{"id":25905,"date":"2016-06-15T05:53:24","date_gmt":"2016-06-15T05:53:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mention.com\/blog\/?p=5931"},"modified":"2024-05-21T20:07:40","modified_gmt":"2024-05-21T20:07:40","slug":"influencers-pr-campaigns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mention.com\/en\/blog\/influencers-pr-campaigns\/","title":{"rendered":"How Influencers Supercharge Your PR Campaign"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Over the past few years, the rules of the game for PR pros has changed. Instead of addressing specialized targets, local publications, or television networks, they\u2019re pressured to stay on top of multiple sources: a 24-hour news cycle, blogs, and social media \u2014 oh my!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019ve never been more connected. According to a report by Ericsson, there will be 50 billion+ internet-connected devices by the year 2020. So, the demand for personalization – reaching the right audience at the right time with the right message – has never been stronger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We can all agree that the struggle for PR professionals is real. How are they cutting through the digital noise and resonating with the right audience?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For starters, they\u2019ve embraced working with influencers<\/a>. Influencers help brands stay relevant. They\u2019re like the evolved cool kids from high school. And harnessing the power and trust that people have in influencers<\/a> can really supercharge your PR campaign<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[Tweet “Influencers help brands stay relevant.”]<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To help get you started, here are a few of my favorite ways to pull influencers into your PR campaign.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Want step-by-step help building your influencer marketing game plan? Join our free ecourse to build your strategy in one week.<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seek product reviews from influencers<\/h2>\n\n\n
\n
\"influencers\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Ever bought something only because a friend told you how much they loved it? Of course you haven\u2019t. We never do things because our friends do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[Tweet “90% of people trust peer recommendations more than ads.”]<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It actually makes sense, considering 90% of people today trust peer recommendations<\/a> over company ads. Why? It\u2019s much easier to trust someone\u2019s opinion about a product when they aren\u2019t getting paid to sell it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CEO of Intuit, Scott Cook, said it best<\/a>, \u201cA brand is no longer what we tell the consumer it is\u2013it is what consumers tell each other it is.\u201d<\/strong> When an influencer recommends or uses a product, people are more likely to trust them than the company selling it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Check out how beauty brands like Lanc\u00f4me and L\u2019Oreal are doing this. Remember that influencers can be anyone, including social media personalities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Well, Lanc\u00f4me and L\u2019Oreal work with makeup artist Michelle Phan<\/a>, who has over 8.5 million subscribers on YouTube, to sell and endorse their products. In her videos, she shows her followers how to replicate celebrity makeup looks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These partnerships have become so popular that brands are turning to tools like Influenster<\/a>, a platform that connects them with potential ambassadors to participate in review campaigns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reviews are great because they’re very product-centric without being salesy. Influencers can share their own story and experiences, go into detail about using the product, and entertain their audience, while still promoting your product very<\/em> directly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Use influencers as brand ambassadors<\/h2>\n\n\n
\n
\"PR<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Influencers have loyal audiences. They\u2019re trusted sources of authority. Aligning with them is a fantastic way of attracting publicity and “piggybacking” off of their brand recognition and loyalty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are generally two ways influencers can help promote a brand: the paid way or the unpaid way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Paid brand ambassadors can be a celebrity or a speaker at an event, and the relationship usually lasts as long as a contract permits. It’s a pretty official partnership where the two parties work closely together on projects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An unpaid ambassador <\/a>may promote you through word of mouth, on social media, or wherever they have influence. They’re not always so cut and dry. It may be a more informal partnership or act as more of an advocate or cheerleader than a spokesperson.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I recently saw a great campaign by Skype called the Skype Passion Project<\/a>. They sought out unpaid ambassadors scattered across the globe to connect and share their passions (music, food, fashion, etc).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The campaign provided more than 100,000 website visits and over 5,000 campaign shares. What\u2019s more, Skype found that 10% of their new visitors downloaded the Skype mobile app. Cheers to that, PR professionals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Collaborate on content<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s no secret that influencers love to create great content on topics their followers care about. Partnering to create content together can be a great way to begin a relationship. Here are a few ideas for content <\/a>campaigns with PR influencers:<\/p>\n\n\n\n