Influencer marketing has always been a powerful tool used by companies to get a solid marketing edge in an already steep competition. Nowadays, influencer marketing can take entirely different forms as you don’t need to pay movie stars or famous singers to promote your product or website. There are many influencers, and most of them are online.

The world has shifted towards the digital medium, and as a result, many website owners and bloggers are now considered top influencers. If you’re just getting started with this type of marketing, here are a few tips to get you started.

Make a list with all the top influencers

The first step is to assess who exactly is considered an influencer. Do a search for influencers in your business category. You might be surprised by how many search results you get, and narrowing them down to a shortlist is neither efficient nor favorable. The fact that you have many names to choose from is a very good thing, so it’s more proof that Influencer Marketing is here to stay.

Make the first step and establish contact

The next step after making a list of all the influencers is to reach out to them. There are many ways in which you can do this, and luckily you can get a hold of all the influencers on your list without having to leave your house or office. The easiest way to establish contact would be through social media. You can either send them a public message, i.e., a Tweet or Facebook comment, or a private one that appears in their direct message inbox. You can also use a bit more traditional means such as the phone or email address. Whatever you choose is fine as long as it works.

Working on the process of getting them on your side

After you establish contact, your primary concern will be engaging them in conversation and starting discussions. In other words, you have to talk to them. Talk as much as you can but be warned, not all the influencers you contact will respond in the same way. Some will be more receptive than others. The platform on which you communicate also plays a huge role so keep track of which platform generates the best response results in general so that you know which your best approach is in the future.

Prepare a budget

Getting 100 different influencers to promote your product, business or service sounds great, but do you have the necessary money to pay all of them? It’s important to accurately assess your financial capabilities. Set up a budget early and try to get quotes for all the big influencers you will decide to pursue. Many of the biggest names in influencer marketing will require significant budgets to keep them happy, so be sure to spend your budget wisely and track the results of your campaigns.