How To Get Brand Deals As A South African Influencer

So you've started building your online following on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or YouTube and you're thinking hey maybe its time I turn corporate shill and make some money off of this attention I'm getting as a minor internet celebrity.

Yes, you as many millennials out there want to be an influencer. If you've followed my blog you'll know as a traditional digital marketer I have my opinions on what influencer marketing should be like but that's not to say I discount the profession altogether.

There are indeed ways of making it work, where all parties benefit from working together. If you think you could provide value to a brand and you have a receptive audience. You're probably wondering how do I get brands to take note of little old me?

Well, we've got the formula, the blueprint, to take your drip and sauce on social media and turn it into cash money baby.

Collaborating with brands

If you're going to turn your social media following into a money spinner or even a career the first thing you need to do is stop, collaborate, and listen, Yes Vanilla Ice had it right all this time, who would have thought?

Experts say anyone from 2000 authentic followers can be considered a micro influencer so if you've started to build a following larger than your family and high school friends. Now that you've built a reasonable public platform, what is the next step? Approaching brands of course. Speaking to the local businesses to corporate big wigs can be a daunting task which many aren't able to do and why many influencers cannot bank the attention they're getting online.

If you feel you're ready to take the leap of faith, then here are a few tips on how to get started in packing your social following into an attractive proposition for businesses.

1. Prepare your outreach email

As an infleuncer, you need to take control of the situation, you have the product brands want, they just don't know it yet. While brands do regularly contact infleuncers these are few and far between and if you want to have a steady stream of work you'll need to start networking. First, you'll need to find brands you would want to work with and that your audience would value and react to hearing about.

Once you have a short list of brands you think would be a good fit its time to reach out. If this is done via social media comments or DM's make sure you get a direct email first before making your complete pitch. Make your introductions and make it easy for anyone to jump into the convo and know exactly who you are. After initial contact its time to follow up with an email.

Marketing managers are busy and receive 1000s of messages per day, make sure you stand out by providing an overview of your offering, along with statistics, why you're a good fit and if you already have one, add a rate card.

2. Know The Product

Having an audience to advertise to will only endear yourself so much but what is going to set you apart from others who also have a following? Your expertise of course. You cannot be reaching out to brands if you have not tried the product or know a reasonable amount about the product. 

“I haven’t tried your product” isn’t really the way to win over a brand.

Of course, it’s totally fine if you haven’t actually tried the product – a lot of influencer activity is based on trials and reviews – but try to spin it a different way. Perhaps pitch it as you've tried other products but you've heard good things about their product and why they are a market leader and would like to review their product for your audience. As you may know, Influencer Marketing is all about authenticity is key.

3. Do your research

Brands want to work with you because of what YOU can offer. What’s different about your personal style, your point of view, your content, or your audience? Your personal brand is your selling point, so make sure you know exactly what that is and figure out how to communicate it in the simplest way possible. Pitch them unique ideas of how you will use their product and how you will be able to bring value to their current marketing efforts.

4. Audit your social profiles

Social media is an inherently casual space and while you are free to do as you please on your profile an influencer may want to follow certain rules if they're aiming to monetize their audience. You’re trying to set up a business transaction, so treat it like you mean business. Audit your profile and make sure you don't have any comments or posts that may be deemed offensive or could be embarrassing for you and brands if they are made public. Remember you're going to be placed in the public eye and making sure you don't have anything incriminating on your profile.

5. Show your affiliation with the brand

An industry best practice to craft a unique pitch for every opportunity you’re applying for, don't just blast out a mass email and hope you will get a response. Going that extra step is just as important before AND after locking down a deal.

Maybe create a possible example of a campaign pitch and how it will work along with any support you may need and how the campaign will impact a brand's online reputation. Remember you're selling them on an idea and an opportunity so make it an attractive proposal a brand will want to test out.

Link up with agencies

The Business Insider South Africa recently reported that local influencers can get paid between R500 and R10,000 per Instagram post while celebrity influencers can demand even more than that. South African marketing agencies now recognize the benefits of offering influencer marketing amongst their services and specialist agencies are starting to open up to service the demand.

If you're looking for influencer agencies in South Africa, then we recommend you check out the following sites.

• Have you heard
• The Salt
• Scope
• R2 Digital
• DragonFly Digital

Tell us your social media story

Have you ever used influencer marketing or are you an aspiring social media influencer? Share your experience with us in the comments

Looking for an influencer?

Do you need someone to help you promote your brand to their followers? Find local influencers here

Are you a social media influencer?

Are you a social media influencer? Then why not register on nichemarket and put your business in front of thousands of nicheseekers every month.

Get started with nichemarket

Registering with nichemarket is easy; all you will need to do is head over to our sign up form and follow the instructions. If you require a more detailed guide on how to create your profile or your listing, then we highly recommend you check out the following articles.

• How to create a nichemarketer profile
• How to create a nichemarket business listing

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Tags: Influencer marketing, social media marketing, branding