How can you build a strong brand-influencer relationship?

Know you're why and your limitations before you begin this journey. Determine if this is transactional (a specific campaign) vs long term collaboration. Is this a one off to prove efficacy and secure more budget or is this more broadly aligned to your overall marketing strategy. Do your research: Get to know the influencers you're considering working with. Read their content, watch their videos, and follow them on social media. Pay attention to the values they communicate and the tone and personality of their content. And just because an individual has many followers does not necessarily mean they have much influence over those individuals, only that they have many followers.

Understanding who your target audience is, where they spend their time online, and who they listen to is key to choosing the right influencer. Use this research as a guiding light to finding creators with an affinity for your brand. Four boxes they need to tick: ? brand value alignment; ? high-quality content creation; ? willingness to co-operate; ? drives results. Once you’ve found influencers in a specific niche who consistently meet these criteria, use that as a stepping stone to test more influencers in related areas. For example, if you’re working with tech influencers, and one of them is a tech/DIY hybrid, consider branching outwards and testing DIY, or diving further into the world of tech.

Choosing the right Influencers to align with your brand is make or break. Ensure the influencers you pick have the same values, audience, and content style your brand resonates with. This alignment is crucial for authenticity and effectiveness.

There are many ways for you to identify the right influencers for your brand. One simple rule that I've been using is figuring out if the influencer themselves has at least one use case for your brand, that alone can be a major indicator of their potential to influence their audience. Of course, you've got to take care of all the basics first. Such as audience demographics, engagement rate, content niche, etc.

To establish a robust brand-influencer relationship, communication is key. Begin by aligning values and goals, ensuring the influencer's audience resonates with the brand. Provide creative freedom, allowing influencers to authentically integrate products into their content. Foster trust through transparent collaboration, outlining expectations and delivering on promises. Regularly engage and acknowledge influencers, recognizing their impact. Cultivate a long-term partnership by offering exclusive opportunities and incentives. Leverage data to measure performance and adjust strategies accordingly.

There is considerable nuance here. It's critical to have very clear, well defined and data driven expectations that are agreed upon. This should be the minimum goal. However there is also a need for some flexibility and having some balance for the unforeseen things that happen during a campaign. A nuanced approach to flexibility while setting clear expectations, individuals and teams can create a dynamic and adaptable environment that fosters creativity, innovation, and success.

Hop on a call. Skip the 700 emails back and forth and truly get a feel for one another to see if it’ll be a great fit. Talk about your vision and how you potentially see their content coming to life and see if that will align with their vision as well. Come to an agreement. After that, make sure you have all of the details in writing so there’s clear expectations for both sides of the deal. If you chose an influencer for their style of content creation, send them an example of their past work and see how they can tie that concept into your own brand so it is fluid. Have clear communication and respond in a timely manner to build trust and respect.

You can add both creator and brand in a same community or a group and set same goals for them to avoid further misunderstandings.

Consistent and transparent communication is paramount. Clearly define expectations, deliverables, and timelines. Regularly check in with influencers and the brand, addressing any concerns/feedback/ideas, etc helps everyone win. This two-way communication builds trust and a true partnership. (Keyword here!)

It is very important to set clear expectations. You need to put all the expected deliverables in a contract and make sure it has additional terms to protect both parties. Your relationship management also plays an important part here, because you will notice a huge amount of casual behavior in the creator industry where they prefer not being bound and require a certain creative freedom to operate efficiently (which is not a bad thing, it actually helps). And so you need to build strong relations in case any party decides to come short on the deliverables and you need them to make some changes.

Send them past content that they’ve done that you resonated with in your vision for your own brand. Send other examples of creators you’ve had successful campaigns with, so they can get a feel for what you’re looking for. Never give a script for them to read from, and don’t tell them to speak in your brand tone, let them use their own so it comes from a place of authenticity.

