Lately, influencer marketing has exploded and become one of the most successful marketing forms ever. Communication with influencers is a key factor for the success of campaigns, as confirmed by the influencers themselves. The terms of collaboration should be advantageous for both parties. It sounds simple, but this is not always the case. How to do it and what do the influencers themselves say?
In order, how to speed up communication with influencers or what is the difference between barter and cash, I outlined in the previous article ‘How to Successful Collaboration with Influencers’. What will you learn in the upgraded article aka vol2?
– How to select the right influencer
– What increases your chances of success
– How to (not) discourage influencers
– Influencers’ experiences with communication with brands
Selecting the right influencer is a must-have
Before you decide to contact an influencer, you should carefully consider what you actually expect from such a collaboration. Do you want to promote a new product? Gain new customers or raise awareness of your brand? Or communicate news? All of this is crucial in the selection.
You know that the number of followers doesn’t matter? Well, of course it does, but much more interesting for you will be other factors, such as the audience the given influencer reaches, user engagement and so on. When selecting an influencer, focus on the things they share or whether their communication style and values fit you. Then just approach the influencer with an interesting offer and be patient.
IMBase.app will help you with the selection in the future 👀
This is how (not) to increase your chances
Accept or not accept? This is a question that many influencers ask themselves daily. Or rather read or let it be? Believe me, the more interesting influencers receive dozens of collaboration offers per week, whether by email or DM’s.
So pay attention to every little detail. Even details can make the decision. Getting attention is the same as with advertising texts. You have little time, little space and you have to squeeze the maximum out of yourself.
In addition to financial compensation, which I addressed in part one, the influencer’s crucial factor is, for example, the execution and course of the collaboration. Each of them has their own style and their creativity often knows no bounds. You should take this into account when setting the terms. Entrust them with the implementation of the collaboration and let their imagination flow freely. The way influencers interpret is the reason why people like to follow them, so paid advertising should be authentic. After all, that’s why you chose that particular influencer, isn’t it?
What to watch out for?
There is no universal rule for this, but a few typical factors can be found. One of them we discussed in part one, and that is time pressure and impatience. No one likes to be pushed. Keep in mind that influencers may also have multiple ongoing collaborations at once. Simply put, they don’t wait for you to contact them. Pressure can very quickly discourage them.
For influencers, their reputation is crucial and if rumors start to swirl around your brand, or it becomes the center of controversy, they may have concerns about themselves and rather distance themselves from the collaboration. And what about exclusivity? Is it one of your conditions? Influencers don’t like to hear that. If you require too much exclusivity and they won’t be able to collaborate with other brands anymore, you’ll be touching their income. And that could cost you a lot of extra money in the form of compensation.
What do the influencers say?
For a better understanding of how to communicate with influencers, I approached several of them. I asked them a few questions and you can read their answers below. If you’re interested in the reactions of other influencers, check out the first part.
I also contacted BF Company, a marketing agency focused on influencer marketing and fashion styling. They collaborate with a lot of influencers, so they provided a perspective from the other side.
