DM to Influencers | Social Media Branding by Mishu & Dad

Brands: DM is the new ‘phone number’ for social media!

Brands: So we know by now that not having a presence on social media is like you… do not exist, since that’s where your audience is. Your social media account is your business card, your face, your talking point, your front-line, your border, your mom and pop, your puppy too.

Once you choose the right social media platform for the audience you want to reach, and you activate it, it’s…YOU. Make sure that from then on it reflects … YOU indeed.

Your communication with your audience should now be via social media. And so – for example – if someone sends you a DM instead of calling your phone, it means that they want a response via DM (= direct messages) and they most definitely do not want to call you. So make sure you address that.

Brands: create an Instagram account only if you can handle it – use direct messaging as your new phone.

Or alternatively:

How much to pay Influencers (recommended rates included)?

It’s super popular to hire SMI* these days — for many good reasons (if done the right way): they bring attention, awareness, trust, influence, change opinions, and offer advice on turning your business around to meet the needs of relevant communities as never before. But how much should you pay influencers?

What Influencers Bring to the Table: dialogue, attention, community building, category leading, positive bias, high level story-telling, etc.

*SMI = Social Media influencers. Source: Who is an influencer?

So, how much should a brand pay influencers, one might ask?

Should brands pay Influencers (SMI)?

For sure yes, you/we should pay them. Their social media accounts are the way they making a living, and if you find a good SMI, make them even better by taking them seriously.

Two Case Studies: Asking #Influencers for Their Rates (Doing it The Right Way)

What is the best way to ask SMI* for their pay rate? Like this!

*SMI = Social Media influencers. Source: Who is an influencer?

Yes that’s the RIGHT way – just DM a short message to your potential SMI, and ask for their rates.

The answer in this example is great – straight to the point and showing authenticity (it’s a good sign when SMI will not agree to promote just any product).

Tip: if the SMI’s answer is not very clear or sincere, or they don’t ask you about your product, they might not be a Pro

Here is another good example of how to write to SMI. This is the right way when you are approaching SMI to HIRE them, rather than with the typical “I love you so much, I am a fan, please recommend my product and I’ll give you a sample for free” B.S..:

When do you recommend building my new startups’ social media presence?

Now! (Or rather, yesterday). Create a community on social media around what you WANT to do even before you do it. Build the community and make them your BFF… Take them on your journey with you and they will give you feedback on your product, website and logo, drawings/mockups, features, bugs, packaging design, what not. They’ll be invested, and a good group of early adopters.

Good luck, you can do it!!

How can I do to outreach pet bloggers?

First, you should note that pet bloggers are not SMI* (at least not all of them). But working with pet bloggers and pet SMI can be a great idea because animals are cute, non-political, and non-judgmental.

If you are looking for a pet blogger only, then do a Google search – something like: “greyhound pet blogger” and “dog blog” or “cat blog” …. and see which bloggers come up on top. Do the same research on AdWords.

But really the best method is to ask your customers which bloggers they like the most!

Then ask each blogger (via email) if they do sponsorship, what is their fee, and why.

If you are looking for pet SMI on Instagram or Twitter or Facebook, then follow my tips for finding bloggers on those platforms.

Is it ok to shame SMI (Social Media influencers)?

*SMI = Social Media influencers. Source: Who is an influencer?

Shaming for what? For making a living? For making a mistake? I’m against shaming.

What would YOU do if people you don’t even know, who aren’t even from your community, shamed YOU?

What is “Influencer Outreach”?

It just means 📡 with social media SMI (social media influencers), toward the goal of having the SMI influencing on your behalf…

It is time to move beyond outreach though.

Will the influencer write a good review for my brand/product?

Before contracting the Influencer, make sure the Influencer likes your product, otherwise they may write a bad or less than enthusiastic review. If they’re not sure, send them a sample so they can decide before closing the deal.

Tip: use a contract to clarify the relationship — see my template here:

I’ve signed-up an Influencer, but I don’t know when she will post…

Ask her (she has statistics to help her pick the best time to post based on engagement on all her other posts). But you should also have a say in this (don’t forget to sign a contract where it says clearly…).

Social Media Engagement – 23 Ideas that Convert!

By now we know – social media algorithms change often and by doing so the platforms make us confused, baffled, and worried about our social media success.

However, there is something we can always double down on, and will never change – our Instagram/Tiktok/etc. posts will always be more likely to be shown on followers’ feeds (and in search) if they generate comments and engagement. Now you might not have great engagement, and you might already be doing great and wondering “how can I maintain my high engagement?”– either way, read on — this article is for you!

Bringing engagement is a science in and of itself though. By popular demand, I’m going to share some tried and true ideas and methods to bring social media engagement.

Test these. Tell me what you think.