Creative freedom allows influencers to integrate the brand into their narrative in a way that feels natural and genuine. It can expose the brand to diverse and innovative content approaches, which can be particularly valuable Assumptions about the audience demographic might be outdated or incorrect; continuous audience analysis is crucial for accurate understanding. Audience engagement level and interest will evolve over time, continuous assesment and evaluation is critical.

Creative freedom opens the doors to the following: 1. An organic approach - genuine creators share products/services they genuinely enjoy through their own style/voice. The partnership isn’t forced, and thus enjoyable on the creator and consumer end. 2. Transparency- in my experience, certain companies will have all the brand guidelines upon signing. But during review, new changes or rules will be enforced, often resulting in a creative limitation. 3. Human experience- I loved working with companies that didn’t impose a certain style on me. These companies appreciated my input, making the partnership feel mutual. Creators know their audience the best and appreciate the luxury of creating freely while honoring a brand’s mission.

This is very important. I have made the experience: the more creative an influencer can be, the better the coop performs! So apart from legally necessary details, keep the briefing as individual and open as possible

Why did you decide to work with this influencer in the first place? They have great engagement, their content speaks to their audience, they're already a consumer of the brand etc. You wouldn't hire a specialist in an area and then YOU tell THEM how to do their job. They're specialist for a reason. Your influencer has a high engagement rate for a reason. Provide them a detailed brief of the WHY of the campaign, not the what, how, when or where. Let the influencer have creative freedom with this. This is how you produce the most organic campaign, because it's more authentic to the influencer, meaning that it'll speak to their audience far more. Just ensure that the WHY is detailed and is clear enough that the influencer understands.

Stronger relationships lead to more authentic content, stronger brand advocacy, and a loyal & engaged influencer community for your brand. Go Beyond Ads: * Network & Events:?Connect influencers & foster collaboration. * Brand Trips:?Immerse them in your brand experience. * Affiliate Programs:?Incentivize organic promotion & sales. Invest in their Growth: * Resources & Training:?Upskill influencers & support their brands. * Feedback & Guidance:?Help refine content & optimize performance. Open Communication & Collaboration: * Clear Expectations & Goals:?Define objectives & communication channels. * Transparency & Responsiveness:?Address concerns & value their voice. * Celebrate Achievements:?Recognize their contributions & build loyalty.

What is the long term relationship you want to foster with the influencer? I love when brands offer their collaboration partners (influencers) access to new and unique insights. This is less about invites to a party or a networking event and more about treating them as a partner. Share more valuable information such as sales data, upcoming product releases, or insights into the product roadmap.

As a influencer or creator: try to provide end to end services like editing and promotion. for brands: Try to provide all the guidelines and information as early as possible. so that there is no possibility of misunderstanding.

It’s true that value is more than compensation, but for influencers trying to run a business from content creation, compensation goes a long way, especially when they’re at the micro-medium tiers. If a content creator does agree to do content free of charge, then the best way to thank them, and build their brand loyalty isn’t with a “thank you” email. It’s digging into the profits that the content drove. It’s the biggest thanks of all and, frankly, it keeps the lights on. Outside of compensation, some of the best ways to drive value include: ? exclusive access to beta products; ? exclusive rights on early content release; ? co-branded products/campaigns.

é importante pensar a longo prazo até mesmo quando houver uma ativa??o pontual. Construir uma rela??o com o influenciador significa que seu valor é reconhecido, e para isso, saber remunerar de forma adequada e estar aberto a oportunidades futuras - para os dois lados - é fundamental. Quanto maior o suporte durante o processo, maior será o poder de barganha em a??es futuras.

If you have already established a close relationship with an influencer (for example, you’re in partnership with them), then requesting product feedback is a great way to enhance the relationship. Brands that have partnerships with our influencers often send products in beta to gather their impressions/feedback prior to release. The influencer is under NDA, so they won’t share feedback publicly unless instructed to do so by the brand. If it’s your first time collaborating, and you’ve never worked with the influencer before, asking for product feedback is more likely to annoy them. Wait until the relationship is stronger, or a multi-deliverable contract / partnership is signed prior to asking for product feedback.

