Brands learned years ago that bloggers and influencers could help them reach customers. Consumers who were not responding to traditional advertising responded well to third-party recommendations, which introduced brand collaborations into social media marketing.
In 10 years, influencer marketing has come a long way, especially regarding what influencers expect from the businesses they work with and how the two can collaborate effectively. Influencers now have a great deal of influence and can make many more decisions than they used to.
Working with companies that they love is an influencer’s dream. It is not only a fun way for them to earn money, but also to form professional relationships and increase their audience.
So, what motivates influencers to choose one brand over another? What is it about companies that attract influencers? How can you keep influencers loyal to your brand? We’ve compiled a list of eight qualities influencers will look for in brand collaborations.
Quick Peek At The Future Of Influencer Marketing Market
The influencer marketing market is expected to expand at a CAGR of 8% during the forecast period, to reach 2.85 billion by 2027. In addition, The global digital content creation market is projected to reach USD 24,160 million by 2027, from USD 12,400 million in 2020, at a CAGR of 9.5% from 2021 to 2027. Whether or not these predictions come true, there’s little doubt that influencer marketing has a bright future.
Figure1: Influencer marketing forecast till 2027. Source: Market Research Future
To be relevant in the influencer marketing business in the future, brands will need to adapt to new trends and methods to attract the best creators to work with.
8 Things Influencers Look For In The Brands They Collaborate With
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Share campaign objectives proactively
Treat creators as contributing partners to bring out the best of the partnerships. Creators understand the ins and outs of marketing campaigns and social media algorithms better than the average social media user. They’re also masters at anticipating how their target audience will react to certain types of content, products, and campaigns. Don’t be hesitant to include them in some of your campaign’s aims and objectives so that they may contribute effectively.
Also, creators want brands to keep them informed about campaign goals. Let creators know what you’re attempting to achieve with your campaign and how you’ll assess success, brand values and product details. You could be astonished to learn that influencers have innovative ideas that can amplify your efforts in reaching goals.
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Offer creative freedom and be flexible
Savvy influencers desire control over their content, and brands should also look for this. Things tend to get nasty when brands start interfering. Relinquishing some control allows creators to interpret your campaign rules per their brand to generate higher-performing content that connects precisely with your target audience.
While this is easier said than done, you’ll want to ensure they’re always “on-brand.” The most straightforward approach to cover all bases is to give them a thorough campaign brief that outlines all of the details and then step away from the steering wheel.
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Personalized outreach
Top influencers must have a good perception of your brand if you want them to be open to collaboration. So, you first reach out to them when you make that critical first impression. Because your initial engagement with an influencer sets the tone for all of your future conversations, it’s crucial to approach influencers wisely and make an excellent first impression.
Here are some pointers on how you can do that:
- Before contacting an influencer, do your research and get to know them.
- Before making a pitch, always start by praising their work.
- Make it clear what you’re giving in exchange for their time and work.
- Keep it concise and open, provide all pertinent information, but don’t go on too long.
- Be courteous and give room for additional conversation and negotiation.
- If they don’t respond to your initial message, follow up.
Creators want to believe that the companies they promote care about them as people. So developing genuine connections with individuals you want to collaborate with, thoughtful outreach, video calls, or private forums and communities go a long way.
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Prioritize partnerships ahead of transactions
Creators wish businesses were aware of their desire for meaningful brand collaborations. They want to be a part of the team, such as getting access to the behind-the-scenes of your company, early access to new products, brand education, and invitations to events.
This will help you establish a solid professional relationship with your influencer, which will show in their output. When a brand collaborates with an influencer, it is effectively endorsing – if not outright promoting – the influencer’s persona, message, and content. This makes it even more critical to build an understanding between both parties.
Creators are also establishing themselves as brands, and marketers should approach them as such. Consider creators to be publishers: Instead of focusing on followers and reach, concentrate on identifying relevant audiences and developing connections.
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Make an effort to represent diversity
Aside from being inclusive is simply the right thing to do, promoting diversity in marketing can bring significant returns from a commercial standpoint. Creators want to see their favorite businesses promoting people groups similar to them, so it’s vital to represent the many ways of life that make up your target demographic.
You may reach out to diverse segments of your customers by collaborating with influencers of all ages, ethnic origins, physical sizes, and life stages. People with similar backgrounds frequently follow influencers. Your community members have their own following who look to them for product and service suggestions.
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Provide fair compensation
If you invest in your creators, you’ll create a community that will rally around your brand. Although some influencers are willing to engage for free in exchange for publicity, no one good at their job would.
If you’re not willing to dole out cash yet, you should at the very least give free products, tickets, coupons, or something to review – since free doesn’t pay the bills.
Influencers like receiving free products, but creators argue that to make a livelihood, they must prioritize paid collaborations. Continue to seed projects with reasonable expectations if you don’t have the budget to pay creators what they’re worth.
You could find that some people are so enthusiastic about your product that they are talking about it on their own. Use these brand supporters for product feedback and social testimonials, as they’re not engaged in a formal relationship until you have the funds to compensate them for their efforts.
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Offer expertise and experience
Most influencers who make money from their blogs or social media accounts have some level of media and content development expertise. They expect the same from marketers who contact them. The more a business knows an influencer’s craft, the simpler it is for both sides to be on the same page – and when both the company and the blogger speak the same language, it helps develop an amicable working relationship.
To go about it, have a well-defined content plan that an influencer may contribute to. It’s pointless to hire an influencer just to hire one. You need to know what you want to accomplish through brand collaborations.
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Show them the potential to grow
Growth is probably the most crucial expectation that influencers have from collaborations. They seek possibilities to attract, acquire and maintain a more extensive audience – not just the chance to earn. It makes little difference whether they gain them through organic reach or brand collaborations.
They also seek to build a solid and lasting relationship with the brand’s fans. Even if the connection expires in the future, these fans are likely to stick around. As a result, the influencers may use this as a long-term growth plan. Similar to brands, high potential influencers may also favor a brand with a more engaged viewership or attractive online presence.
Influencer’s Take On Brand Collaborations
The graphs below show what content creators have to say about what matters most when collaborating with brands and what made them want to collaborate with them again.
Figure 2: Top reasons influencers work with brands. Source: Carusele
Figure 3: Top reasons for influencers working with a brand again Source: Carusele
Three golden guidelines to deliver a memorable influencer marketing experience:
- Find a “best-fit” influencer to help both parties benefit from the partnership and thrive in their respective roles.
- Give influencers creative freedom and free reign, but balance it out by keeping them on-boarded with campaign briefs, goals, and regular check-ins.
- Competitive compensation will set you apart in an influencer’s consideration in addition to setting the tone for a long-term relationship.
With AtisfyReach’s smart implementation influencer platform, following these three golden rules is a breeze. The AI matches you with the best-fit influencer according to your preferences. You can track and report on campaign progress from within the dashboard. You can also filter influencers based on budget. Make influencer marketing memorable with AtisfyReach. Register here!
