Are you trying to find influencers to promote your products to their online followers? Have you seen the rates charged by celebrity influencers and realized they were pretty far out of your reach?
Working with influencers is a great way to grow your online business. But finding influencers—influencers that are perfect for the products you’re selling online—can be a little of a challenge. (On occasion, it can also be a big challenge.)
Maybe…you’re looking in the wrong place. At least, some of the time.
Sara Olsher, founder of Mighty + Bright, recently appeared on the How to Sell Online podcast—and she is an amazing woman, mom and business owner. She’s been through a lot in her life but remarkably turned those difficulties into ecommerce gold.
“Aha” Moments
As Sara explains, the idea for what would become a success business came from her own life—a unique calendar she created for her young daughter. Over time, that product evolved in terms of how Sara constructed it, but it wasn’t until she was sitting quietly that her “aha” moment came.
But that wasn’t the first time she had an unusual idea. Like many product creators and online business owners, she came up with another product idea. Unlike others, however, it was a book—something personal to her that she wrote to connect to an audience who needs what she has to offer.
And it was that book that opened her eyes to working with influencers.
How to Find Influencers
Sara has now been in business for almost a decade, but it wasn’t until relatively recently that her business absolutely exploded. As she explains in our interview, she didn’t start out to find influencers; they found her. Those “influencers” were healthcare workers who discovered her book.
From then on, she was not just selling products—she was creating more and more of them, customized to the needs of those who’d ultimately become influencers for her.
This is such a fabulous lesson to learn when you’re thinking about how to find and work with influencers. You never know who will gravitate towards you or your products—especially when they’re highly specialized, like Sara’s. Because she was open to them and their feedback, she was able to increase product sales by just meeting their needs.
The Business of Connecting with Influencers Online
This all isn’t to say that Sara hasn’t sought out people to work with and promote her products. She has. She is extraordinarily careful of who she works with, however.
You’ll want to listen to Sara on the How to Sell Online episode as she discusses how she’s found some pretty fascinating influencers. She also shares her step-by-step process in determining whether they’re right for her brand. She DEFINITELY does her research, and she also makes sure to protect her business AND the online influencers she works with using smart business tactics.
(Seriously—Sara is so dang amazing!)
If you have ever considered working with influencers to increase online business sales, you can learn so much from Sara’s experience. And don’t get me wrong—if you haven’t worked with influencers and haven’t considered it as part of your business strategy, you gotta listen to this one too. It’s essentially a primer to business, to life and to developing and selling products.
Top 10 Takeaways (and trust me when I say that you’ll have SO MANY of your own)
- Start asking Questions.
- Instead of saying I suck, maybe start saying the system sucks
- Who's gonna hire me? Me!
- If it's a logistical nightmare, your business won't be able to scale.
- Answers to your problems can come in quiet places, like your closet.
- Does your product have to come already made?
- Amazon shoppers buy product and aren't bought into the brand.
- When you sell on Amazon, you can't get your customer's email.
- Online is not the only place you can find influencers.
- A benefit of working with influencers is they let you know what your customer needs next.
Bonus Takeaway: You don't have to do it alone!
Additional Resources
Other How to Sell Online podcast episodes related to this episode:
How to Find Influencers—and Why Not to Keep Up with the Kardashians
100K Instagram Influencers? Talking Strategy with Megan Neugebauer
What You need to Know About Running Facebook Ads
About Sara Olsher:
Sara Olsher is the founder of Mighty + Bright, where she helps families prioritize kids' mental health with books + visual schedules. She truly believes that every one of us has the strength and resilience to overcome unimaginable hardship and use our lessons to make this world a much better place.
Shop with Sara:
mightyandbright.com
Save 15% on your order when you enter BECAUSEICAN at checkout (limited time offer)
Follow Sara on Social Media:
Facebook: @MightyandBrightCo
Instagram: @MightyandBrightCo
TikTok: @MightyandBrightCo
Connect with Alison:
Facebook: @alisonjprince
Instagram: @alisonjprince
>>>
Click here to learn about the 0-100K System and how you can launch and grow your own online business.
