Influencers who are really engaged with your brand are true brand advocates - they will tell their friends about your product over dinner party conversations, they’ll reply to messages online when people ask what products they use.
Gifting has risen along with influencers and, while it may sound appealing for a lot of smaller brands with limited budgets, it’s important to know that this actually doesn’t guarantee any exposure for your brand and it’s unlikely to really engage the influencer.
While many influencers will accept gifts, that doesn’t equate to a promise of editorial coverage. Influencers are a business, like any other, and there is an expectation to be paid for coverage in addition to any gifts they receive. And the stats show that its a viable spend: 84% of customers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations? These influencers, despite being complete strangers, are still more trustworthy than brands! Companies get back on average $6.50 for every $1 spent on influencers. It’s no wonder then that 63% of marketers today work with ten or more influencers on every campaign.
You Get What you Pay for
Successful influencers have spent time and energy building an audience that trusts them. They take care with their work, investing time into planning, production and execution of content that really cuts-through the clutter. They deserve to be paid accordingly and, ultimately, you get what you pay for.
We strongly encourage our clients to do something more creative than just gift a product and hope for a post. Paying to work with influencers through theright.fit means you are entering into a contract with the talent and you can - and should - agree all your requirements upfront. The type of coverage, inclusions, tone, timing and social channels remain within your control.
To work out what is industry standard on influencer payment, check out this blog we published.
Uncover and Promote Real Stories
Influencer marketing works best when there is a strong strategy and a real story. Theright.fit platform is perfect for uncovering these. For example, a jewellery brand launching an engagement ring range can find an influencer planning to propose, a kids shoe brand can seek out mummy bloggers with kids starting school.
Once you’ve found your story, work with your chosen influencer to tell the story across a series of posts, videos, insta stories or blogs. Perhaps even make them an ambassador for the brand.
Our Key Pointers:
- Take your time to find the right influencers with real stories
- Know what you’re trying to achieve and be specific in your brief
- Know your budget or be confident in negotiating
- Specify your requirements upfront - number of posts, approvals etc
- Don’t be prescriptive though - authenticity is key
- Encourage influencers to do something creative with your product/service
Start with as little as $75 on theright.fit with legally binding contracts and insurances all covered.
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