Influencer marketing is one of the most effective ways to drive sales and grow your brand online.

That's because people tend to trust bloggers they follow more than they trust you or your marketing. So, bloggers and other influencers can have a huge impact on your potential customers.

However, getting bloggers to become your brand champions takes much more than a casual email: You need to take a structured approach to building a long-term relationship. The following nine steps should have you well on your way.

1. Identify your audience

Before you dive into any blogger outreach initiative, you need to know your target audience: Who is it that you're trying to sell to? Create personas that clearly identify the key characteristics of your potential customers so you can determine the best ways to influence them.

For instance, if you're selling mountain bikes, are you targeting teens, their parents, fitness enthusiasts, or mountain-biking professionals?

This step may seem basic, but it's surprising how many marketers forget about it.

2. Find the right bloggers

Now that you know who your audience is, it's time to decide which bloggers you want to target. One of the biggest mistakes you can make is to reach out indiscriminately; instead, you need to know whether a blogger is the right match for your brand and your marketing objectives. Otherwise, your efforts will have been in vain.

Start by searching for potential bloggers. You can go about doing so in many ways, but using a site such as mine (Tomoson) makes it easier. Then, narrow down your list: Look at key factors such as the size of the blogger's audience, the relevance of the subject matter to you, and how much conversation they generate with their readers.

3. Create a real relationship

Good blogger outreach is all about creating relationships. Take the time to become the bloggers' friend, join the community they've created, and start to build trust. Some bloggers start out with a deep suspicion of marketers and their motives, so you need to work hard to create an authentic connection.

Don't just play at establishing a relationship: You need to be genuine and develop a real interest in them. Honesty and transparency are essential; otherwise, you're wasting your time—and theirs.

4. Help bloggers to grow

Once your relationship with a blogger starts to click, strengthen it further by promoting what they do. Ultimately, every blogger wants to grow their readership, so if you help them to do so you'll start to get some real traction.

If you already have a strong social media presence, use it to publicize their blog. Tweet out their blog posts and refer to their content on your own corporate blog. Don't just confine yourself to online promotion: Tell your colleagues about them, and even mention them if you speak at conferences.

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How to Turn Bloggers (and Other Influencers) Into Your Brand Champions

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

image of Jeff Foster

Jeff Foster is the CEO at Tomoson, an influencer marketplace that lets businesses connect with targeted, niche audiences and allows influencers to get paid for posting sponsored content.

LinkedIn: Jeff Foster