Making your business stand out from the pack can be a challenge, no matter how great your product or service may be. One of the best ways to put your business on the map is to have one or more endorsements from high-profile brand influencers. These are bloggers who have developed a large amount of content and amassed an extensive loyal following. According to BuzzSumo, a post that is shared by just one influencer can result in over 30% more social shares, and having three influencers can double the total shares. The tricky part is securing these endorsements from high-profile influencers.
Since successful brand influencers are in constant demand, it’s important to capture their attention when you reach out to them, or else they will simply move on to the next email in their inbox.
Before you get started, here are 5 tips for pitching brand influencers in the pet industry.
- Build Relationships. This may seem obvious and as archaic as time itself, but people tend to be loyal to those whom they are already familiar with. This is why networking and staying in touch with people you meet at conferences, events and other business related gatherings is so vital to not only building your business, but establishing relationships that could lead to future successes.
- Find Similarities. No matter how unique your business idea may be, there will always be others out there who are already talking about your type of product or service. Reach out to these influencers first, as they are more likely to offer you a review or endorsement since they are already familiar and passionate about the topic.
- Plan Ahead. In your quest for successful influencers, you may find that some may have just published a book or recently released a new product. These are obviously the more established influencers, however, reaching out to them during this busy time in their life may not prove to be very fruitful. Instead of coming out of the woodwork and asking them for an endorsement, use this time to get to know them, their product, and the knowledge they offer to your topic or specific industry.
- Give Before You Get. Offering to endorse or publicize their product or service may be a great way to get your foot in the door, while getting to know and building relationships with brand influencers. Especially, if you are just starting out, offering to write a blog post on your site for another company is a way to build good will and could lead to long lasting positive relationships with brand influencers.
- Keep It Short and Simple. Everyone leads busy and complex lives, and no one more so than the brand influencers you are reaching out to. Therefore, follow email etiquette and keep your messages short and to the point. Offer a sincere compliment to pique their interest, then go right into your pitch, making sure to tell them why you want their endorsement and how it would benefit their audience.
Brand influencers in the pet industry demonstrated, at a recent BlogPaws Conference, just how much power and influence they have with consumers, and brands are taking notice. This comes as no surprise, since over half of households have pets, and so many pet owners are taking to social media. A quick look at Instagram will show that many pet foods, pet insurance companies and even pet suppliers are among the many in the pet industry teaming up with pet bloggers.
One pet business that relies heavily on social media influencers is DogVacay, a company that helps pet owners find sitters for their pets. In order to get the word out about their brand, they offer bloggers pet sitting in exchange for a blog post about their site. Both the bloggers and the brand get something out of the exchange, resulting in a mutually positive relationship. Other businesses in the pet industry, no matter how big or small, can do the same. All you need to do is figure out what you can offer in exchange for a brand influencer’s endorsement.
Pet businesses might also consider reaching out to other industries in a way that makes sense. For example, in the case of DogVacay, it would not be a stretch for them to partner with a travel agency for example, since people who are booking a trip will more than likely need a pet sitter.
Regardless of whether you choose to partner with a brand influencer of a similar topic, or one that is outside of the box, be sure that the relationship incorporated into the brand is authentic for your business. Reaching out to a successful brand influencer just because they are popular or seem to have everyone else’s attention does not mean they are necessarily the right blogger to promote your product or service.
If you are interested in aligning your brand with pet industry influencers, we can help! Get in touch with us to discuss your business needs.
