Influencer Collaboration for Link Building: Proven Tactics

‍Bloggers are often considered opinion leaders due to their large following and the trust their subscribers place in them. As a result, companies offering products or services may turn to famous bloggers for advertising.

‍It is important to target those bloggers whose subscribers match the desired audience for the brand. This section will discuss how to utilize bloggers to promote your product, including the benefits of this promotional method and strategies for identifying potential influencers for collaboration.

‍Before delving into the specifics of this promotional method, it is essential to establish its fundamental principle. Influencer marketing involves promoting your products or services through collaboration with influencers, particularly those who are active on social media. Today, both millennials and buzzers trust bloggers. The key is collaborating with media personalities relevant to your target audience.

‍It is no secret that people today prefer to buy from people. Blogging advertising is often perceived as word of mouth rather than a paid promotional tool.

‍You can use targeting and outdoor advertising or negotiate with a lifestyle or beauty blogger for barter or paid advertising to promote your decorative cosmetics. This will help your products reach a specific target audience, resulting in a noticeable increase in sales. For influencer marketing to be effective, it is important to carefully cultivate your social media presence to attract new clients and potential subscribers.

‍Collaboration with bloggers has proven to be highly effective in achieving desired results, provided a clear and creative technical specification and engaging advertising are defined. Success is measured by the number of clicks to the page and subsequent orders placed.

‍There are several advantages to collaborating with opinion leaders as a promotional method.

• High level of trust. Subscribers trust the bloggers they follow and are often influenced by their recommendations. Therefore, having a warmed-up audience can be beneficial for product sales.
• Additional activity on the page. Methods to attract new subscribers to your account can be considered, such as launching a flash mob or announcing a product giveaway in exchange for subscriptions or likes.
• A universal approach. Collaborating with experts in the field improves sales and attracts new subscribers who may recommend your brand to others.
• Relevance for any field. Influencer collaboration can be a valuable and effective method for most businesses, although it may not be relevant for all fields.

‍Effective link-building strategies for eCommerce often involve sponsored product reviews. It is recommended to contact relevant bloggers and influencers in your niche and inquire if they would be willing to review your product. Typically, bloggers receive free products for sponsored reviews in exchange for promoting them.

‍If you follow bloggers on social media, you have likely seen them advertise products and services. The most responsible influencers only promote products they have personally tested and enjoyed. However, some bloggers promote everything they are offered, which can lead to fewer people trusting their recommendations.

‍Cooperating with a prominent millionaire blogger does not guarantee good sales, especially if their audience consists of children who may not have purchasing power.

‍Instead, bloggers with 15 thousand followers on Instagram, particularly those with an expert page and subscribers interested in recommendations, can be more beneficial for a brand.

‍How do you find which bloggers to collaborate with? We offer several search options:

• Independent. Open the social network of your choice and search for popular opinion leaders using the search bar. Carefully analyze their pages to observe the products they advertise and their design.
• Special agencies offer services to search for opinion leaders in your area of interest. They analyze the effectiveness of cooperation by examining the ratio of subscribers and preferences, the quality of comments (fake bots can leave them), and other relevant factors. These agencies provide a list of different famous people with whom you can collaborate, rather than just one blogger.
• Special online exchanges. These are platforms that bring together advertisers and bloggers. However, they may not have a complete list of influencers.

‍To ensure the success of your campaign, it’s important to avoid common mistakes. Let’s examine each one and learn how to work with influencers.

Wrong Choice of Influencer

‍The collaboration between McDonald’s and influencer Casey Neistat is an example of choosing the wrong influencer to promote a brand. Neistat, a YouTube vlogger, often creates content about the fight for healthy eating and against obesity. This influencer-brand collaboration drew criticism and dissatisfaction from his audience, who believe McDonald’s is responsible for society’s obesity problems. To promote the brand, it is advisable to select an influencer whose values and image align with the company’s values. This will result in a more positive impact and feedback from the audience.

Low-Quality or Inappropriate Content

‍In 2018, Logan Paul, an influencer, posted a video on his YouTube channel featuring a dead body found in a Japanese suicide forest. The video caused widespread public outcry and negative feedback from viewers and advertisers.

