Working with Influencers: Everything You Need to Know

Influencer marketing has become much more than just a buzzword. It is an effective way to reach your audience and transform them into loyal customers. Since it is becoming more and more challenging to be noticed by people, working with influences can help you gain some serious numbers. While most companies look for celebrities and media personalities, working with influencers on Instagram with a respectable following can also impact your audiences. You will find several content creators who can help you with your marketing strategy.

However, you must put enough thought into it before going through with the idea. For example, you must look for an influencer who resonates with your target markets and helps you achieve your marketing goals. Hence if you wish to know how to collaborate with influencers, then this article can help you.

Understand Your Needs

Like any other marketing strategy, you must be clear about your goals from the beginning. Try to find out if your company aims to build brand awareness, boost sales, or increase trust. You may find a problem with your audiences’ associations with your brand. While people may know who you are, it may not align with your desired image. Influencers cannot fix this issue overnight or just by themselves, but their content can certainly impact your PR campaign. Hence, if you are looking to rebrand your business, you must work with people who represent the image you wish to convey.  

You also need to realize the kind of role that influences will play in reaching your targets. If you want to expand your reach, what does it look like? For some companies, it may mean better exposure and conversations with demographics, while others may wish to strengthen their reach within their core target markets. Hence knowing your main as well as supporting goals can help you avoid misaligned partnerships and mismatched expectations.    

Look At the Big Picture

While working with influencers, it is very easy to gravitate toward those with more followers. While the number of followers is something to consider, it should not be the only factor determining your influencer strategy. Where your target audience lives and who they are can determine the effectiveness of influencer marketing. For example, less than 10% of Japanese consumers buy things on an influencer’s recommendation. The same numbers go up to 45% in Brazil while 20% in the US markets.  

You also need to evaluate the relevance and engagement before hiring influencers. Find out the type of content they are posting and whether it matches the qualities and values, you wish to associate your brand with. You also need to find out whether their followers interact with their content. If someone does not engage with their followers or posts frequently, they may not be suitable for you.  

Give Them Creative Control

You may have shortlisted some of the content creators you feel are good for your company. However, you need to give them creative control to utilize their skills. Influences know the kind of content that resonates with their followers. Therefore, you can provide them with specific guidelines but never try to exert control over them. 

Most influences are not bothered about posting content that is always perceived as positive. They are also likely to end partnerships or turn down collaboration requests while working with you. Therefore, you must provide them with enough creative liberty and let them do what they feel is best. It is possible that they may already have ideas regarding the promotion of your brand’s mission. Working with those ideas and monitoring the results is better than micromanaging them. Make sure your guidelines include all the necessary information about your brand values and target markets. If you have any ideas regarding specific logos or established hashtags, you can also inform them about them. 

Get The Right Metrics

Working with an influencer on Instagram may get you several likes and shares. While high engagement can be seen as a positive indicator, you need to get the right metrics that align with your campaign goals. Otherwise, you are likely to evaluate the effectiveness of an influencer on the wrong parameters. For example, if the target is to boost online sales, you must determine the impact of the influencer’s content based on website purchases. Similarly, for non–profits working with influencers, the idea is to get more likes, shares, and comments that can help with visibility. If you are looking to measure your return on investment (ROI), you can provide the influencer with some unique link or discount code that they can attach to their content.  

To map out your influencer strategy, match them with the appropriate metrics. You can also take the help of surveys or partner with other agencies that study market perceptions.  

Working with influencers can help your marketing strategy if other promotion forms fail. However, you need to think strategically about whom to partner with and what impact such collaborations can bring. You must outline your goals and objectives along with the right metrics to steer your campaign in the right direction. You also need to be realistic about your goals and the kind of control you wish to have. Like any other marketing strategy, influencer marketing also needs time to work. However, influences are known to produce results. And such collaborations are not just about your brand’s success but also its reputation as well.