Why and How Brands should be Asking Influencers for What you Want

We have been asking marketers and influencers about what frustrates them when they are dealing with each other. One theme that keeps coming up time and time again is the lack of clarity around what is expected when these two collaborate on a campaign.

One of the problems is that often brands and organisations don't specify what they want when they start working with influencers. Without guidance is it understandably hard to deliver what the client is looking for.

Why Brands Should Specify What They Want

When Freestak carried out the research for the first Freestak Pulse report, we learned a huge amount about what brands and influencers want from working with one another. In the best cases, both parties said that they want an on-going relationship.

But what is going to throw a long-term relationship in jeopardy faster than Usain Bolt over 100m is disappointment.

From the point of an influencer or content creators, not disappointing the brand they are working with becomes a lot easier if they know what the brand wants in the first place. And of course if the brand's demands are unacceptable, the influencer knows not to get started in the first place.

This leads to much less disappointment.

How Brands Can Ask For What They Want

The key to getting what you want is knowing what you want. So here are a couple of tips for how to ask influencers and content creators for what you, as a marketer or brand manager, want;

• Know how influencer activity fits into your broader marketing and PR strategy. Then share the details with the influencers you want to work with.
• Be realistic about what you can expect someone to do for the amount you are prepared to invest.
• Find the right influencers and content creators in the first place. By picking people that are totally relevant to your brand there is much less chance they will under-deliver or deliver the wrong messages.
• Stick to the agreement. If you start changing the expectations mid-way through a campaign, it is likely you'll be disappointed. This probably means you need to get all potential stakeholders' agreement on the plan before you launch.

There is more to it than just this and there is a more in-depth look at this subject here. If you have any ideas, comments or questions please comment or drop me a line (scroll down for the contact form).