‍As a result, Logan Paul was excluded from the YouTube partner program and lost contracts with several advertisers, including an electronics and computer equipment manufacturer. Brands that collaborate with Logan Paul may face backlash due to the negative image campaign associated with him.

Wrong Performance Measurement

‍Listerine launched an Instagram influencer campaign to promote new types of chewing gum. However, despite the high number of likes and comments under the posts, chewing gum sales did not increase. It was later discovered that the company only measured the number of likes and comments rather than the actual effectiveness of the campaign. Furthermore, it was found that many of the influencers Listerine worked with had fake followers.

Insufficient Control

‍In 2018, Dolce & Gabbana failed to implement adequate control measures over the content published on social media in preparation for an advertising campaign in China.

‍The influencers who were invited to participate in the campaign were not provided with specific instructions and were unaware of the upcoming advertising content. As a result, videos were published that displayed cultural misunderstandings and racist remarks by the campaigners. The incident caused a significant scandal and a negative response from Chinese consumers, severely damaging the brand’s reputation in China.

Incorrect Budget Planning

‍Imagine that Company X is planning an Instagram advertising campaign with the help of three influencers: A, B, and C. Each influencer has a different audience and price. Influencer A has 50K followers and an ad value of $100K, Influencer B has 100K followers and a value of $200K, and Influencer C has 150K followers and a value of $300K.

‍Company X may make the mistake of dividing its budget equally among these three influencers. Allocating the budget based on each influencer’s number of followers and advertising costs would be more effective. For instance, Company X could spend $300,000 on Influencer C, $200,000 on Influencer B, and $100,000 on Influencer A. This approach would ensure efficient use of the budget and maximize the benefits of each influencer partnership.

Inability to Build Relationships with Influencers

‍If a company decides to receive backlinks through influencers, communication failure can be a serious mistake. Business people often do not take bloggers seriously, which is a significant error. When collaborating with someone, treating them as a partner is essential. Although this approach does not eliminate problems and misunderstandings, it significantly reduces their likelihood.

Inconsistency between Content Style and Brand

‍The cosmetics company launched an advertising campaign on Instagram using an influencer with a significant following and many likes. However, the influencer’s post featuring the company’s products differed significantly from the brand’s style. The post used bright colors, animation, and other effects that did not match the company’s image. The post did not attract many subscribers, and the campaign did not achieve the desired result.

Lack of Action Plan

‍Suppose a company launches a new product and decides to promote it through influencer recommendations. However, without a specific plan, it is unclear which influencers would be most effective in promoting the product. The company begins its search, but making the right choice requires a well-defined plan.

‍While it may be unnecessary to explain the importance of planning to a business person, bloggers are often creative and prefer to work at their own pace. Therefore, it is crucial to discuss planning approaches and find common ground before starting any cooperation.

‍To ensure that collaborating with a well-known blogger will benefit your brand, it is essential to review their page carefully. Specialists can analyze social network accounts and identify potential pitfalls and suspicious activities.

‍Usually, you should be wary of:

• Inflated subscriptions and comments are often the result of paid bots, which primarily leave one-word reviews and emojis under photos.
• Suspicion can arise when there is low or high audience involvement. The norm is approximately 10%, meaning that for 50,000 subscribers, a blogger should have around 5,000 post likes.
• Opinion leaders must comply with the advertiser’s conditions, working according to the technical specifications without deviation and presenting advertising posts on time. Failure to meet deadlines or making excessive changes to the customer’s theses can harm sales.
• Influencer marketing remains an effective tool for promoting products or services. The key is identifying a responsible blogger and verifying that their subscribers match your target audience.

‍Following these tips can help prevent errors and ensure profitable influencer collaborations.

‍Promotion tactics are rapidly evolving, and influencers are becoming increasingly popular. However, promoting through influencers does not guarantee success unless companies consider possible mistakes. Companies need to choose influencers whose audience matches their target audience and whose content is consistent with the style and values of their brand. It is also essential to create a comprehensive action plan that encompasses all promotional stages and oversee its execution.