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Social media continues to change the way brands market and advertise their offerings. And influencer marketing is one of the biggest trends that's made social media waves in the past few years. It has become an impactful and effective method to improve brand awareness, increase consumer trust, and produce content faster. However, even with all of the business benefits it offers, many still tend to doubt social media influencers and are skeptical of their capabilities.
To help you learn more, here are seven truths you need to know about working with social media influencers.
This is a Job for Them, Not a Hobby
Many people think being a social media influencer is all about glitz and glamour and living the good life. But in reality, it requires a lot of time, hard work, and creativity to be one. It’s more than just capturing and sharing picturesque photos or filming and uploading entertaining videos. For most of them, it’s their day job and source of income, so they’re critical about it.
Influencers are their own boss. They do every job themselves - administration, accounting, finance, advertising, operations, sales, and many other business tasks. They are their own model, art director, photographer, videographer, editor, writer, SEO specialist, web developer, and marketing manager. They work tirelessly, often from early morning until late night, to conceptualize, execute, edit, export, pitch, and manage their own content.
They also teach themselves what they know. From building a website and blog writing to SEO tactics, photography, and photo editing, influencers learn all of these skills to successfully build and maintain their business. They even brush up on their client presentation and negotiation skills so they can effectively sell their brand.
Like design and beauty guru, Monika Freeman, influencers hustle hard and take this job very seriously.
They Appreciate the Help of a Team
With all the things that they juggle, it can be hard to keep up with every task and deliverable. When they’re able and can afford to, some influencers slowly build a small team to help them keep track of their responsibilities.
These members help them create content, organize schedules, and find the right campaign for the brand. They assist in coordinating with brands, engaging with followers, creating post-event content, answering questions across platforms, and even filtering out comments. This team manages the influencer and handles the nitty-gritty details of the project and contract.
Yes, many influencers can handle the work on their own. But just like everyone else, they also need and appreciate all the help they can get.
Free Swag is Great, But They’re Going to Want to be Paid
When influencers partner with brands, they want to be clear and know what’s in it for them. When they know that they’ll get something in return, they’re more motivated to invest their time and effort and provide better reviews and recommendations about the product or service they’re promoting.
Most often, they get to test out free products before the public release date or try new services before the actual launch. They share the experience with their followers and create hype around the brand. They also talk about how they make use of the items in their day-to-day activities.
Fashion influencer and blogger Julie Sariñana does this very well.
However, since this is their business and source of living, influencers also want to get monetary compensation. Gone are the days when they get paid by the number of followers they have. Today, influencers charge by the engagement their posts can get. They know their audience very well, so they’re aware of the quality and approach they need to take to deliver the committed likes, comments, and shares.
They Need At Least Partial Creative Control
Influencers look for long-term and mutually beneficial relationships with brands that they work with. It’s important for them to partner with businesses with which they’re a good fit and have similar values, voices, and target audiences. It’s essential that they get the important project details and maintain open communication with their partners.
Social media influencers are protective of their followers, so they study and get to know them very well. They keep track of who else their fans follow, what they like, and what type of content they consume. When working with brands, influencers will need to have at least partial creative control so they can curate posts that their followers will engage with. They want to understand the project objectives so they’ll know how they can help achieve these. They also want to discuss guidelines about visuals and messaging to effectively communicate with both the brand and their audiences. Knowing all these will help them tell a good story and lead to a more relevant campaign.
They Only Work With Brands They Believe In
Influencers are more honest than many think. Since they have worked hard enough to grow their audience and gain people’s trust, it’s important for them to provide accurate and honest reviews and recommendations. They value their relationship with their followers, so they want to tell stories based on their actual experiences and not on what the brands instruct them to share.
Most influencers also only want to partner with brands that they actually use, often even before they were tapped to endorse them, because they want to be as personal and relatable as possible.
Check out how beauty and fashion influencer Genelle Seldon shares about her love for Charlotte Tilbury products.
They Value Engagements More Than Followers
With the changes in social media platforms’ algorithms, influencers know that it’s not guaranteed that all their followers will see their posts. That’s why they pay more attention to the engagement. It’s also why they focus on building an engaged community of advocates who are genuinely interested in what they’re sharing and promoting rather than getting their follower count higher.
Keeping track of engagement ensures influencers that their followers are real people and not just bot accounts. These metrics show that their posts are not only seen but are also relevant enough that the audience took the time to interact.
Similarly, if the people are engaged, it’s more likely that they’ll check out the promoted products and services and ultimately make a purchase. More importantly, through engagement, influencers are able to earn their followers’ trust and establish lasting relationships with them.
They Care About Their Performance
For most of them, being an influencer is a way of life. That’s why they are particular and critical about how they deliver the content pieces expected of them. Influencers know that there’s always something new to learn and experiment with on social media, so they always keep an eye for what’s new and what’s yet to come. They want to make sure that they stay updated and relevant to be able to create meaningful content.
Influencers also know that it’s important to monitor data and keep track of their campaign to determine which methods are effective and what else they can improve on. They use this information to better their strategies in the next campaigns or partnerships. They also utilize these to learn more about their audience behavior, media consumption, and consumer journey.
Although on the outside, influencers may seem to live the dream life and have access to easy money, there’s still a great deal of personal and professional work that goes on behind every well-planned photo and video. Influencers, just like every person who’s working, do what they can to deliver quality output. They are true entrepreneurs that run their own personal brand.
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