The fluency of businesses with social media is at par and so is the need for social media influencers. In today’s times, if there’s anything that your brand cannot miss out on, it’s influencer marketing. 

Almost half a decade ago, influencer marketing was understood as a foreign concept by most people. And in all honesty, back then nobody thought that what was considered odd jobs could become such a big deal in the coming times. Nor anybody could have thought that the young generation would not be the ones to be just influenced but they will also be the influencers. However, influencer marketing has always lied at the core of the marketing world just in different attire. 

Earlier, it was famous celebrities endorsing products through television ads and now it’s the same celebrities, and some more common people turned celebrities who do brand promotions through social media platforms. 

Social media influencers have changed the scenario of the market. Here’s how:

• They are easily approachable and their work, as well as personality, is seen by all. And using WORD Marketplace you can even have the influencers approach you by just posting a campaign brief. With this influencer marketing platform, you never have to worry about where to find influencers, will they fit your budget, is their content good enough, none of that. Because you can monitor all of that without a third party interference. 

• Earlier, brand ambassadors were chosen based on their success and popularity. But now, influencers are chosen based on their niche and how closely they bond with their followers. 

• There is no need for a big-budget production now. Most of the time influencers manage production on their own or work with freelance creators. This saves money for the brands and yet delivers the content in top-notch fashion. 

• Social media influencers make it possible for small businesses to try modern-day marketing approaches. 

We can praise the phenomenon of social media influencers for another decade and still won’t shut up. But the question arises, how to work with influencers? Working with influencers is a piece of cake. If you have already tried influencer marketing, you know it and if you have not, then by the end of this read you will definitely consider it. 

There are some tips that are more like success mantras that you should live by when working with influencers. If you ever think about how to work with an influencer, then stick with us till the end because we will take you through it. 

1. Focus on mutual interests

Let’s get this straight. You are here to make business. Social media influencers are here to make business. But this is not the only common goal between the two of you. Customer satisfaction is another thing that you both can agree to. The beginning and the success of your marketing strategy depends on your mutual agreement. 

This does not just have to be with respect to money. Mutual interests are a spectrum. It could be about the values, the promises that you offer to your customers, the services, the communication, the campaign dates, the freedom of creativity, these things are what we mean when we talk about mutual agreements. This is not only crucial for the campaign but also for bonding with the influencers. 

2. Make them the face of your brand/product

Some influencers have very generic content even if they follow a niche. For instance, if it is a fashion influencer, then their niche could be related to slow fashion, street style, recycled fashion, ethnic fashion, sportswear, bohemian fashion, we can go on and on about it. You can collaborate with one or even many influencers and make them the face of your brand or product. 

Let’s say you wish to launch a new line of nude lipsticks in different shades. Now, it’s no secret lipsticks define the mood. For some, they are subject to personalities and occasions too. Understand consumer psychology here and take advantage of it. You collaborate with 3 to 4 influencers who signify your lipstick shades. Once they become the face of that product or shade, their audience too will start relating with them. This increases the relativity which is extremely necessary. 

3. Run contests through them

Influencers have huge followings and hence they have a higher reach. Contests are fun and a great way to increase your sales too. You can host the contest through your platform but doing it through influencers increases its visibility and authenticity. What you can do is build the contest in a way that the participants are driven to your social media page. Remember that it has to be engaging but should not feel like a job to your audience. 

4. Go with their instinct

If we were to choose our favorite answer to “How to work with social media influencers?” this would be it. Go with their instincts. Even if your brand’s social media presence is vast and has been in the game for years, when you collaborate with influencers, you are eventually targeting their audience that they have built over the years. They have done all the analysis already. They know what kind of content works, what reactions will be received by it, if people are going to like it or not, they know it all. Consider every suggestion or insight that you receive from them. 

5. Do not limit to celebrities or mega influencers

Celebrities and mega influencers were leading the influencer marketing scene in the beginning, they do even now. But now they share their space with macro and micro-influencers too. Micro-influencers have a great engagement rate and they are very pocket-friendly too. These are influencers who are in the starting stages of their careers. All they demand is good work. It could be difficult to find micro-influencers but once you find them hold on to them because in the coming years they will grow bigger and acquire the league of mega influencers. 

6. Explore various modes of reimbursements

There are different ways to settle payments with social media influencers. You can send them PR packages, hampers, sponsor their trips if you are in the travel industry, do affiliate marketing, and pay them only when they give you business. When it comes to pitching affiliate marketing vs influencer marketing, one thing to know is they are both dependent strategies, and using them together will give you bigger benefits. You can also do an unpaid collaboration if it is a small influencer. Whichever payment mode you choose, try to make it worth their effort because even they are trying to earn their bread. 

7. Mix it up

Every niche has different branches and each branch has its own influencer. Try to bring variations to the kinds of influencers that you work with. Different influencers have a different audience and when you work with them it only amplifies your reach. Your target audience too will become very diverse. Another thing to experiment with is different platforms. There are some underrated platforms like Quora, Discord, and Reddit which are actually great for community building. But make sure that they align with your niche and audience. 

8. Approach them professionally

To work with influencers you cannot just hit them with a “supp” in their DMs or drop a comment saying, “Hi, we would like to collaborate with you”. Chances are that they will not even notice it and even if they do, they might question your authenticity. When you approach someone for work collaborations, you need to be presentable, even online. That’s what we have emails for. You should reach out to influencers over emails with your requirements, details about your brand, your campaign so that they have some material to assess you. 

9. Tie up with talent management firms

Another way to approach the influencer is by reaching out to talent management firms. You can reach out to any firm or the ones that manage your influencers or you can choose one firm to collaborate with on a long-term basis that already has a lot of influencers that they manage. Talent management firms can really be a lifesaver for you because they have every detail that you can need about the influencers. Their niche, work, the brands that they have worked with, their personality, behaviors, the kind of projects that they like, everything. Not only that, they are the mediator between you and the influencer with respect to providing campaign briefs, receiving content, and settling payments. 

10. Bond with them

When you bond with them they take your project as their own. Even professional bonds can be such where the influencer is willing to walk in your shoes if you are willing to walk in theirs. They will work diligently and not only that, they will give good reviews about your brand from the perspective of professional etiquettes. This is important as they know other influencers and in the future, if you come across an opportunity to work with them, they will give you a priority considering they have received good reviews about you from the community. 

It’s not like social media influencers are hard to deal with. But there’s always an attempt made by the brands to soften the blow. And when you want to do that, these tips have got your back. These are times where even brands and influencers bond by tagging and commenting on each other’s posts. Even when they are not under any collaborations. The transparency and honesty that come with influencers and brands is the key to a successful collaboration. And rest will just come along.