How to Choose the Perfect Influencers to Market your Brand

Fitness blogger, practicing PT, and published author, Zanna Van Dijk is the first female UK ambassador for Adidas and recently released her first trainer collection with the brand.

Zanna is also a co-founder of the #GirlGains movement, a global community dedicated to educating and empowering women, who have just launched their brand new Fit & Fearless podcast with BBC Radio 5 Live.

We spoke to Zanna about: 

– How personal trainers can align themselves with brands they’d like to support 
– The growth of influencer marketing within the fitness sector and the rise in the number of micro-influencers
– How to identify the perfect influencers for your brand

1) What are the top tips you’d give to personal trainers or fitness business owners who want to increase their social media presence in order to gain clients?

The main tip I would give anyone trying to grow their social media is patience. It won’t happen overnight, even now I grow at a painfully slow pace but I have faith in the process. Just post content you’re passionate about, which gives value to others, and your time will come!

2) How can personal trainers build relationships with big brands?

I just started it as a hobby, but as it grew I became more savvy and seized the opportunities I could get through it. Relationships can start in many ways, from brands approaching you, or you approaching brands. They key thing is though to not only be professional, efficient and effective at your job; but to be friendly and easy to work with. Brands want to work with nice people.
Don’t be afraid to turn down brands who don’t align with your own brand or beliefs. As a blogger it is essential to stay true to your brand, your beliefs and your principles. The moment you sell out for money is the moment you lose respect, and you can’t gain that back.

3) What advice would you give to brands who are looking to engage with influencers?

As the number of social media ‘influencers’ continuously increase, brands should have a process they follow when choosing who they work with. I think the process is very personal to the brand and the product that they want to be promoting. However, the things I think all brands should consider are: authenticity and engagement. Has the blogger bought followers or likes? Are their audience engaged? Do their audience act on what the blogger says and does, or are they more passive observers?
The final thing is, once you know the blogger you’re working with, give them creative control and contribution to the content as they are the one creating it and they know what works for their audience!

4) What do you feel are the biggest changes or trends that are going to arise related to influencers on social media?

I think there is going to be a continued rise in the use of micro-influencers i.e. brands working with influencers with 20,000-70,000 followers, as these individuals are more achievable to work with than larger bloggers who may come with a hefty price tag or with less flexibility of work. Those micro-influencers are not to be ignored either, you’ll often find that a blogger with a smaller following will provide you with quality content, rather than mixing the odd material in with the material they are producing for 50 other brands.

Photo credits: Liz Seabrook

 

 

Posted in Fitness Fashion, Influencer Marketing, Interviews, The Fitness Network.