Influencer marketing can – and does – work wonders.

Don’t believe me?

It’s helped me establish my credibility and authority as an agency owner tremendously. Getting on the radar of an influencer can take a lot of work. It also requires patience and diligence, because establishing your credentials with someone who is already an authority requires a specific strategy.

I stared by choosing influencers in my field that I respected, and that were appealing to consumer groups that I had targeted as my ideal customers. They had credibility with those prospects, which meant that if I could get on their radar and become part of their network, I had access to my targeted market.

Then I began reaching out to these influencers through social media, online and at marketing conferences. The hard sell doesn’t really work with established influencers, so it was more about introducing my agency, my goals, and conveying my marketing philosophy and how it was in line with theirs.

And then I started offering to write content that they could share with their audience, and by ensuring that my content was outstanding, which means valuable, informative and actionable, I built up my authority and credibility, and I started guest-blogging for a lot of these influencers, which got my name out to prospects who now viewed me as a “made woman” because of the quality of sites my content was appearing on.

It’s all about relationships, and leveraging those relationships in a smart way, and I think influencer marketing is one of the most effective ways to boost your profile, as long as you are providing something of value and looking to build trust and long-term relationships that benefit both parties.