Featured And Drive More Traffic To Amazon
Marketing. It’s one area you thought you had covered. You have your own inbound marketing efforts,
and so far they’ve paid off. You’ve developed an attractive and informative storefront on Amazon in
addition to your own website. Perhaps you have a well thought out social media campaign. But you’re
simply not attracting the traffic you should.
There’s a reason why people don’t always trust marketing efforts. It’s because they’re by and large self-
centered and transparent. You might believe in your product—but do others?
The age of celebrity product spokespeople is largely dead and gone. The digital age has encouraged an
entirely new breed of influencers. They’re our neighbors. Our co-workers. Our friends and family
members. But more often than not, they’re absolute strangers who are capable of generating both
traffic and buzz through one specific trait: authenticity.
Are Testimonials Enough?
It’s been estimated that some 70 percent of consumers trust reviews and recommendations in both
physical and digital media. And that’s always been one of the chief strengths of Amazon: unbiased and
unpaid reviews. In fact, a recent poll from Nielsen indicated that 92 percent of consumers indicated
they’re more likely to believe non-paid recommendations more than any other form of advertising.
Opinions matter. But so does authority. And authority needs one consistent factor to influence your
customer base: credibility.
Why Influencers?
It’s been estimated that the influencer marketing industry could be worth $10 billion by the end of this
year alone. And while the very term influencer may be one of the most bandied about terms over the
past few years, it’s important to distinguish between what an influencer is and is not.
An influencer can be anyone from a high profile blogger to a minor YouTube celebrity. Their brand
advocacy isn’t bought and paid for as sole spokespeople; instead, they maintain an existing digital
presence which can be used to draw attention to any number of brands. But a key defining element is
that they’re an external form of marketing outreach. They’re not part of your internal marketing
campaign, but an outside channel which has already gained a substantial amount of traffic and
followers. So substantial that leveraging influencers can bring in a reported ROI of 800 percent.
More importantly, you can leverage the power of influencers to help you create a tailored gift guide,
highlighting both your entire product line as well as seasonal items. And they’ll do so organically, which
can be much more convincing during the holidays. Customers don’t always come up with gift ideas on
their own, and very few will actively seek out one particular brand. They need inspiration, and Amazon’s
predictive algorithm isn’t always going to be enough. They need persuasion, and that’s ultimately what
influencers provide.
So how do you reach out to influencers?
The Customer Influences The Influencer
The main appeal of an influencer is that they reflect their audience. They reflect their interests, their
lifestyle, their motivations, their demographics… and subsequently your customer base as well.
Take a closer look at your customer purchases. What other items are they buying? More often than not,
there will be a definitive link, although it may take a bit of creativity to analyze just what that link is.
Social media analytics (particularly on Twitter and YouTube) are invaluable in helping to define just what
particular trends and habits your key demographic is following. If you’re also maintaining a presence on
Etsy or Shopify, for example, it can be an additional wealth of information.
Once you’ve identified your customer, finding influencers can be as simple as Googling their favorite
brands or reviewing social media platforms. It’s natural to assume that smaller brands tend to be
featured on smaller blogs. That’s not always the case. High traffic blogs frequently seek out new product
lines from small businesses to stay fresh and relevant. No one wants to hear about the same brand over
and over again. After all, influencers didn’t achieve their status by repetition.
How To Pitch An Influencer
The biggest hurdle in pitching an influencer is that it’s similar to sending out a resume. There’s always
going to be a 50/50 chance of a response. And just like a cover letter, it should be personalized and
tailored to a specific influencer, identifying why you follow them and why they should ideally be
featuring your brand.
Brevity is key in creating an ideal pitch. Remember that even part time bloggers can be incredibly busy,
while full time ones can be overwhelmed by a deluge of messages each day. A good rule of thumb is to
keep your pitch under twelve sentences. Be creative, but don’t mislead. Be descriptive, but don’t over
exaggerate. But above all, be honest. Few influencers will want to advocate for a product they don’t
believe in 100 percent.
Creating A Gift Guide With Influencers
Assuming they’re interested in featuring your product, there’s one dilemma you’ll likely run into. How
do you know the products they feature are the ones you’d like to highlight?
The answer? You don’t always. One way is to create a showcase by suggesting particular items from
your product line. While many influencers will agree to this, your showcase should include products that
are entirely relevant to a theme. Creating a gift guide for beachwear should probably not include your
additional line of snarky coffee mugs, for example.
Things to keep in mind when creating a gift guide with influencers:
● Most will insist on both product samples as well as high resolution images of 300 dpi or higher.
● Always remember to link back to any blogs on social media. Shares and likes are largely what
drives traffic from new customers.
● Stay relevant to a theme. The idea is to create a tailored gift guide, and few influencers will
want to feature a diverse product line. This is why it’s particularly relevant to choose the right
influencers—not simply the ones with the most traffic.
● The holiday season means they’re particularly inundated with pitches and solicitations. We’d
suggest sending up a follow-up email, but move on to the next blog if you don’t hear back.
● The holiday season means you’re also probably inundated with your own marketing campaigns
and product solutions as well. Outside agencies can be a tremendous boon. They’ve typically
worked with influencers in the past and know their habits, their followers and can handle and
showcase your product lines effectively.
But above all, keep in mind that influencers are never stagnant. Your product line shouldn’t be, either.
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