A few months ago one of our customers brought to my attention a platform called GiddyUp. Of course I have viewed and tested these. I was very pleased with the possibilities that came out of it. I have also tried a few other comparable platforms and have to say that GiddyUp stands out head and shoulders above me as an SEO specialist. I am not being paid to say this. I feel uncomfortable with recommending tools or services that are purely paid. But GiddyUp is completely free to use. Of course this will not apply to the influencers themselves, but the platform does not charge fees. So you don't lose a budget to the 'middle man' as is the case with another competitive platform that I am not going to mention by name. As for my vision on influencer marketing within an SEO strategy: certainly not useful and relevant for all types of companies, fields and industries. But within niches such as travel, fashion and living, I think the importance of influencer partnerships is increasing day by day and expects that this will become an indispensable element in the coming years. Hereby a guest blog from GiddyUp itself about the role of influencer marketing within an SEO campaign.
In times of social media boom, influencer marketing is a popular concept. It may well be that you have heard the term come by, but what does it mean exactly? And can it contribute to your SEO strategy?
Yes, influencer marketing certainly contributes to a good SEO strategy! In this blog we explain what influencer marketing entails, and what benefits you have in terms of SEO strategy.
What is influencer marketing?
Influencer marketing is part of internet marketing where you use influencers to bring your product or service to the attention of your target group. This is different from celebrity marketing, where a celebrity only connects his face and name with a product.
An influencer is someone who is really an expert in his field or niche. This gives them a wide range of (online) followers who are genuinely interested in new products within the niche and take the influencer seriously. This means that they not only have a large audience, but also a particularly valuable audience. This makes influencer marketing an excellent and effective way to reach your target group.
You can make excellent use of that valuable audience. If you find an influencer who is just as enthusiastic about your product or service as you are, chances are it will also appeal to his or her supporters. Since they look up to the influencer, respect him and trust him, they will be full of interest if the influencer offers your product or service.
Types of influencer marketing
With influencer marketing you may quickly think of instagrammers with thousands of followers, but influencer marketing comes in many shapes and sizes. This way you can find influencers on almost every social media platform, from Twitter and Instagram to Snapchat and Pinterest.
This form of influencer marketing is primarily aimed at increasing brand awareness.
In addition, influencers (and therefore also the target group) from a certain industry often use a specific platform. ICT influencers can be found on blogs and forums, Game influencers make many YouTube videos, and interior influencers are attached to Pinterest.
Link building through influencer marketing
You may already imagine that influencer marketing can contribute to your SEO strategy. Valuable links are an important contribution influencers can make. When influencers bring your product or service to the attention, they naturally link to your page.
This can be brought to the attention in influencer marketing in two ways: through the nose or very emphatically. You have to decide for yourself which way is best for you, but in both ways the influencer can link to your website.
Because the content of influencers is usually highly valued by Google, Google sees these links as particularly valuable, which in turn benefits your SEO score. In addition, the content of influencers is also read / seen by other people who have influence. This allows your link to quickly spread to influencers and the target group.
Use influencer marketing
Influencer marketing can therefore be a valuable addition to your marketing mix and SEO strategy, but how do you start influencer marketing? This is already possible with a few simple steps.
Make sure you have a budget
If you think that influencer marketing is useful to you, it is important that you include it in your SEO strategy. That means that you also have to put money aside for it, so make sure you have a budget for what you want to spend on influencer marketing.
Find the right influencer
The most important part of influencer marketing is finding the right influencer (s). This step requires some research. Which influencers have the largest reach? Whose target group matches the most with your target group? And which influencers are active on the platforms that you want to deploy?
Approach an Influencer
If you have found the right influencer it is time to contact. You can try to make contact with influencers yourself, but this takes a lot of time. There are also online platforms that can help you with this. This not only saves time but also risks. The influencers are extensively screened by most parties before they are admitted.
Keep an eye on your campaign
Once you've made agreements with the influencer and your campaign is running, it's time to keep an eye on your campaign. By using Google Analytics you can keep an eye on how effective your campaign is. You can then adjust your campaign in collaboration with the influencer and possibly scale it up.
Get in touch with influencers
If you are convinced of the effect of influencer marketing and want to integrate it into your SEO strategy, then it is important that you come into contact with the right SEO Company in Cape Town. GiddyUp is a free marketplace for influencers and bloggers. Easily start your campaign on GiddyUp and get in touch with the best influencers.
