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In today’s market you need a dynamic and flexible strategy for marketing. And it is essential to discover a method to ensure that the visitors to your website are interested in your company and its products.
Influencer marketing is the way towards achieving that equilibrium. The industry is expected to grow to a value of $13.8 billion in 2021, so if you haven’t done it before, now’s the perfect time to start. In this article, we’ll go over four different kinds of brand collaborations that you can do with social media influencers.
Product gifting
This method involves offering influencers your products for free. If you let an influencer test your product, you can advertise your brand through social media channels without any monetary compensation.
The danger is that the person who has influencers may not actually promote your product, or worse, post negative reviews. To minimize this risk, build a rapport with the influencer before. Be sure that they are aware of your brand’s identity, and request which variant of the product that they’d prefer to receive the most and then follow up to ensure they get it in time.
Micro and nano influencers (under 50K followers) are often willing to accept these collaborations. However, if you collaborate with influencers in the middle to the upper tier (50K+ followers) you should expect to pay monetary fees on top of the free products.
Sponsorships
If you’re looking for a more formal and overt arrangement, think about sponsorship of an influencer’s content. This kind of collaboration is more transparent in the sense that it is clear that the company is paying the influencer to help promote their brand.
Sponsorship may result in your company being featured on their posts, or the usage of “paid partnership” function on Instagram. TikTok creators or YouTubers may begin their videos by stating that they’re sponsored by your company.
The compensation here is contingent upon the nature and extent of the sponsorship. Remember that each kind of content has its own price. For instance an Instagram story will typically be cheaper than a photo since stories are deleted within 24 hours. And a 20-second TikTok video will cost less than a video on YouTube that lasts 20 minutes.
https://www.tiktok.com/@charlidamelio/video/7013813308138556677?lang=en&is_copy_url=0&is_from_webapp=v1&sender_device=pc&sender_web_id=6966114020941563398
TikTok creator Charli D’Amelio frequently posts videos featuring the products of Morphe Brushes.
Takeovers
Takeovers are when celebrities publish directly from your company’s account, and then put their own snare on it. They’re an excellent way to draw new customers to your business. It is possible to tap into different niches and create original and genuine content that has an entirely different approach to what your company usually posts.
In order to set up an takeover, ensure you follow these steps:
- Make a time-limit for the takeover and make sure that the influencer is aware of when they will be able to share their posts.
- Review any brand’s principles and values to ensure the influencer is brand safe.
- Make sure you have a contract or some written terms in the event that something goes wrong.
If you’re planning to host an event but do not want to hand over the reins of your social profiles, you can also request influencers to share their content prior to when they publish it.
Just be sure to not micromanage; giving the influencers creative freedom (while remaining brand-safe) will result in the most authentic content.
An Influencer takeover of the plant brand Bloomscape.
Brand ambassadors
Brand ambassadorship is an ongoing collaboration which can produce amazing outcomes. When it comes to this type of partnership, it’s vital that you select someone with whom you’ve had an excellent first touch with.
Maybe they had an individual campaign that produced excellent results. Perhaps working with them consistently goes well and their communication is excellent. If you want an influencer to become an ambassador for your brand, it is essential to trust in them.
Brand ambassadors create a lasting connection with your company and their followers, since they see posts featuring the brand’s name on a regular basis.
These partnerships require contracts with longer durations. It is also essential to be aware of the metrics associated with ambassadors’ work and keep collecting data and evaluate them as the relationship develops.
Sierra Schultzzie is a long-term brand spokesperson for Fabletics.
Conclusion
Trying one or more of these partnerships can ramp up your business’s online marketing. But it’s crucial to keep these three points in mind:
- Make sure you research influential people and their communities to ensure they are aligned with your company’s objectives and principles.
- Guidelines, contracts and expectations must be clearly stated in the beginning, to avoid confusion later.
- Monitor your metrics and progress to determine which kind of collaborations, and which influencers are most effective for your brand.
With this information in mind, you’ve got solid foundations to build upon when you are preparing to enter the expanding and thriving market of influencer marketing collaborations.
