The launch of BD’s Influencer Network last Thursday night saw a panel of experts unite to discuss key elements to growing and developing a blog and social media following. Topics covered included building industry relationships and effectively working with brands, becoming a brand, commercialisation opportunities, and attracting a loyal audience.
Below, we take a look at the 10 key learnings from panelists Gritty Pretty founder Eleanor Pendleton, BEAUTYDIRECTORY editorial director and Myer Emporium beauty director Michelle Bateman, BEAUTYDIRECTORY marketing manager Carly Taber, and Burt's Bees senior brand manager Leia Berryman.
1. Always maintain integrity and credibility
When approaching a brand – do so with integrity. Whatever the campaign a brand might want to feature you in, think about whether you would do it without payment and without contra. I ask myself every single time we’re approached if I would do the job regardless, even though that means I turn away about 70 per cent of work that comes through. The reason we do this is to retain our integrity and credibility. In this digital age, we know exactly who our reader is, we know how old she is, we know what brands she loves, and what she wants to know – so we have to ask ourselves, do they want to know about this brand? Do they want to know about this new product? If so, then we will engage with that brand. If not, we will very politely decline. - Pendleton
2. Create foundations and value to monetise your blog
It’s much easier to convert an existing relationship into a commercial opportunity, so the first step really starts long before you even think about monetising your blog. From day one it’s important that all your relationships with brands are positive and respectful – this creates a good foundation for a long lasting relationship. When the time comes to convert this into a commercial opportunity, it’s all about gathering your vital stats together, putting together a clear profile of your brand, and then presenting it in an appealing and easy to understand format. This is also known as a media kit. - Bateman
Offer genuine value and benefits (and relationships) before money – that will come. Once you’re ready to monetise your blog, identify your assets and what you’re willing to monetise and not monetise and which of these might be of use to brands (know why they should buy into them). Find out what brands want and where the crossover is between their needs and your offerings. Do your pricing research and create a media kit. And lastly, don’t be afraid to get help – BD’s Influencer Network, agency representation, platforms like TRIBE or Nuffnang etc. Many successful household names got help to begin. - Taber
3. Build relationships with brands and PRs
In terms of building relationships, [it’s important to] create a relationship with the PR. Email them and see if they’re free for a coffee. See what that brand has in store for the next six months [and] let them know what you’re working on for your blog, Instagram or YouTube channel. Once you have created [the relationship], maintain it and you can have that relationship for many, many years. Eventually these relationships develop into friendships as well, which is really quite nice. - Pendleton
As a brand, as much as we like to have direct contact with influencers, we would prefer this to go through our PRs who have an understanding of our objectives. They are able to maintain the day-to-day interactions and then we can set up direct contact on a project-to-project basis. When being contacted directly, I prefer it to be via email – as we then can have a copy of the Instagram handles and media kit there. - Berryman
4. Focus on quality rather than quantity
I believe that if you follow a quality approach, the quantity [in followers] will come. You have to be patient, but it will come. At least you know that your platform has the utmost integrity with it. In regards to the brands that don’t want to engage with influencers because they don’t have the high numbers, that’s fine – because those high numbers will come. If you know exactly who your audience is, that’s far more powerful for a brand to sell their product. - Pendleton
5. Authenticity is at the heart of building a brand
Know your why (what are your passions, purpose, promises) and your audience’s pain points – this is the base of your brand, the core building blocks and will help define what you want your identity to be. A brand isn't a logo or website design. A brand elicits compelling emotional responses (because it’s genuine). THEN: Be authentic – speak how you speak normally and speak from the heart. When you’re vulnerable and honest, people lean in. Know that it takes time and perseverance will pay off. - Taber
6. Develop a loyal following
Create your channels based on where your followers are (website/social media), then create a content strategy for these channels. Do joint ventures with fellow bloggers and connect with fans and other professionals in the industry on social media. Reach out, respond, and encourage chat always – both online and in person. Follow SEO practices. Enchant and seduce your target market with consistent, authentic content. Overdeliver and delight your audience! Give them stuff for free without expecting anything in return. Make them feel valued. Let them know how much you appreciate them and why, and treat them like a God/Goddess. - Taber
7. Create a solid content strategy
Think about the kind of content you want to be creating. There are a few things you can consider here:
- What type of content are you passionate about? Do you want to write in-depth reviews or are tutorial videos more your style?
- What resonates with your readers? Do they like haul videos or more detailed reviews? To understand what is striking a chord, keep an eye on your stats for different types of posts and also look at the comments and feedback that your readers leave. Which ones get genuinely enthusiastic or specific comments, versus the more standard “Great post!”?
- Next, group these under different topics or content types that become regular pillars for your site: for example, make-up, skincare, fitness, etc. Just be aware that the more pillars you create, the more buckets you’ll have to fill! - Bateman
8. Be consistent
Be realistic about how frequently you can post. Consistency is key so you want to develop a schedule that you can stick to. It’s better to post once per week consistently, than four times one week and then nothing for a month - Bateman
Post on consistent days, times, topics etc. Imagine someone you love to follow was all about creating bold make-up looks and then all of a sudden changed to travel. You don’t know what to expect from them and [then] question their credibility, reliability and authenticity. - Taber
9. Stand out from the crowd
Think about your point of difference and what you can do to stand out. Ideally, you don’t want to be creating exactly the same type of content as everyone else. With so much competition in the online space now, the blogs and websites that cut through have a unique element. What can you do to make your blog unique? This can also come through via the look of your blog and the tone of your writing. - Bateman
10. Plan ahead
Get a calendar and start mapping out your content. Maybe every Monday you post a how-to pictorial; or you do healthy recipes on Fridays. You might also like to note key holidays and events on your calendar, such as Mother’s Day, Bastille Day, etc. Writing it down like this will help keep your ideas focused. It also means that when you have a brilliant idea for a post, you can see how it fits with your overall content plan and find the best date to run it. - Bateman
Article written in partnership with Burt's Bees. Click here to visit the Burt's Bees brand listing.
Image: Instagram.com/racheljames__