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As marketers, we're always looking to get a leg up on our competition. or celebrity endorsement is a historically reliable way of doing so. Celebrities offer a chance to reach new audiences that are outside of your traditional marketing efforts.
IN ButterflyMXwe have had success working with public figures to augment our traditional marketing efforts and bring our storytelling to life.
Here, I'll give you some tips on what you can do to make your brand and company attractive to working with celebrities.
1. Meet your industry influencers
No matter what industry you work in, I can guarantee that there is a community of social media professionals and micro-celebrities that can influence the opinions of your customer base. Not only that, but these individuals can expand yours brand awareness for new audiences.
Take my company, ButterflyMX, as an example. We are a property technology company that sells access control equipment such as video cameras, keypads and card readers. At first, we were scratching our heads, wondering who to ask for a celebrity endorsement. But you shouldn't limit yourself to looking for an influencer in your field if it happens to be too specific.
Look at influencers in similar fields and do your research to determine if there is potential for significant audience crossover.
While a celebrity or influencer in the proptech community may only be able to reach a very small audience, we found that a related field is full of celebrities with many opportunities: real estate.
Television networks like TLC and HGTV are the homes of fixer-uppers and remodeling shows that have caused celebrities to leave their hosts. They have influence over property owners, managers and developers – exactly the kind of people we need to reach out to. So we did some digging and managed to get an endorsement from the TV personality and one of the stars of Property brothersJonathan Scott!
2. Attend networking events
Networking events you already have built-in benefits like networking with other industry leaders and staying up-to-date on your competition. But if you pay attention to celebrities who have speaking engagements, you might walk away with more than just an autograph—you might be able to start a fruitful business relationship, too.
After all, for many celebrities, a large part of their income is endorsement deals. A celebrity may need company endorsements as much as companies need theirs.
3. Understand the ecosystem around celebrities
Meeting celebrities in person and making your case has a great chance of success – especially if you consider the value of having a face-to-face interaction. However, you can't always count on an industry event to help you.
If you've decided on a public figure you want to work with and want to set something up over a phone call or email, you should be prepared to go through a few steps first.
Let's say the celebrity you're considering is a particularly big name. Chances are you'll start dealing with a personal assistant or their talent agency. On the other hand, if you reach out to a smaller influencer or the person behind a review channel to YouTube instead, you are more likely to speak directly with the person doing the approval.
Either way, the most important advice I can give you at this stage is to be prepared. Start by preparing a strategy that consists of actionable tasks, such as a calendar of content or a schedule of events you want to attend. This type of plan will help the celebrity or their team visualize the type of campaign you want to run.
Related: 5 considerations when looking for a celebrity to endorse your brand
4. Consider discounting your product in exchange for an endorsement
During negotiations, you may find that offering your product for a discount—or even for free—will sweeten the deal and ensure approval goes through. You will also ensure that the celebrity leaves with a positive impression of your company, paving the way for future collaborations.
Ensuring that celebrity uses your productyou also list several other benefits. When it comes time for celebrities to make their endorsement, they can speak from a place of honesty and authenticity.
5. Leverage the potential of smaller influencers
While getting an endorsement from Jonathan Scott was a big moment, we've also had success reaching out to all kinds of influencers and thought leaders. Don't underestimate the power of working with one future creator.
Getting an endorsement from a well-known star is always nice, but you can also find an audience by working with influencers who have built audiences on social platforms.
Depending on the type of product you sell, you'll be able to tap into a very specific type of influencer: reviewers. Doing your own thing own research and by seeing which names are the most respected and trusted, you can start reaching out and talking to influencers that your competition may not be considering.