The Power of Partnerships: Leveraging Social Media Influencers to Boost Your PR Strategy
In today's fast-paced and digitally -connected world, businesses and brands face an increasingly competitive landscape where differentiation and reputation are critical for success. In a sea of competitors, the goal is to stand out. The task sounds simple enough to manage but it’s not always as easy as it looks.
Enter Public Relations (PR), an industry that has emerged as a vital strategic tool that can significantly impact an organization's growth, brand image, and overall success. At one time, not all businesses opted to incorporate PR into their long-term strategy, but the landscape has changed and PR is no longer an optional add-on but a necessary part of one’s team in order to achieve success.
By employing PR effectively, businesses and brands are able to establish credibility, manage their reputation, and drive growth in a hyer-connected world. There are various strategies PR executives put in place to help a client reach their goals. Social media has revolutionized the way in which we interact with our intended audience and one of the most significant developments over the last couple of years has been the rise of social media influencers.
These individuals, who have amassed a large following across various platforms, hold the power to shape consumer opinions. Influencers have the ability to reach a wide audience, opening up a whole new consumer base for companies who may not have otherwise had the opportunity to tap in to. Social media has become the premiere destination for everything from news to products and services. When an influencer shares something they love, their followers are most often easily persuaded.
It is estimated that approximately 4.9 billion people have used social media in 2023 and the number is projected to jump to 5.85 billion by 2027. The amount of time the average person spends on social media per day is approximately 145 minutes.
Businesses are now turning towards social media influencers to help make an impact on their brand. Young startup companies such as Banza, ButcherBox, and Glossier (to name a few) increased their reach and found a large audience due to social media influencers.
Social media has turned traditional brand promotion methods on its head, offering an authentic and targeted approach to reaching an audience. An influencer’s ability to foster trust, connect with niche markets, and drive engagement has made them indispensable for modern-day marketing efforts.
From a public relations standpoint, integrating social media influencers into a client’s overall strategy requires a thoughtful and strategic approach. Carefully selecting the right influencer(s) who aligns with a client’s brand, their target audience, and overall communication objectives is important for success. In essence, you’re bringing on a new team member and you want to ensure they are someone who is equally as passionate about your client and what their business / brand represents.
From the PR side, there are certain key steps executives should take when it comes to implementing social media influencers into their client’s overall PR strategy. We’re breaking down the top 10 steps to utilize when implementing social media into your client’s overall PR.
Define objectives and target audience - Before getting started, these two areas need to be clear. Who does your client want to reach? Understanding their goals will help identify the influencers who align best and will allow the PR team to create a winning strategy.
Identify influencers - Research which social media influencers have a significant following within the client’s target niche. Things to look at include the type of content they share, the quality, authenticity. And most importantly, do they align with the client’s brand values?
Build relationships - Once the right influencers have been established, it’s time to work on building authentic relationships. This is a key tool all PR executives learn early on. Relationships with the media and journalists are part of PR, and now, with the emergence of social media influencers, cultivating these relationships are equally as important.
Create a compelling pitch - Crafting compelling pitches is all part of what PR executives do on a daily basis. Same concept, just a different audience and slightly different messaging, but the end goal is the same, to secure another outlet that will help elevate the client’s business.
Design the campaign strategy - Based on the client’s goals and the influencer’s strengths, you’ll begin to develop a campaign strategy. Define the key messages, content theme, and storytelling elements to ensure the message remains consistent throughout the campaign.
Collaboration and approval - Part of the PR executive’s role will be to work closely with the influencer(s) to ensure all of the content produced aligns with the client’s guidelines and messaging. In some instances, clients may want final approval on the influencer’s content before it’s published. Establish the approval process early on to ensure a smooth collaboration.
Amplify content across all platforms - Here is where leveraging existing media relationships is important.. Journalists, bloggers, and other industry influencers will be the people to outreach for assistance in promoting and sharing the content created across their media platforms.
Monitor and track results - Throughout the campaign, it’s important to monitor performance. Tracking key metrics such as reach, engagement, conversions, and website traffic (if applicable) will help to assess the campaign’s impact. In addition, the data will help determine strategy for future influencer collaborations.
Create long-term relationships - Successful PR executives focus on building long-term relationships and it’s important to focus on adding the influencers who have proven to be successful brand advocates to your rolodex of contacts. Establishing these ongoing relationships can lead to future campaigns.
Reporting - Once the campaign wraps, prepare a comprehensive report that highlights the key results and insights gained from the collaboration. These results will provide a comparison to the client’s initial objectives, and prove useful for future collaborative projects.
Partnering with social media influencers offers numerous benefits for PR including expanded reach, heightened engagement, and authentic credibility. In the ever-changing digital landscape, these types of partnerships became essential for innovative PR approaches that resonate with consumers and drive long-term success for clients.