Before embarking on an influencer campaign, it’s important to keep a few things in mind to avoid rejection and other inconveniences. So how do you go about it? By asking the right questions!
Is my brand or product “Instagrammable”?
That’s the first question to ask yourself before taking the plunge! On social networks, and even more so on Instagram, influencers look after their image. To be relayed, your product must fit into the influencer’s universe, and not the other way around. The world of beauty, decoration, fashion, jewelry and other accessories lends itself very well to this. But it’s not just for them: food, household appliances, travel, high tech… also work very well. All you need to do is be inventive to make it part of a coherent influencer communication strategy for both you and the influencer.
What story to tell?
Thinking you can simply “push” your product onto an influencer’s account isn’t always so simple. As we’ve just seen, if your product isn’t mainstream, “sexy”, you’ll need to be inventive in telling a story through the Instagram post or blog post. Some influencers are very nimble when it comes to coming up with a coherent scheme, but always keep this in mind, especially when “canvassing” an influencer. Your post will also gain in credibility.
Which influencer to choose?
Be aware that influencers have their own particular universe: fashion, cooking, travel, running, healthy, etc. If you want to convince an influencer, remember to target them carefully. If your product doesn’t fit into their universe or values, you’ll get… a rejection!
Another criterion to take into account is an influencer’s ability to engage his or her audience! Many people make the mistake of selecting an influencer on the basis of their number of subscribers, to the detriment of their engagement rate (ratio of subscribers to reactions). Some influencers may have a large number of subscribers, but not enough to attract them to their posts. And vice versa for smaller influencers, who may have very good engagement rates despite a smaller community. The quality of comments should also be taken into account. Take the time to read what’s being said about the photos.
And don’t confuse an influencer with just another social networker!
How do you work with an influencer?
First of all, you don’t work with an influencer, you collaborate. This is an important distinction! Influencers have a close relationship with their community, their own artistic direction and their own way of communicating. As such, you can’t impose an element of language, or even a format, on them. If, for example, an influencer has a monochrome universe, you can’t impose acid colors.
The influencer is not a service provider, nor an advertising agency, but becomes your ambassador as soon as they start talking about you.
What kind of relationship should you have with an influencer?
For a successful partnership, you need to listen to the influencer, take his or her comments and ideas into account, and establish a relationship of mutual trust. I advise you to be precise in your request and to draw up a brief to define your expectations and the conditions of the partnership (remuneration, nature of product gifts, publication date, hashtag to be relayed, etc.). Bear in mind that an influencer is above all… a human being, and that he or she may also have personal commitments, such as a job or a family life, and therefore may not be able to be reactive 24/7. Likewise, remember to give them a reasonable amount of time to complete the requested content.
What are the mistakes to avoid with influencers?
In addition to forgetting a brief or targeting the wrong influencer, there are other mistakes to avoid!
Too much sales pitch
A blog article or Instagram post is not a magazine ad! An overly commercial approach is never appreciated by communities. So make sure you give your readers the freedom to write their own content in a way that reflects their authenticity!
Being too greedy
The influencer will talk about you, but within certain limits! Don’t expect him to make your brand/product a real showcase on his Instagram account. He’ll make a post, or two, and maybe a story, but it rarely goes beyond that. However, it’s possible that your product will be posted again in time (bonus placement) if the influencer is particularly fond of it and your collaboration has gone well.
Not playing the game
If you want to collaborate with an influencer, bear in mind that they’ll want a win-win relationship. So your request must be commensurate with the compensation (product endowment, remuneration). Similarly, if you want to organize a competition with the influencer, remember to offer an attractive prize!
Forgetting the essentials
The influencer posts a photo of your product, the staging is fine but… the most important thing is missing: YOU! It can happen that an influencer “forgets” to mention the brand name or doesn’t tag you. In your brief, be sure to give them the name of your official account and your hashtags, and ask them to mention them. It’s normal, logical, all professional influencers will do it spontaneously, but it’s better to remind them. If the oversight is proven, you’ll be entitled to ask for the post to be modified.
Don’t spread out publications
If too many influencers are talking about you on the same day, and about the same product, you’re going to saturate consumers! If you have a good knowledge of influencers, you’ll see that some have the same networks (very similar subscribers). If you don’t have this knowledge, remember to spread your publications out over time. This will be perceived as a relaunch rather than a blitz!
At Effinity, the experts at our influencer marketing agency are here to help you successfully carry out your influencer marketing operations. Don’t hesitate to contact us !
