Collaborating with influencers to maximize ROI

Influencer marketing has changed significantly since it first started. I remember working with bloggers on different campaigns when I started in marketing and PR (I am very happy we don’t hear the term “mommy blogger” anymore for SO many reasons). Today, influencers are the new celebrities, and most prefer to be called content creators as it fits exactly what they do. While the focus has shifted off blogs to social media platforms, the bigger reality is that we live in a digital-first world now. Influencer marketing is one of the most powerful tools to reach and engage your online audience.

However, it’s not as simple as just sending product for them to try, you need to take a more strategic approach. The best influencer marketing campaigns benefit everyone involved – creators/influencers, brands, and your target audience. Here’s how to collaborate with influencers effectively to maximize ROI.

1: Define clear goals and KPIs

Before you start working with influencers, figure out what success looks like to you. Are you looking to drive sales, increase brand awareness, or grow your social media following? Establish key performance indicators (KPIs) such as engagement rates, website traffic, conversions, and follower growth to measure success. The most important thing here is that you should set goals that are as measurable as possible so you can work towards success.

2: Choose the right influencers

Not all influencers will be a good fit for your brand. Collaborate with individuals whose audience aligns with your target audience. Great influencers can provide you with information about the age of their followers, location, gender, etc. Look beyond vanity metrics like follower count; consider things like engagement rates, authenticity and sentiment, and content quality instead. Remember, you don’t have to work with celebrity influencers and content creators to have a huge impact. Micro-influencers and even nano-influencers often have higher engagement and a more niche, loyal following.

3: Focus on building relationships

Influencer collaborations should feel natural and genuine. Yes, they have to indicate that the content is sponsored or an ad, but don’t treat them as mere advertisers. Engage with them as brand advocates on a human level. If you’re working with the right influencers, it should be easy to give them creative freedom to share your product or service in a way that resonates with their audience while maintaining your brand messaging. Our most successful campaigns are when we provide facts and messaging and let each creator decide what the end result will look like to them.

4: Don’t limit content formats and platforms

Giving the influencers you work with creative freedom also means letting them choose which type of content to post. They know what kind of content will help to maximize reach based on their community of followers. It’s great to have a good mix of content types such as Instagram Reels, TikTok videos, blog posts, YouTube reviews, and live streams. Diversifying content ensures your brand appears across various platforms and reaches different audience segments.

5: Track campaign performance

How will you know if the campaign is successful unless you track it along the way? Track engagement, clicks, and conversions to determine what’s working and where adjustments are needed. If it is a short campaign, sometimes you won’t get insights until after it’s closed. However, whatever analytics you do collect, use the data to help optimize future campaigns to see what worked and what didn’t.

6: Repurpose influencer content

Proceed with caution on this one. During your campaign, you can and should absolutely reshare any content that influencers post about your brand. It helps to amplify reach. However, you could also consider extending the life of your influencer marketing campaigns by repurposing content for your brand’s own channels later on. High-performing influencer posts can be used for paid ads, website testimonials, or email marketing campaigns to drive continued engagement and sales. The caveat is that you MUST get permission to use the content beyond the initial campaign scope. Many content creators limit the use of the content they create to the campaign only. Some will not allow further use and other are open to it, but there will be an extra cost associated. Keep your communication transparent and open as you don’t want to ruin relationships with creators you work with.

Using the right approach, you can make the most of your influencer marketing efforts. Need help crafting an effective influencer strategy? Set up a free consultation with us today!