Treat the influencer as an extension of your in-house team. Consider them a business partner. Allow them to guide and make decisions based on: (1) their quantitative audience data, and (2) their qualitative insights that come from genuine relationships with followers. Influencers (and social) are rich sources of cultural, category + customers truths that can inform relevant campaigns that inspire action.

Ask your influencers what is the best way to create ad campaign as they know their audience much better than you. This also help you to enhance your relationship with that influencer.

With every influencer deal that has shown a certain potential, I like to share the core stats with them that include the ROI our brand has generated. Based on the information we always discuss ways to try and improve so we can potentially work long-term.

One thing I have found helpful is to share your annual marketing and social plans with your core influencers. That way, you can plug them into the activations that make sense according to their audiences and area of focus. The goal is to plug them into multiple activations throughout the year, not just flash in the pan moments.

There’s a fine line between relationship maintenance and relational damage. This is especially true when working with larger, busier influencers. “Read the room” when you’re reaching out to influencers you want to be close to. Sending a content creator with millions of subscribers weekly texts/emails is probably not the way to go. Some influencers will want to maintain distance with brands, but that doesn’t mean gestures of closeness aren't appreciated / won't have a positive impact on the relationship. These are great times to reach out with an email, card and/or gift: ? birthdays ? channel anniversary ? wedding anniversary ? newborn baby (if they've mentioned this publicly) ? subscriber milestones ? any other newsworthy events.

Building a lasting relationship with your influencers is incredibly important. It gives you the opportunity to transform them into long-term brand advocates rather than just one-off partnerships. So, make sure to show genuine interest, keep them engaged, and continue leveraging their influence and expertise. By nurturing these relationships, you can create valuable partnerships that extend beyond individual campaigns and benefit your brand in the long run.

Each year we send holiday gifts to our top influencers, and they love it. If they have children we include products that are great for them as well. When possible, we love to host our influencers at small events or dinners across the city. We find that this builds the relationship in a way that is mutually beneficial for both sides. They feel a part of our community and get more product, and we receive higher quality content and better rates.

Long term relationships with influencers are the best. People associate you with them, there is a recall and of course there is more credibility. A perfectly symbiotic relationship.

To build a strong brand-influencer relationship: 1. Select influencers who align with your brand values and audience. 2. Maintain clear, open communication about expectations and goals. 3. Give influencers creative freedom in their content. 4. Trust their expertise and avoid micromanaging. 5. Aim for long-term partnerships rather than one-off campaigns. 6. Offer fair and timely compensation. 7. Provide constructive feedback and support for growth. 8. Foster a personal connection beyond just business. These steps create a mutually beneficial and respectful relationship with influencers.

Don’t forget to think long-term. Instead of focusing solely on one-off campaigns, aim for sustained partnerships. (Keyword!) Cultivate relationships that evolve over time will help you as an influencer to become genuine ambassadors evangelizing an orgs brand. This approach not only furthers the reach and the impact of influencer marketing but also contributes to the overall growth and credibility of the brand you’re showing up for.

This one isn't rocket science. Give them something to advertise that is on-brand for them, give them reasonable amounts of creative freedom to do something cool and authentic for their audience, and lastly, pay on time. And if you've already reached out to creators and you don't end up cooperating with them due to whatever reason, just let them know and provide a reason why. Don't ghost them. Influencers - or their managers - are people too. Treat them people instead of a programmatic media buy and they'll generally reciprocate the gesture.

Another consideration point is to really put yourself in the creator’s shoes. How would you like to experience the interactions and communication from a brand, if you were your own client? Often times, switching into this perspective can be helpful when thinking about everything from initial outreach and onboarding to content and event coordination as well as maintaining the relationship, in between opportunities.

Here’s a fun finding: we had hypothesized that running whitelisted influencer ads would lead to the best performance within acquisition campaigns on Meta. The twist? These creatives resonated best with our past customer audiences, bringing the product to life in a new and fresh way. It was a big win for engaging with our customer base. They still worked in acquisition which was great to see.