8 Tips on Running Effective Influencer Campaigns — From Influencers Themselves

Marketer Kirsty Carrot from Johannesburg, South Africa highlights 8 KEY tips to consider before reaching out to influencers.

I wouldn’t consider myself an influencer, but as someone in marketing I am learning more and more about how to approach the new set of millennials from a business perspective.

Last week, I took part in her live Twitter Q & A, and my response has been featured in this article. (She even goes on to say it was her favourite)

We live in a world where two way communication is always possible — social media not only gives us the power to speak to an audience, but to listen to them as well. As marketers, this is something that we could be better at… listening. We worry so much about getting our content in front of the right audience that we often forget to do the most important thing — to ask questions around the best way to actually do this.

Influencers across the globe are building niche followings on social channels like Instagram, YouTube, Twitter and Facebook. They do what every brand can only dream of — they captivate their audiences and influence the people around them every day. If you’re considering working with Influencers in the near future, it makes sense that the first bit of research you should be doing is around how to borrow that audience in a credible way. And who knows better than the influencers themselves?

I decided to crowd source this blog post because the only real way to find tips worth mentioning is to ask the Influencers around me. We work with over 4000 influencers every day at Webfluential, and they know a thing or two about branded content. Below are the top 8 tips that brands should consider before running their next influencer campaign — from influencers themselves.

Tip 1 by Lauren Prior: Brands need to let go, as scary as that sounds! Influencers have built up a large following because they know what they’re doing.

Tip 2 by WorkshopShed: Have realistic expectations. If you work with an Influencer Platform that has experience in this field, it’ll be easier for you to set realistic goals.

Tip 3 by Cecilie Corso: Help bloggers find the right angle. They don’t know your product as well as you.

Tip 4 by Miss West End Girl: Be clear about your expectations upfront. Changing the scope at a later stage usually ends in the quality of the campaign being affected.

Tip 5 by Prisca: Brand presence should reflect business values, not merely product. This might just be my favorite tip.

Tip 6 by While I’m Young & Skinny: Do your research — this will help you find influencers most relevant to work with your brand.

Tip 7 by Stacy Vee: Don’t be scared to give influencers more creative control, and tailor your messaging to each influencer.

Tip 8 by Miss Lelo: Pay up. Influencers have spent a long time building the audiences you’re trying to borrow. Show them that you understand that by compensating them properly.

Originally published at www.socialmediatoday.com on December 11, 2015.