An influencer is someone who has established credibility with a large group of people, primarily (but not limited to) public platforms. Finding the right influencer to promote your event on their social media platform is a smart choice. Not only can they get the word out quickly, but their stamp of approval is also an easy sell to their devoted followers.
Building a strong relationship with an influencer brings both calculable and incalculable value to both parties. Their support communicates your event has value to the audience you’d like to reach. We’ve put together a four-step guide to help you in the process and open up the door for great partnerships that you might not be using to their full potential.
Step One: Choose the right influencer.
It’s really important to choose someone with an audience you’d like to reach. A high number of followers isn’t necessarily better than the right followers. Social media platforms deem someone an influencer once they reach a certain number of followers and likes. But you can deem someone an influencer yourself if you know they have a voice that reaches your target audience.
In addition, you want to make sure this influencer has a positive and valuable relationship with their followers. You want to choose someone who is wisely selective about their endorsements and partnerships, as it’s a strong indicator that they will sincerely value what you do. A good partnership is one that benefits both parties, therefore it's alright to be a little choosy.
Step Two: Offer a strategic incentive.
Start by collecting some facts and figures. Some good questions to ask an influencer in advance:
- How many likes/views does your average post collect?
- What is your average daily reach?Note: The number of followers/the size of their reach can be very different.
- What was the response rate for the last 3 links you prompted your followers to click?
- How do you think your audience will respond to the event?
- What do you think would incentivize your audience to sign up?
The answers to these questions will give you an idea of the value of working with that promoter. You can then determine, in dollars and cents, the expected return on your investment.
That will help you strategically decide on what to offer. For example, you might offer the first 100 people a discount for clicking on the link the influencer shares.
Pro Tip: You can use a pre-fill URL to apply that discount automatically if you’re using RegFox.
Step Three: Clarify when and how often the influencer will promote the event.
You can discuss the different options prior to the influencer promoting the event. This will not only help the partnership run smoothly, but it will also help you accurately track the results.Some good questions to ask:
- Which platform(s) do you think would be best for this event?
- What images will you associate with the promo?
- Will you be using video, Facebook stories, Instagram stories, or podcasts to verbally promote the event?
- What days and times will you be posting?
Pro Tip: If you aren’t already, it might be worth checking into setting up a Google Analytics account to track the clicks, purchases, and traffic from this partnership. You can seamlessly integrate your code into your RegFox page to help you out.
Step Four: Go above & beyond to invest in the partnership
Generosity and appreciation go a long way when working with influencers. You can show them you value them by sending them a surprise gift (flowers, merchandise, gift box, etc.), sponsoring their attendance at your event, or a handwritten card.
You want them to feel great about putting their name on your event, and even a small gesture can leave them with a positive impression.If you’ve had a great experience working with an influencer, let us know about it in the comments below. We want to hear about the calculable and incalculable value they brought to your event.
