So you’ve found the right influencers for your brand … now what?
Well, you need to figure out how to stay in touch with them and keep the conversation going. The truth is that this can be a struggle for some marketers. They know how to study their audiences and launch awesome campaigns, but they may not have experience nurturing relationships with influencers.
Influencer marketing on social media is a relatively new strategy and relationship-building is a unique skillset. But that’s no excuse to leave your influencers hanging and let those partnerships fizzle out — especially if you’ve worked so hard to find the perfect creators for your campaign.
That’s why we’re going to help.
Let’s dig into what influencers want in a brand relationship and some creative ways you can keep the conversation going.
5 things influencers want in a brand relationship
Influencer partnerships are a two-way street. Just like you want certain things out of your relationship with influencers, influencers want certain things out of their relationship with you. It’s also important to remember that on the other side of those social profiles and email chains are real people who are working hard to build careers around their passions and create lasting, fruitful relationships with brand partners.
With that in mind, here are five things influencers would appreciate from you.
Personalized messages
Hopefully, you’ve already crafted personalized emails for your influencers. But don’t stop there once you have them on board. Chances are they’re working with a range of brands and collaborators. Sending personalized follow-up messages will keep them interested and help you stand out among the crowd.
As fashion influencer Emma said, “There are many ways you can build a good relationship with a brand. It can be small details like contacting us after the partnership to thank us, giving us their feedback, and recommending us to other people if they are happy with our work.”
To really impress your influencers, try sending handwritten “thank you” notes, birthday cards, or encouraging feedback about their posts.
Transparency and honesty
Transparency is a major buzzword in influencer marketing right now — and for good reason. Brands and influencers have been punished for failing to properly disclose their partnerships on social media, so transparency needs to be a part of the brand-influencer relationship from the beginning. And many think brands should shoulder that responsibility.
Set your influencer — and brand reputation — up for success by sharing your expectations from the get-go.
Consistent communication
No ghosting influencers, even accidentally! Though most creators have full-time jobs, they take their Instagram and YouTube accounts very seriously. If you expect professionalism from them when creating and uploading reviews of your product in a timely fashion, they expect it from you as well. So stay on top of those emails and messages to remain professional and top-of-mind.
Creative freedom
Many influencers have worked hard to build loyal audiences of followers who trust their opinions and know they’re going to get high-quality content. Brands shouldn’t stand in the way of that by putting too many restrictions on influencers.
As one beauty influencer with over 1 million followers said, “One of the biggest struggles I have faced of the last eight years is that brands hand us a set list of talking points and expect us to be chatting billboards. Having brands that are so demanding and overbearing completely destroys both the sponsorship, and the positive sales outcome for the brand.”
That’s why gifting is better than paying social influencers. By sending free products to influencers instead of just paying them a flat rate, brands give influencers the freedom they need to post authentic, genuine reviews for their audiences.
Long-term partnerships
Influencers are starting to sign long-term contracts that treat them more like traditional talent. Why is this so enticing for them? Because it helps them continue running their creative business and provide more content for their audiences.
Brands should want these long-term partnerships, too, since it allows them to build loyalty among niche communities and continue to generate brand awareness.
5 ways to nurture influencer partnerships
Now that you know what influencers want, let’s break down five creative ways you can stay in touch with them before, during, and after your campaign launches.
Send an irresistible first email
Let influencers know how much you want to work with them by making a great first impression. This email should include your knowledge of the influencer (like how you found them and what you enjoy about their content), your straightforward offer, and a bit of your brand’s story. This gives them the information they need to decide if you’re a good match.
Here’s an example of an email you can send for a gifting campaign:
“Hello [Influencer],
I came across your Instagram account/YouTube channel, and I really enjoyed your posts/videos about these great beauty products. They’re really witty and fun. I think you’d be a great fit for our brand.
Our brand is a newcomer, specializing in beauty products. They are special for [these reasons]. Here’s our website [link].
If you’re interested, I’d love to send you our product to get your feedback and a review if you enjoyed it.
Let me know!”
Invite them to events
Take those relationships offline and meet your influencers in person. This helps them put a face to your brand and it helps you build more buzz around your event. Maybe you’re holding a summit, setting up a booth at a fair, or hosting a happy hour at the office. Invite influencers to swing by!
Take them out to lunch
That’s right. Flashy events aren’t the only places to meet with influencers. If they’re in your city or passing through for business, try inviting them to lunch, coffee, or drinks. It’s just another way to keep the connection warm and stand out from other brands that might be looking to partner with these creators.
Engage with them on social media
Social media is influencers’ domain so why not meet them where they’re already active and help drive engagement for their posts? Any influencer would appreciate a kind like, comment, or share from a brand that’s relevant to their interests and audience. It’s a great way to show them how much you’re interested in their content!
Let them try products first
Give influencers an exclusive look at your new products. This is a win-win-win situation. It helps you curry favor with influencers and drum up demand for your products. It helps influencers offer exclusive content and inside looks for their audiences. And it helps audiences build anticipation for new releases and develop a stronger connection with your brand. It’s also one of the ultimate signs of trust and loyalty in the influencer-brand partnership.
Happy influencers make happy brands
Influencer marketing is a powerful strategy, but it only works if you know how to guide influencers along the way and nurture your relationships with them.
That’s where Octoly can help. Octoly makes it easy to establish first contact with influencers through our “pull” model: We target influencers with a selection of products and let them decide which ones they want to work with. Since the influencers find you, you know they’re truly interested in what you have to offer. And once you begin this partnership, you can use Octoly’s platform to keep an eye on the influencer’s activity and contact them via the messaging platform — no getting lost in their email inbox!
After you’ve been on the platform long enough and have created a pool of influencers you like working with, it’s also easier to target them with your new products. Meaning Octoly is the go-to solution for finding the right creators, starting gifting campaigns, and managing relationships with influencers so everyone stays happy.
Want to try it for yourself? Request a demo and don’t forget to sign up for our newsletter for all the latest influencer marketing news.
Download our Gifting 101 guide and get all our tips and tricks to gift influencers at scale.
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