How to Work With Social Influencers
As social media platforms rose in popularity, so too did the creators who called those platforms home. They were a new type of celebrity, one whose real value came from the fact that they owned their distribution channels. And as Influencers are now a staple of many 360 campaigns, it’s important to understand how we incorporate them into our plans, and ensure that the content they create can complement our campaigns rather than distract.
Outlined below are three elements crucial to successful Influencer partnerships:
1) Be Choiceful
This applies to both the platform the Influencers are on (Youtube, Instagram, Vine, etc.) as well as the Influencers themselves. You need to answer the same questions here as you would with any tactic you might present to the client.
Does their audience match my target? Does their content have a tone of voice that matches our brand’s?
Spend time watching some of their content to really get a feel for what they do as creators. It doesn’t need to be squeaky clean, but it does need to be a good match for the brand, and the campaign. And with regard to the size of their audience, Follower and Subscriber numbers can be misleading. Look at the number of views/engagements they are garnering organically relative to their Followers/Subscribers, and compare that to other Influencers you are considering.
2) Brief In-Campaign
It may be tempting to give these creators an open brief, to “ensure authenticity”. In reality, however, we need to ensure that all elements of our campaigns are cohesive. As such, we need to brief Influencers within our campaigns, and on-board them the same way we would on-board other partners. If you have chosen Influencers carefully, as outlined above, then it shouldn’t be too great of a stretch for them to incorporate the key elements of our campaign into their existing style.
3) Collaborate, Don’t Dictate
While we want to ensure they are creating content that fits within our campaign, we shouldn’t mandate concepts or creative constructs. The reason we are working with them is because they have developed a popular style or content series. And their audience expects that all of their content fits within that style. Successful Influencer campaigns are one’s where the Influencer maintains the authenticity of their channels.
