Most luxury brand marketers reach out to popular and influential bloggers for a one-time outreach campaign that is aimed at boosting popularity and spiking interest during product launch. However, these same luxury brands will stop the relationship with the bloggers immediately after the campaign gets over, and only reach out when they need another spike in interest. This is where most of the luxury brands falter.
Influencers have the ability to drive action and shape the buying behavior of others. They can help the business establish authority, increase brand awareness, drive interest towards the brand’s products and keep the trust levels high. Keeping the doors of communication and engagement open and real is important; think about incorporating some of these strategies into your marketing mix.
• Reciprocate – Any relationship demands reciprocation and appreciation. If you want to maintain a healthy and long-term relationship with your brand advocates, you should be ready to be involved, and be willing to offer benefits beyond the campaign. Offer regular gifts; give discounts, and deals so that your brand advocates are willing to give you back more in return.
• Surprise to Satisfy – Everybody likes a good little surprise; why don’t you use it to your advantage? Surprise your brand advocates simply mentioning their name on your Tweeter feed or in a blog post – at a time when they are not expecting a reward. The surprise element can work wonders to your brand image, it will create an additional buzz within your brand advocate’s fan base. Your pleasantly delighted advocates might share their experiences with others, making it easier for your brand to garner more exposure.
• Let Them Be The First To Know – When you keep your brand advocates in the loop, by informing them about any company change, new product launches, new offers and new events to attend, you are letting them know that they matter. They deserve the right to know about your company and your products before it is launched to the general public. Think about reaching out to them on a one by one basis rather than with a copy/paste press release. If you want them to work with you on an ongoing basis, you need to let them know you care.
• Be in Touch – Everything is about maintaining relationships. So, it is important to continue building rapport to keep the conversation going. It is rude to contact them when you need a favor and then forget all about them once the work is done. Be in touch, check on them every now and then, send them an email, ask about their work, leave a comment on their blogs, and appreciate their work – anything to keep the conversation smooth.
• Show your Appreciation – Everyone likes to be appreciated and recognized. Your brand advocates deserve appreciation and recognition for the work they do. Make sure they know that their efforts at spreading word about your brand are duly appreciated. Plan events specifically to celebrate them and their efforts.
At LuxeInACity, we have seen brands go out of their way to make us feel special and be our friend for years to come; others seem to be only in it for the short term. We strongly recommend you engage influencers beyond the campaign.
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