For brands looking to connect with their audiences in this new digital age, influencer partnerships have become a powerful tool. But brands who try to collaborate with influencers have often fallen short on their goals because they misunderstand the nature of content industry and what kind of influencers would be the best suited for their brand and their goals.
Here are 5 tips all brands must know before seeking out an influencer:
Understand your target audience:
Before you start searching for influencers and embark on a collaboration, try to identity and analyze your target audience. What are the specific demographics of your audience? What are their interests? How do they behave? Where do they live? If you want your influencer collaborations to work successfully, you must choose the ones who have a relevant audience. While this may mean extra research, it certainly pays off in the long-term.
Don’t just look at numbers:
It’s tempting to pick the influencers who have the most followers. Many brands require a 100k reach or higher on their influencers’ social media networks considering them. While understandable, this viewpoint is shortsighted. Influencers with more followers don’t automatically have a greater reach: in fact, as research by, Later x Fohr’s Influencer Marketing Report has proven, the less followers an influencer has, the higher their average engagement rate. The influencers who are the best fit for brand collaborations are the ones who have a trusted follower base and a record of success when it comes to promoting products.
Provide information and be specific:
Brand collaborations are important to influencers who want to do right by their partners. However, they will not be able to help you unless you’re specific about your needs, your products and your timelines. Make it easier by providing them a link that they can go on to find information about your brand, whether it’s a basic FAQ or a specifically crafted page for their partnership. You must also ensure they have a point of contact they can connect with if they have questions along the way. Influencers can work wonders, but they should not be taken for granted.
Pick specific hashtags:
Often, influencer-led brand campaigns fail to gain momentum because they don’t have a fixed hashtag. In everyday posts an influencer might use many, but on a campaign for a brand they want to make sure that viewers can find the information they want. Make sure that your brand and your influencer come to the decision together and choose a few specific hashtags that well for your campaign.
Build authentic partnerships:
Authenticity is a must for all successful collaborations. Make sure you establish genuine relationships with influencers whose values and goals align with yours, and make sure you don’t juggle different influencers but establish a few ones who you feel the most comfortable and secure with. Additionally, give your influencers feedback once your campaigns are completed so they’ll know what to prioritize in their next ones. By fostering a relationship of mutual trust, you can co-create content that resonates with your audience and foster genuine brand loyalty.
