Influencer marketing is one of the best new ways to reach out to social media audiences. Influencers thrive on building relationships between themselves and their audiences, which makes them ideal partners for brands looking to reach the same market. Microinfluencers, by definition, have fewer followers, but often have an even more close-knit community. In many cases, this closer relationship allows for greater trust when it comes to marketing products. When dealing with microinfluencers, then, businesses need to understand what will make this particular relationship work well for both parties. To help, we asked 13 entrepreneurs from Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) the following:
“What’s the best strategy for partnering with a microinfluencer and making sure the relationship goes as expected or that shared goals are met? Why?”
Here’s what YEC community members had to say.
1. Do Your Research
“Do your research and pay close attention to whether or not the microinfluencer you are interested in has consistent, genuine content as well as deep audience engagement. Are their followers actually interested in the products the influencer is using? Work together with the influencer to create content that is authentic and engaging. A good influencer will know what their audience is looking for.” ~ Reuben Yonatan, SaasList
2. Do a Deep Dive on Their Audience
“Do a deep dive on a microinfluencer’s audience. If they have your exact customer base or a new market you would like to enter, it could be a beneficial relationship. Check the nature of their engagement. Are the comments generic or do people dive deeper with questions about product size, ingredients or use cases? Check this thoroughly before partnering.” ~ Tyler Bray, TK Trailer Parts
3. Have a Written Agreement
“Make sure to put your agreement into writing that both parties can follow. It should include goals, expectations, deadlines, rights, payments, etc. You have to ensure that there is mutual trust between both parties by executing the written agreement to also overcome possible hurdles down the road. It also gives either party the option to exit the agreement in case anything goes wrong.” ~ Solomon Thimothy, OneIMS
4. Set Up Benchmarks and Milestones
“Setting up benchmarks and milestones for microinfluencer marketing campaigns can help determine if goals are being met. It also establishes parameters both parties are expected to work within and can help define success.” ~ Jordan Edelson, Appetizer Mobile LLC
5. Have a Clear Reputation Agreement
“Have a clear reputation agreement. Your reputation is the biggest risk factor that you have with a microinfluencer, because if their actions are not reflective of the values of your brand, you risk a dangerous association.” ~ Nicole Munoz, Nicole Munoz Consulting, Inc.
6. Create a Relationship First
“Create a relationship first before making your pitch. Get to know them, and vice versa. Then you can discuss the goals each party wishes to reach and how you can go about doing just that. Jumping right in by haphazardly pitching microinfluencers usually doesn’t go very well.” ~ Andrew Schrage, Money Crashers Personal Finance
7. Don’t Micromanage Them
“Don’t micromanage how they create content. This microinfluencer gained their following by the competitive advantage they already have. Let them propose videos, photoshoots and other media that can promote your product and service. While you can provide feedback to ensure the content is in line with your branding, it is better overall to let them take charge of the creative process.” ~ Riccardo Conte, Virtus Flow
8. Seek Value Alignment
“You must know what your company values are all about and see if the influencer shares the same values. Also, identify the audience that the influencer reaches on a daily basis and see if it’s aligned with your brand’s target audience.” ~ Alfredo Atanacio, Uassist.ME
9. Plan Your Content in Advance
“Once you’ve researched, found and partnered with a suitable microinfluencer, a helpful strategy is to plan out your content in advance. In this way, instead of going on a case-by-case basis, you have prepared content that aligns with both parties’ values. You can always make changes later based on results. But drafting your content first will keep you on the same page.” ~ Blair Williams, MemberPress
10. Leverage Influencer Marketing Tools
“Be sure to take advantage of influencer marketing tools when searching for a microinfluencer. For example, with tools like Upfluence or HypeAuditor, you can easily find microinfluencers who align with your business and your target audience. You also get stats on their follower counts, engagement and more. Tools like this will save you time in your search for the perfect influencer.” ~ Thomas Griffin, OptinMonster
11. Start With a Trial Period
“Working with influencers can be a tricky situation. One way to ease the stress is to start every microinfluencer partnership with a trial period. Pay them for a couple of posts and see what kind of engagement they get compared to their other posts. Use this data to determine if you want to have a long-term business partnership or if it’s time to try something new.” ~ John Brackett, Smash Balloon LLC
12. Don’t Put All Your Eggs in One Basket
“I think that partnering with microinfluencers is great for business, but you don’t want to put all of your eggs in one basket. Seek out multiple microinfluencers and simultaneously build rapport with each person. Spend time reviewing the data after each campaign and work on keeping the people that yield positive results for your brand.” ~ John Turner, SeedProd LLC
13. Keep Track of All Steps
“Put together a nice spreadsheet where you can track the agreed commitment and next steps, and link to the promotion when it happens. These relationships should be tracked in a spreadsheet from prospecting to completion of their task. With all of the information in one place, including the agreement and outcome, it’s unmistakable whether they performed or not.” ~ Andy Karuza, LitPic
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This article, “13 Strategies for a Successful Microinfluencer Partnership” was first published on Small Business Trends