post images on your brands pages. 

 

BEST MOMENTS

‘You have to take away the number factor’

‘Be open to take on board all the feedback they have’ 

‘I want to be in the position where I can turn down ten grand for a sponsorship!’

‘Getting people excited before your launch is a good strategy’ 

 

VALUABLE RESOURCES 

www.stephanieoq.com
instagram.com/stephanieoquigley
www.thebuyerandretailcoach.com
www.instagram.com/thebuyerandretailcoach

 

ABOUT THE HOST

Buying & retail expert Nicole Higgins spent the last 18 years working for companies such as Primark, M&S, Debenhams and Asda, sourcing & developing products from all over the world, building strategies for blue chip businesses, and increasing bottom line sales and profit, adding over £40 million in incremental business to the bottom line. 

Nicole now uses that experience and works as a consultant and coach for entrepreneurs and small to medium sized business owners, helping them start and scale their product businesses as The Buyer And Retail Coach (TM) 

Join the Start Scale Succeed waitlist. How to start & scale a product business. A 12 Week programme:  thebuyerandretailcoach.com/startscalesucceedwaitlist

 

CONTACT METHOD 

Website http://www.thebuyerandretailcoach.com
IG https://www.instagram.com/thebuyerandretailcoach/
LinkedIn linkedin.com/in/nicolehigginsuk
Email [email protected] 
Newsletter https://thebuyerandretailcoach.com/newsletter-sign-up/
Book a call with me https://thebuyerandretailcoachltd.as.me/discoverycall