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Are you looking to increase blog traffic? If you are, let me ask you this question: “have you noticed people around you making a purchase solely on the basis of a friend’s recommendation?” If so, then you have already witnessed a live example of influencer marketing.
Influencer marketing is a popular marketing strategy in which a brand is promoted by influential people with a strong online presence. When the power of influential people is used in combination with the power of words i.e. blog posts, it can actually help increase blog traffic and also generate more leads for the company.
Let’s take a look at some of the best ways to increase blog traffic with influencer marketing.
Increase Blog Traffic Through Influencer Marketing
1. Identify your KPIs.
Before you begin using influencer marketing, define a clear and specific goal that you want to achieve. This will help you identify your KPIs to measure performance.
Establish a goal by considering factors such as your target audience, the desired increase in blog traffic, the available time, how to identify the right influencers, etc.
Some of the common goals that can be targeted through a blog are getting a specific number of subscribers by the end of the month. Or perhaps you want to generate brand awareness using relevant hashtags and social media tools.
You can use KPIs such as blog traffic, subscriber growth rate, number of social shares, etc. to measure your performance. And you’ll be able to see whether your tactics are working and whether you need to make further adjustments.
2. Plan Your Budget in Advance
It costs money to get more exposure for your business and increase your blog traffic. Therefore, it is extremely important to plan your budget in advance.
You should try to ensure that every single penny you spend during your campaign helps you attain the desired results. It is important to remember that every industry has a number of influencers who can help you attain your goals like more page views or an increase in subscribers. You need to carefully vet influencers before you decide to invest in them.
Look for those who can drive maximum results in minimum time for your brand. This will help you reduce wasted spending.
Invite them to write a guest post for your blog. This will not only promote your brand but will also help you create a niche for your brand.
3. Choose Micro-Influencers Over Macro-Influencers
To stay within your budget, you should work with micro-influencers over macro-influencers. Even though they may not be not as popular or have a huge following like macro-influencers, their rates are generally lower. They also have a close-knit community of engaged readers, which is essential to increase blog traffic.
While many believe that the influencer’s total following matters the most, it is actually the engagement that helps a brand win the desired success. Micro-influencers generally have a higher level of engagement with their fans, helping them start and maintain relevant conversations about the brands they are promoting.
For instance, when Natalie Kay promotes brands, she only chooses ones that fit her values to maintain authenticity. This means that since she’s someone who loves organic and sustainable living, she mostly promotes brands that stand for healthy organic living. Her followers find this authentic and relevant since they too have the same values as her.
She may rave about the brands in her Instagram caption, inviting her followers to get the full look on her blog. Most brands partner with her to drive more product sales or raise brand awareness. But to drive traffic to their blogs, partner brands could even ask her to link to their relevant blog posts within her content.
4. Be Sure About the Influencer’s Reputation
It is certainly true that opting for influencer marketing is a great way to increase blog traffic. But finding the most suitable influencer for your business involves a lot of work. Hehe, but you can ask me about my rates – they are really affordable 😉
Even if you manage to find highly relevant influencers to partner with, it is important to double-check their online reputation. This is important because they need to command some level of respect from their followers so that they can influence their actions. And this includes encouraging them to visit your brand’s blog.
You could do a simple Google search of their name and see if there are any media outlets that have talked about them. And using platforms like Grin can simplify the vetting process for you by helping you find and recruit the top social influencers relevant to your niche.
Check and verify the brands they have worked with before and the impact they had. It is extremely important to confirm that the brands they have worked with are not your competitors. This is because people could end up losing their trust not only in the influencer but also in your brand.
Apart from these, look at the kind of content they post and how their followers are responding to it. Connecting with a person who posts dull and boring content would be a sheer waste of time and other available resources.
For instance, in 2015, Kim Kardashian was chosen as the influencer for Diclegis, a medication to treat morning sickness. Owing to her lack of knowledge, Kim posted content that lacked sufficient medical information and hence, was dubbed as unethical for promoting a drug through advertising.
