7 Steps For Building Strategic Influencer Collaborations

Navigating the expansive realm of influencer marketing has a variety of pros and cons. The general guidelines for acquiring successful partnerships varies from niche to niche, and can be a puzzling endeavour for the majority of brands. At Clark, strategic partnerships are a driving force for meeting objectives. Whether it be through onboarding influencers, building an effective proposal, or working with keen staff - strategy is a mutual driving force for all-things influencer marketing.

Because of this vital step in approaching marketing communications, Clark shares key insights on the ongoing hunt for influencers. How do we assess influencers in the goal of building successful collaborations?

Audience Alignment

Embed: (Venn Diagram of Influencer (Audience) Target Market)

A core strength of a successful influencer collaboration depends on the alignment of an influencer’s audience and your brand’s target market. At Clark, we thoroughly analyze the influencer’s follower demographics/interests to ensure a target market match. By doing so, authentic engagement is more likely to be generated, hence driving the desired call-to-action. When aligning audiences to the targeted market, here are general guidelines for consideration:

• Investigate engagement metrics that showcase a strong connection between the influencer and their audience.

• Engagement metrics reveal correlation between the influencer and audience.

Authenticity & Credibility

Authenticity in an influencer’s persona is crucial for an organic reach. Where audiences are becoming more discerning, an inauthentic or disingenuous “cash-grab” influencer can be easily dismissed from audiences. Based on statistics, 70% of teens on YouTube trust content creators more than celebrities (Schaffer, 2023). This means brands should seek out collaborations that can resonate passion and enthusiasm for your product or service while considering the needs of the audience. Much like any form of advertising, influencer marketing is integral for strengthening relationships for both the influencer and their following, as well as the brand’s reach to the public. With the topic of organic social media in mind, Hootsuite recognizes organic marketing as a means to nurture your relationship with audiences (Cooper, 2021), and influencers are the ideal vector for delivering this objective.

Content Quality & Style

Did you know that influencers deliver 11x the ROI than banner ads (Schaffer, 2023)? With consideration for the brand’s image, an influencer’s previous content should be demonstrated by writing, photography and video production that compliments a brand’s aesthetics and values. With the emergence of short-form media on TikTok and Instagram, content production generally varies among each niche. Where higher quality productions are appreciated, front-facing narrated content generally exudes a more authentic impression to viewers - offering a 1-on-1 connection that is rarely seen in advertising.

Our team of strategists make it their mission to dissect client briefs, and translate this material into an influencer brief for content creators in order to guide them towards a well-informed decision. All-in-all, we routinely achieve a cohesive campaign while respecting the creative process behind an influencer’s platform, allowing creators to express their individuality in each campaign.

Engagement Rates & Reach

Engagement rates are a ratio of likes on an influencer’s post divided by their followers. Analyzing this metric alongside comments, shares and views helps us find indicators on an active and engaged audience. This leads to identifying a greater potential for successful collaboration. Generally speaking, an influencer’s overall reach projects the reach of the targeted marketing campaign. With the average adult user’s attention span being 8.25 seconds (Schiller, 2023), it is crucial for influencers to optimize their engagement within this timeframe.

Relevance to Strategy Proposal & Campaign Goals

Identifying influencers depends on a successful strategy proposal. This is a document presented on the basis of the following.

• Clear campaign goals and objectives (i.e increasing brand awareness, driving website traffic, boosting sales).

• Ensuring alignment by displaying similar profiles.

• A feasible timeline for influencers.

These factors play a key role in tailoring a collaboration to meet specific goals of your campaign, and yield optimal results. At Clark, there is a great emphasis on building strong strategic proposals. This is a foundation of a good campaign, and serves to gain alignment from all parties involved for a successful collaboration.

Establishing Expectations & Negotiations

Upon onboarding influencers, a central goal for communication is to establish the following:

• Clear understanding of terms.

• Expectations & compensation.

• Mutually benefited arrangement outlining deliverables, timelines, exclusivity clauses and compensation models.

• Creating a written agreement on these guidelines.

Clarity and transparency in these negotiations are a central figure of a harmonious influencer collaboration. At Clark, our full-service team of Project Managers and Strategists are diligent in building strong relationships with onboarded influencers. From establishing expectations, to negotiating terms and managing each campaign - Clark integrates a results-driven approach.

Measurements & Analytics: Track Performance & Optimize Strategy

After collaboration, a pivotal step in the campaign is to assess performance using relevant analytical tools. These metrics include:

• Engagement rates.

• Website traffic.

• Conversion rates.

• Return on investment (ROI).

This data is used to evaluate the effectiveness of the collaboration, and inform future influencer marketing strategies.

Upon completion of an influencer collaboration, you will find that marketing at this level is a potent asset in advertising when operated effectively. Placing priority on audience alignment, authenticity, content quality, and a well-established proposal guarantees tangible results for your brand.

Achieving a successful influencer marketing campaign is a priority for Clark Influence. Going through the 7-steps meticulously for each campaign is an integral part of what we do! If diving into this branch of advertising is something you are interested in, we would love to connect.

Références

Cooper, P. (5 juillet 2023).Médias sociaux payants ou organiques : comment intégrer les deux dans votre stratégie. Tableau de bord de marketing et de gestion des médias sociaux. https://blog.hootsuite.com/organic-vs-paid-social-media/#:~:text=An%20organic%20social%20media%20strategy,Support%20and%20retain%20existing%20customers

Schaffer, N. (4 août 2023).Les 31 principales statistiques de marketing d'influence que vous devez connaître en 2023. Neal Schaffer. https://nealschaffer.com/influencer-marketing-statistics/

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Clark Influence, an agency of enthusiasts who will be able to accompany you in the great adventure of influence

We will put your brand and your products in the hands of the best ambassadors. We will create impactful concepts with influencers so that your communication makes an impression!

If you would like us to find you talents capable of embodying your company via a turnkey influence campaign: contact us! We would be happy to send you a service offer.