How To Ensure Influencers Don't Suck Your Brand Dry...

How To Ensure Influencers Don't Suck Your Brand Dry...

At a time when horror novels such as Frankenstein were frightening readers and just a few years after London was terrorised by Jack The Ripper, on May 26th 1897, Bram Stoker released Dracula.

Contrary to myth, Stoker did not base his character on historical figures and insisted that his idea was original, however, some have suggested that the smouldering and life-sucking figure in his book was based on Stoker's own boss who thought the concept of Dracula and the stage play Stoker put on to publicise the book was "dreadful".

Some say Vlad The Impaler was an influence on the Dracula story based on his horrific techniques of doing away with enemies by skewering them and his Romanian name of Vlad Dracula. Others suggest the character may have been influenced by a Hungarian serial killer Elizabeth Báthory, known as Countess Dracula with rumours of her bathing in blood to restore her youth.

Regardless, Dracula became the most filmed fictional character in the world, even more than Sherlock Holmes and has appeared in countless movies, TV programs and cartoons.

You and your brand will be influenced by many around you and by your culture and community. Some of the influences will help clarify and define your brand message and others may distort it.

The simple lesson is to stay clear on your brand character and ensure your brand personality is consistent so that it is easily recognisable and respected.

Here's how to make sure your influence doesn't prey on your brand:

1) Choose Wisely

It's true that 'blood is thicker than water, we are attracted to similar people who share the same beliefs and values, they almost feel like family however, if we surround ourselves with those who are just like us, we can miss out on opportunities to grow and develop.

When a brand or business reduces its influencers to just those it knows things can start to look very vanilla. It is often a good idea to go outside the box and discover what else is happening in the marketplace and look for influencers outside of your comfort zone.

Mixing it up and trying new networking groups, connecting with different service providers and reaching out to new industries can open your mind to opportunities. Some of the best brand partnerships came from the most unusual places.

Google and Levis, Tinder and Ford, Starbucks and Spotify...

As an influencer, you can choose to partner with brands that share similar values but also bring fresh blood to your thinking and you can open up all sorts of new pathways to get your personal brand in front of different audiences.

2) The Art Of Seduction

It has never been a good idea to simply give an influencer your brand and expect them to build a massive following for you. We all know brand building with influencers is all about relationships and these take time and effort to avoid any bad blood between you.

Just like falling in love you need to start with what you have in common and ask lots of questions to get to know each other. Then set the ground rules and be clear on your expectations. Brand association partnerships are not torrid affairs or seductions, they are well thought out partnerships.

Every good relationship has boundaries and it all comes down to good communication and understanding before you jump into bed together, or add too many to the same bed. It can become very messy very quickly.

A good wedding between brand and influencer is an agreement that is a win-win and it is vital that you value each other's worth and realise that both parties are bringing something to the table. Knowing that relationships like brand associations are not immortal but need constant effort and work will help you sustain the partnership.

Influencers or brands that are insatiable, demanding or downright predatory and threaten your reputation are to be avoided. It's easy to look at past behaviour and affiliations to see what worked and what didn't, so do your research before you approach them.

3) A Stake In the Game

Knowing when to split up, or even better, setting a timeline or regular meetings to confirm everything is going in the right direction can help develop more valuable relationships between brands and help you maintain your influence over others without ruining friendships or destroying any brand value.

Setting long and short term goals will help measure how the relationship is going and what is working. You can also tweak offers and manage expectations by planning ahead before you sink your teeth into a project. Another way to guarantee a good divorce is to ensure both parties have some skin in the game - that means that both the brand and the influencer have a desire to make things work.

A sales percentage, commission or affiliate fee is easiest to set up but often you can also pay in media coverage, product development and naming rights. Think Air Jordan.

Part of the plan, however, should always be what you do when the relationship is over. Influencers can have an effect on brands for many years after they finish working with them. Elle McPherson will forever be the face of Bendon well after she walked away from the deal, Murray Walker's voice is associated with Formula 1 racing long after his death, and Kendall Jenners Pepsi moment will be remembered forever, for all the wrong reasons.

By making sure you have selected the right influencer or brand to partner with, even after you part ways they may still have influence over your own brand message.

4) Feed On Each Other

Win-win means that both parties achieve some success, but the balance must be equal. Followers might be worth more than monetary payment in some cases. Samples are valuable but may not be enough to cover the costs.

Obviously setting the expectation of the outcome from the beginning is ideal, however, you never know where a relationship might go or how the market trends may change. A good partnership between brands and influencers is adaptable and varies with time and allows both to manipulate the situation in order to benefit.

As long as the brands are aligned and personalities gel, you should be able to withstand all manner of challenges or predators to maintain an influential agreement.

Comedian, radio host and always thirsty for any brand endorsement, Ed Kavalee plays up his many affiliation roles and this works for brands who understand humour is a big part of Ed's personality. As long as they are prepared to laugh at themselves they will be successful with his influence.

As soon as the balance changes and one party is obviously benefitting more than the other, things need to change or you need to part ways. Things sour quickly so don't delay in killing off any imbalance in the brand association relationship.

In reality, brands have long used personal brands to leverage their exposure and gain an attractive audience, some by stealth, others by accident but most thanks to good planning and identifying the match made in heaven.

Regardless of if you are the brand looking to be influenced by endorsers or a strong personal brand seeking to partner with a brand you love, go with your heart and make sure that your partnership builds something that slays.

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Lauren Clemett is a Keynote speaker, International award-winning Neurobranding specialist and best selling author with over 25 years brand management experience. Lauren shares how to overcome overwhelm and lead with direction, purpose and meaning, making marketing your professional services a walk in the park!

www.yourbrandtruenorth.com

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