The 5 Steps to Successfully Using an Influencer in your Strategy

We receive lots of questions from current and prospective clients regarding the use of an Influencer in their Marketing Strategy. But the biggest question is where do you start?

First off, how do you determine whether or not someone is an Influencer? Much of it has to do with the amount of followers that they have, but you should also review the date and time stamps of their content. Make sure they are consistent with posting relevant and frequent content.

To ensure a successful partnership, Ciniva has put together some suggestions to guide you along if you are considering utilizing an Influencer:

1. Before you begin your search, get your legal house in order. Influencers are a powerful extension of your brand and you want to ensure that you are set up for success. Some items to consider are your Terms & Conditions for your relationship, longevity, deliverables and checks and balances. You want to very clearly define your expectations, deliverables and timeline up front before signing on with an Influencer.

2. Consider the type of Influencer that you would like to work with. Maybe you follow a few fashion Influencers, but they may not have a captive audience focused on trying new foods or cooking. Do your best to find an Influencer that matches your brand. Don’t be afraid to ask for their Media Kit, demographic breakdown of their audiences, channels, previous campaign success metrics and more. You want to make sure this is a good fit for both of you.

3. Compensation is negotiable. There are so many bargaining items to use in your negotiations. Looking to promote a product? The Influencer may receive the product for free and be given a code to be used on your website to track their effectiveness and then a portion of sales may be given to them. A flat fee per promotion is also acceptable.

4.  Be clear with your expectations. For instance, if you hire an Influencer for a campaign, and they do a live TikTok video and use foul language on behalf of your child-focused brand, that would not make for an acceptable campaign. Be up front prior to campaign creation of your deal breakers and what would require a do over. Influencers also appreciate having that information up front in order to curate the appropriate message, etc…

5. Ask for a post campaign report. When the campaign has run, maybe around 14-30 days following the campaign, review your referral traffic to your website and if applicable, ask the Influencer to share their success metrics. You want to review engagement, time watched (if a video), conversions, DM’s, audience demographics analysis. Use this information to determine the effectiveness of the campaign and whether or not you would like to continue working with this particular Influencer.

Influencers are a great way to drive your strategy and share your brand with your target audience. If you are still a little weary of how to work with an Influencer, Ciniva is here to help. Give us a shout to get you all set up.