Working with influencers is one of the more popular means of advertising in today’s social-media heavy world. Brands can partner with influencers of varying degrees to achieve a wide array of marketing goals. One goal that influencer marketing can help achieve is related to awareness.
Below, I’ve outlined three steps to building an effective influencer relationship.
First, you’ll need to do some research and identify the influencer that will work best for your campaign. Some of the variables you should consider with researching influencers are: industry niche and influencer level.
Let’s say you were working with Florida International University and wanted to partner with an influencer to help increase the amount of students attending in-person on-campus events. An influencer that we can reach out to here is Hannah Kossof (Links to an external site.).
Hannah’s following isn’t as large as we’d like, but, in doing our research, we learned that she has the larger following of FIU influencers. She has multiple videos about her FIU experience and may be able to help us get the word out. Below is one of Hannah’s videos.
Now that we’ve identified our influencers, it’s time to contact her. Influencers likely get many messages so it’s important to be as detailed as possible. Your email should let Hannah know that you’ve researched her content, the details of the partnership, and how success will be measured. Below is a sample communication that could work when reaching out to her.
Good morning/afternoon, Hannah,
My name is XX and my agency XX is working with Florida International University to increase the amount of students attending in-person on-campus events.
I’ve noticed that you have multiple videos on YouTube about your FIU experience and I think you could help FIU achieve their desired goals. We’d like to organize an Instagram takeover with you where you document your experience at the upcoming homecoming events.
If this is something you’re interested, please respond as soon as possible so we can further discuss.
Thank you,
XX
In the email above, you’re letting Hannah know that you’ve done your research, the challenge FIU is facing and the specificities of the partnership Identify the Influencer.
I know what you’re thinking. What about payment? This comes in our next step, finalizing the partnership details.
When Hannah responds, you should be ready to discuss payment. With influencers with smaller followings like Hannah, you’re likely able to execute a partnership at no financial impact. Hannah will likely agree to the partnership just for the exposure among the FIU social media follower base. This exposure could help her grow her own personal following.
However, you should be ready to discuss a financial commitment. The amount you pay should never exceed the expected benefit. It’s important to consider her following and the possible impact the partnership could have.
If you’re promoting a product, an influencer will likely be open to revenue sharing. This is where they get a cut of the revenue of the product they’re featuring. You’ve likely seen this in the form of special discount codes that can be entered at the time of purchase.
Partnering with influencers is a great way to get the word out about your brand, if done correctly. Do you have a unique story about partnering with an influencer? Are there any tips you’d like to add to the ones I’d mention? Let me know in the comments!
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