It’s a Match – Finding the Influencer that Fits Your Brand’s Needs

From micro-influencers to de-influencing, you know your brand should consider working with an influencer, but you may not know where to start. As an evolving industry without universal guardrails, there is no exact science to sourcing influencers, negotiating pricing, and crafting an effective campaign.

Influencers allow brands to reach consumers in an organic way, essentially taking “word-of-mouth” marketing to the next level.

What to look for in an influencer partnership depends on your brand, your budget, and your long-term goals. Here’s where to start ↘️

Campaign Development
Before you start looking for influencers you should determine what type of campaign you are trying to launch. Brands collaborate with influencers for product promotions, giveaways, one-off posts, ongoing content series, and so much more.

If you’re not sure what type of collaboration best serves your brand, check out the competition, as well as influencers you think might be a fit, to see what types of campaigns they are doing. Present a couple of options in your proposal so that you can compare pricing options and see what works best for your brand.

TIP: Before you invest in a larger content campaign, consider a giveaway or one-off post to test the relationship.

Scouting Influencers
The most appealing influencers “types” that consumers connect with are relatable personalities (61%), expert personalities (43%), just-for-fun personalities (32%), and aspirational personalities (28%). When you start scouting influencers, choose a personality that fits with the type of campaign you’d like to launch. Only 11% of consumers prefer celebrity influencers. A bigger audience is not always a better match.

Ask yourself:

• Will your product fit into your customer’s everyday life? Look for relatable influencers.
• Is your product or service more specialized? Consider an expert influencer.
• Will your product solve a persistent problem and improve the customer’s life? Seek an aspirational influencer.

Established influencers with significant reach may be represented by talent agents, similarly to an actor or model. In that case, interviewing your influencer will be similar to casting a commercial. Contact the influencer’s agent directly or through a third-party service.

Some influencers will act as their own small business and represent themselves. In these cases, proposing a collaboration with the influencer could be as simple as directly messaging them on their preferred platform.

TIP: Even if you aren’t communicating with your influencer, be professional. Influencers who represent themselves should be treated the same way as influencers represented by agents.

Agree on a Price
Pricing packages will vary from influencer to influencer. Influencers with larger networks can charge more than influencers with smaller networks. Additionally, the amount of content, the level of effort involved in production, and where the content is shared will impact the price.

Will the influencer need to reformat the content depending on where it is displayed? A vertical video works for TikTok and Instagram Reels, but a horizontal video will be needed for YouTube. Where would you like to use the content outside of the influencer campaign? Usage rights can include social, digital, print, and anywhere else you would like to display the content.

Stipulate the type of campaign and any usage rights and exclusivity language in your proposal to ensure you are aligned with any influencers you interview.

TIP: Nobody works for free! Unless you have a high value product or service, offering a trade for content could cause the influencer to decline working with you. A trade can be part of your agreement, but the total value of the work being done should be reflected in the combined fee and product value.

Where Content Creators Come In
We hear “influencer” and “content creator” used interchangeably, and while there is some overlap between these skill sets, it’s best to fully understand what each specialist does before starting your search.

Influencers influence and content creators create content. Make sense?

But seriously, influencers promote products and services that align with the persona they’ve built. For example, an influencer that shows the meals they prepare for their children each day might partner with a brand that sells portion plates or lunchboxes. A beauty influencer might create a video showing their daily makeup routine, partnering with a cosmetics brand. The integrations are seamless and reflect products they would be using with or without a partnership.

A content creator can create the content for themselves, as an influencer, or they can also create content on behalf of a brand. For example, an Instagram channel that displays recipe videos might hire a content creator to direct, film, or act as talent in those videos.

TIP: All influencers are content creators but not all content creators are influencers.

Long-Term Partnerships
Establishing an ongoing relationship with an influencer makes each additional endorsement of your brand more authentic. Each additional campaign will integrate more seamlessly with your influencer’s content strategy.

Like any new campaign, your brand should start small to see how the campaign goes. Before you commit to a one-year contract, try a three-month contract. Audiences evolve over time and you want to make sure your campaign is still reaching the desired audience.

TIP: Pay attention to reporting. Is your campaign still generating the same engagement? Is the engagement improving? Is the engagement dropping off? Diligent campaign monitoring is essential for any successful long-term partnership.

Working with an influencer is an authentic way to showcase your product or service to an interested audience. It’s important to choose an influencer that fits your customer profile and start small before investing in a long-term campaign. Your perfect influencer match is out there, are you ready to meet them? Reach out to the experts at Planit and get connected.