5. Leverage Fans with Large Followings
Why look for help outside when it’s available within your own group of fans?
Yes, this holds true in case your brand has followers who themselves have a big fan following. Identify such people and help them understand the power they hold to influence those who are on their follower list.
Since these people are already in love with your brand, it is easier to convince them to promote your brand and help you increase blog traffic. You could get them to share your blog posts with their social media followers. As a reward, they can be gifted with some free gifts, coupons, and discounts.
To find such people, go through the list of followers you have and your blog subscribers. This might take a bit of time, but it will be worth it.
6. Allow Them to Maintain Their Own Voice
It is extremely important to help your influencers understand the goals and expectations of your campaign. But, it is also essential to avoid dictating every single aspect of the style and tone. The idea is to get them to talk about you in their own voice so that the promotion doesn’t look out of place.
Give them a brief about the campaign, but never try to teach them the way to influence their followers. They are in a better place to choose and decide the best way to reach their target audience and increase your blog traffic.
You must understand that every individual has a different writing style. Therefore, you should always provide creative freedom to your influencers. However, you can always share some excellent writing tips available on the web such as how to write catchy headlines, how to make your post interactive, etc.
Fiji, the water brand, has recently launched its sports cap bottle. The product has been released to help people stay hydrated whether they are running, cycling, or lifting. It was promoted by a number of micro-influencers who posted their images as well as videos demonstrating the need to keep drinking Fiji.
7. Foster Relationships
The end of your ongoing campaign does not necessarily imply an end to your relationship with the influencer. Make the best use of any available opportunity to stay connected with them even after the campaign has ended.
This will not only end the trouble of connecting with a reputed influencer every time you run a campaign. But it could help you gain continued exposure because the influencer might decide to talk about you or share your content every now and then. Remember, this will only be possible if you continue to treat them right and engage with them.
Maintaining a long-term relationship is not solely in your hands as the influencer should also feel the way you do. An influencer is likely to stay connected with your brand if you offer them creative freedom, provide suitable compensation, understand their interests, and respect their values.
Increase Your Blog Traffic Today
Influencer marketing is the perfect way to attract more traffic to your website and increase blog traffic. If you are new to it and fear the negative outcomes of this marketing technique, these tips should be of great help.
Have you managed to increase blog traffic with the help of influencers?
Can you think of any other similar tips? Leave a comment below and let us know.
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I hadn’t considered using an influencer, and so I found this very enlightening. Thanks for breaking down what metrics you need to evaluate about the potential influencer to leverage the best outcomes for your business from the relationship.
i have to admit that I have failed at this but your article has inspired me to push forward and try again!
This makes so much sense. I’m just now starting to find micro influencers and companies to feature on my blog. So I’m glad to hear that it can be beneficial if done right.
Great tips! I learned a lot I did not know about influencer marketing and increasing your blog traffic. Thank you for sharing!
I think a lot of brands and individuals overlook the power of the micro-influencer, but I am a firm believer that they are the future of influencer marketing. There is something to be said for the true connections they forge with their following and the trust that comes with that.
I find marketing a lot of fun! I think there are a lot of passionate micro-influencers out there that can make a big impact. Connecting through creation is powerful
Rachel – I love marketing too it is in my blood – what is your favorite marketing channel?
Britt – I totally agree that the real connections are the future of influencer marketing. I am going to be really experimenting with that in the next few months in my personal facebook group with my blogging tribe giving personal attention. Would love to see you in there. It is called Rise Above the Noise.
Denise – yah micro-influencers really are the wave of the future!
Laura – it can be really influential for your blog. It is amazing what other trusted people can do to help you and your blog. Let me know how I can be of help to you..ok? Angela 😉
Lisa, I am so glad that my article inspired you. What other types of articles can I write that will help you? Look forward to hearing back from you. Angela
Kimberlie – so glad I could be helpful 😉 Angela