Influencers. 

Nano.
Micro.
Mid tier.
Macro.

There are a lot of categories for influencers now.  They visit your business, try your food and products, or stay in your hotel. They share their experiences as a third-party, word-of-mouth endorsement to their audience, whom you have determined matches your ideal audience. The tiers refer to the size of their following.  More important than audience size is their level of engagement on both organic and sponsored posts.

Adding influencer marketing to your mix allows you to be visible where consumers are spending their time, such as social media platforms like Instagram.  

So, how do you go about working with an influencer?

There are certain things to keep in mind when entering into an agreement with an influencer as well as best practices to follow before, during, and after your campaign.  I’ll walk you through a recent experience.  

How we chose an Influencer:

For this campaign, we wanted to reach those in our existing base plus expand to a new audience.  Therefore, we were seeking someone who was reaching our primary age demographic AND those in the next generation of customers (It’s a good idea to lay groundwork for the future).  We also wanted to reach both locals and those residing in nearby areas. After some searching, we identified a good candidate. She was actively engaged, used beautiful depictions of her experiences in varying formats, and curated sets of hashtags that resonated with her audience. We requested a screenshot of her insights to determine if it would be a good fit.  Our brands were aligned so we had a pretty good idea that the audience would respond well.  

You’ll want to find someone who can blend their own vision and style with your objectives in a genuine way.  Share the value and messaging you are aiming to deliver to the audience with the influencer, but give them creative freedom to present it in a way their followers expect.  And be sure they aren’t telling their audience that a different business is their “favorite” each week. 

What is the best way to approach an Influencer? 

I recently went straight to the source for answers to this question.  Per Food Influencer @hungrygirl_mpls (Chelsea), “I think it depends on how each food influencer wants to be approached, but I usually prefer a restaurant or brand introducing themselves first if I'm not familiar with them. I also like when they lay out what the collaboration involves or any specifics/deliverables around it. For instance, is there a specific dish they would like me to feature? What do I need to know about the restaurant or product? What key messages should I tell my followers?”

Avoid approaching your prospective Influencer in public comments.  Have you ever been the recipient of a “let’s collab!” blank statement?  Travel Influencer and Blogger Dang Travelers advises that the approach would be better by email or direct message on the social platform of choice for the partnership. They also prefer specifics and as much information up front as possible. Look for an email address listed in the bio of the Influencer you hope to work with.  

But what happens if they arrive at your business and they don’t like something they tried? 

This is where having a conversation about their philosophy first would come in handy.  Hungrygirl_mpls believes in keeping it positive.  If she doesn’t like something, she won’t post it. And you will never see her talk negatively about the brand or restaurant.  Everything she posts on her Instagram page are things she truly loves and wants to share with her followers.  

Get ready to make the most of your campaign.  Creativity and a commitment of time before, during, and after your partnership will reap rewards.  

There are steps you can take to enhance and maximize everyone’s efforts.  Consider a long-term collaboration.  If you find an influencer who is truly passionate about your brand, you can develop a plan to work with them a few times throughout the year.  Then, you’ll have more data to work with for better optimization next time.  We requested that our influencer keep us in her stories longer than the usual 24 hour period and each of us ran a contest that week.  We provided her with a gift card to give away in her own contest. As a result, both of us gained more followers and exposure.  

Tip: co-author reels on Instagram - ask the creator to invite you as a collaborator!

Payment to influencers may come in a variety of forms and it's usually tied to tier categories.  For many influencers that have hit their stride, this is their sole job that comes with expenses and a time commitment.  You might offer cash plus a trade of products or services.  Expect to pay per post or series of posts.  Will you ask for multiple short form videos?  Stories?  Reels? Each add-on will increase your costs for the partnership but will also provide further benefits.  You may be able to negotiate a price break or create a package to realize economies of scale.  If you have a certain creative style in mind, save some examples to a swipe file on your phone.  Then they’ll know up front what level of design you seek.    

Before your campaign, review your business’ account.  Is the bio up to date?  Do you have a straightforward call-to-action?  Educate yourself on the FTC disclosure guidelines required when working with influencers and be aware of contest rules on your platform of choice.  Clear your schedule so you can respond to comments and questions in a timely manner.  Remember, engagement and connection are so important! 

After your campaign, launch your plan to retain the new audience.  Remember to thank new followers.  Post your strongest types of content for the next week or two.  Be authentic and engaging.  Launch something new.  Give a behind-the-scenes look at your business.  Record videos so those who haven’t done business with you get to know you on a personal level. These actions will grow likeability for your brand and convert new followers to lasting fans.  Share your new content and share it again - this includes any user generated content derived from the campaign.

Where is influencer marketing headed in the future?

Per Dang Travelers, “Influencer marketing seems to be shifting in the right direction as far as finding good fits versus big numbers. I think many companies are starting to figure out that just because an account has many followers doesn't necessarily mean it will be a productive campaign. Finding the right person with the right audience for brand alignment is key. Even though it took some time for companies to realize this, I believe we will see more beneficial partnerships in the future.”