How to Grow Your Brand With Influencer Marketing - Dave Schneider

Summary

In this Stukent Expert Session, Dave Schneider, co-founder of Ninja Outreach, an influencer marketing tool, shares insights on leveraging influencers for brand growth. He outlines the concept of influencer marketing, strategies to find and engage influencers, and various partnership models. Dave emphasizes the importance of personalized outreach and mutual benefit, highlighting success stories like Groove and Buffer to demonstrate the impact of influencer marketing on business growth.

Takeaways

• 😀 Influencer marketing is a strategy where businesses partner with influencers who have established trust with their audience to promote products or services.
• 🔍 Finding influencers can be done through various methods like Google searches, checking social profiles, analyzing comments, links, and shares, or using specialized tools like Ninja Outreach.
• 🤝 Partnering with influencers involves considering what value both parties and their audiences can gain, such as affiliate programs, free products, or exclusive discounts.
• 💌 Effective outreach to influencers requires personalized communication, clarity on what is being asked for, credibility through past work, and a clear value proposition for all parties involved.
• 📈 Influencer marketing falls under inbound marketing, which is a preferred method for consumers who are actively seeking information and recommendations.
• 🏆 Success stories like those of Groove and Buffer demonstrate the power of influencer marketing in growing businesses through strategies like guest posting and giveaways.
• 📊 The presentation emphasizes the importance of building relationships with influencers before pitching partnerships, which can lead to more successful campaigns.
• 💼 Dave Schneider, co-founder of Ninja Outreach, shares his expertise and personal experiences in the influencer marketing industry, providing practical advice for businesses.
• 🌐 The presentation highlights how influencer marketing can be used to grow brand authority and traffic organically, without relying on paid advertising.
• 📝 The script provides a comprehensive guide on influencer marketing, from defining the concept to implementing strategies and sharing success stories.

Q & A

What is the main topic of the Stukent Expert Session presented by Dave Schneider?

The main topic is influencer marketing, specifically how brands can effectively pursue and involve influencers in their growth strategy using the Ninja Outreach platform.

What was Dave Schneider's background before co-founding Ninja Outreach?

Dave Schneider was a math major in college, worked as a business analyst at a financial services company for two years, and then pursued a career in digital marketing and blogging while backpacking around the world.

What are the five basic topics Dave Schneider covers in his presentation?

The five topics are: 1) What is influencer marketing? 2) How to find influencers. 3) Ways to partner with influencers. 4) How to pitch influencers. 5) Influencer marketing success stories.

How does Dave Schneider define the current state of the consumer in terms of purchasing decisions?

Dave defines the current consumer state as an age of smarter consumers who conduct research and seek recommendations from people they know and trust before making purchasing decisions.

What role do blogs and social media play in the trust hierarchy for online consumers according to Dave Schneider?

Blogs and social media are becoming respected authorities on different topics, and consumers are increasingly looking to them for advice and recommendations.

What is the difference between inbound and outbound marketing as explained by Dave Schneider?

Inbound marketing is the type of marketing that consumers seek out when they are looking for something, such as influencer marketing, blogging, and word of mouth. Outbound marketing is the type of marketing that interrupts consumers while they are doing something else, like pop-ups, ads, and commercials.

How does Dave Schneider suggest finding influencers for an influencer marketing campaign?

Dave suggests several methods, including Google searches, examining comments on blog posts, looking at outbound links in articles, identifying sharers on social media, and using tools like FollowerWonk and Ninja Outreach.

What are some of the ways to partner with influencers as mentioned by Dave Schneider?

Some ways to partner with influencers include offering affiliate programs, providing free access or products, guest posting, giveaways, product reviews, social media exposure, providing links, and featuring influencers in content.

What are the key elements of a good pitch to influencers according to Dave Schneider?

A good pitch should be personalized, clear about what is being asked for, demonstrate credibility, and communicate the value proposition for both the influencer and their audience.

Can you provide examples of successful influencer marketing case studies mentioned in the script?

Yes, examples include Groove, which grew its newsletter subscribers significantly through influencer relationships, Buffer, which acquired many users through guest blogging, and Ninja Outreach itself, which grew its customer base and website traffic through various influencer marketing strategies.

How can businesses benefit from influencer marketing according to the case studies presented by Dave Schneider?

Businesses can benefit by growing their audience, increasing website traffic, building brand authority, and acquiring new customers through various strategies like guest posting, giveaways, and product reviews.