LONDON, May 19, 2015 /PRNewswire/ --
With brands seeing around a 20% uplift in product sales when using a celebrity to endorse their products it seems a worthwhile investment. The general public are bombarded with thousands of adverts every day, but studies have shown the most memorable ads are ones where a celebrity is endorsing the product.
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However with the rise of social media, brands can get their products in front of celebrities through gifting and get a great response at little expense. The Handbook is an affordable resource which provides full contact details to over 43,500 celebrity agents, manager and publicist details, as well as guides on how to get your product in front of celebrities, which events they are attending and the brands and charities they support. Access starts at just £19 a month. Find out more here.
Want to increase sales through celebrity endorsement? Here are 11 key things to note:
1) Find the right celebrity
Identify A, B and C list celebrities. As the list goes down the more successful you are likely to be but the less exposure you may get. What do they like? Check their Twitter feeds. What are their problems and how can your brand solve them? When Estee Lauder first started out she gifted celebrities - the company is now worth $5 billion.
2) There are Three Main prerequisites to selecting celebrities:
Before signing on celebrities to endorse their brands, companies need to ensure that they meet the guidelines, namely the endorser has the right look for the brand, has a positive image in the society, and is perceived as having the necessary knowledge about the product or band.
3) Look at their social media following:
Often celebrities will have more Twitter followers than magazines will have readers. For example Theo Paphitis, best known for appearing on Dragons' Den, runs Small Business Sunday or #SBS through his twitter. Every Sunday small businesses tweet him their brand and he chooses his famous six to retweet to his 468k followers. This may not be getting the product straight into their hands but see the next point.
4) Ask for something small:
For example, directly asking a celebrity to use your product in public is a large and perhaps costly request but you could mention that if they didn't want to do this they could do something smaller, like tweet about it. It's like asking your boyfriend to get you Jimmy Choo and knowing that you would settle for Guess. If you can get them to comply with this small request, they may be more likely to follow up a larger request at a later date.
5) Gift celebrities via mail:
For example start-up fashion watch company RumbaTime mass mailed their watches to style conscious celebs making them $1million in sales in their first year. Celebs like Snoop Dogg and Jaime Pressly were snapped in the brightly coloured wrist candy.
6) Make sure your letter or package stands out:
It must look professional, perception is everything - send it on scented luxury paper if need be. Also express delivery makes it look like you really wanted to get your product to them. Be direct and brief in your approach.
7) Try including a professional photograph of yourself using the product
Or even better, send photos of other celebrities using the product along with testimonials if you have any. Including this 'social proof' is one way to distinguish your request from similar ones the star might receive.
8) It's a numbers game!
Whilst you're waiting for one celebrity to get back to you, contact others. The more celebrities you write to, the better your chance of an outcome. If you have not heard back you can always follow up. Additionally, the more tweets you send the more likely you are to get noticed. Persevere but don't be annoying.
9) Customise your product for a celebrity:
Celebrities are more likely to wear a product if it is customised for them, it may take longer but you will reap the rewards. Find out what they like and what they have used before. For more information click here.
10) Approach a celebrity in person:
This can be a tricky one, the last thing you want is to be taken away by security. Be respectful and know your boundaries! Just being photographed with a celebrity can do wonders for your reputation even if it's not directly related to the product. Find out where celebrities will be appearing, for example club nights, book signings or charity events. Full details of celebrity appearances can be found in The Handbook 'What's on' which details over 6k high profile showbiz and prestigious events link here.
11) Gift your products to celebrity assistants
Sometimes taking the indirect route can work. After all this is who they communicate with every day. It's the assistant who is likely to write back via email etc. These people are the gate keepers.
The Handbook provides access to over 45,300 full celebrities agent, manager and publicists details, tips and help on contacting celebrities and getting them to support your brand. As well as a What's on section with showbiz and celebrity events, which celebrities are in town and when , and over 6k annual exclusive events. Subscription starts at just £19+ vat a month, learn more here.
Contact: Elly Stancliffe, elly@thehandbook.com, +44-(0)203-021-0899
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