Let’s say you own a business and are underwhelmed with your digital growth and engagement. What’s there to do to generate meaningful change and move the needle? Go Yellow would say utilizing influencers! Influencer marketing management is a sure-fire way to not only expand your brand’s reach, but also to help control the story being told about your business as a whole.
Avoid DMs
If you’re a business owner, chances are you probably haven’t slid into someone’s DMs (or, direct messages) lately (or at all, ever, for that matter). For those who aren’t aware, DMs are primarily (at least I’d say so) a means of connecting in a far more personal, far less professional manner. They’re private messages meant to be shared between two people, and are often (almost jokingly) known to be very private, if you catch my drift. As such, it’s likely not where you want to reach out and ask for a professional connection or pose a professional opportunity. When it comes to Influencer marketing management, stay out of DMs.
Email is the best way to engage an influencer you’re looking to align with and utilize. It communicates a level of professionalism, while also keeping all communication organized in one, easy-to-manage place. Nothing can be lost in translation or overlooked the way it could be in something like a direct message on a social media platform, which is often very in-the-moment.
That said, there is a caveat. Isn’t there always? DMs can and should be used in instances where an influencer’s email address or contact information isn’t readily available (hint: always check their profiles first, and if on Instagram, check from mobile versus desktop). If you’ve done some digging (and even Googling) and can’t find an associated email address, it’s okay to reach out with a general “hey there, I’d love to connect about a possible influencer opportunity, do you mind sharing your email address?” message. Then, once you get a reply, try to transition the discussion into email, as suggested above.
Have a timeline in mind + communicate it early on
Whenever you work with influencers (of any size) it’s important to recognize and appreciate they are likely busy and have additional businesses they’re working with. As such, when you send them your “ask”, recommend a timeline early and as upfront as possible.
A message that includes something like “we’d love to see your assets shared within 30 days of receipt” gives them a rough idea how and when they’d build your product(s) into their schedules. It also helps set expectations upfront, so that there can be no shades of gray in terms of an open-ended engagement. After all, we don’t want you waiting 9 months for a social media post, in exchange for product you sent to them within 72 hours of reaching out. Where influencer marketing management is concerned, sharing timelines early and often is the best way to help keep influencers on track and to help establish a great, ongoing relationship with them, over time.
Encourage authenticity
Consumers are smart cookies these days, and can smell overly-salesy content from a million miles away. Influencer content is only as valuable as it is seen as authentic and true to life. If a consumer suspects an influencer was “bought off” and simply paid to promote a product they don’t actually use and/or enjoy, they’ll be (probably) forever turned off by your business and products.
The influencer space is plenty large enough that you can and will find influencers willing to engage with you, who actually want to help you spread the word about your products. If you are actively utilizing an influencer, have supplied product to them and they are ready to share, literally encourage them to be as honest and forthcoming as possible. Remind them how much you like their previous post and even offer examples if there’s content they’ve shared that really resonated with you (ie: “we really enjoyed the post you created for XYZ brand, because you mentioned _____ and _____ and it seemed really authentic. Could you tackle our post in the same way?”)
While it’s perfectly okay to provide an influencer with talking points they might pull from when making their social media assets (note: Go Yellow helps create talking points for your influencers!), let your influencer(s) know they are welcome to take that content and make it their own, sharing it in such a way they would within their own social circles or sitting around a table with their closest friends.
One of the most significant influencer marketing management tips I can offer is to let influencers be themselves — there’s a reason you felt pulled to utilizing them to advance your business; let them work their charm and magic and be themselves.
Need more help with influencer management? That’s what Go Yellow is here for. Get in touch with me today and let’s get your influencer management efforts underway.