Influence That Matters: Five Tough Questions to Ask Your Influencer Marketing Agency

In an age when a model’s digital presence is extra essential than ever, the attraction of leveraging third-party creators with built-in, loyal, and extremely engaged audiences isn’t obscure. In any case, model belief is tough to earn and content material creators have an inside monitor relating to shaping and driving client behaviour.

However amidst the seemingly limitless potential of influencer advertising and marketing are actual dangers that too few creators, manufacturers, and even their businesses take critically sufficient.

These dangers can embody the continued epidemic of pretend followers (and engagement), the continually multiplying examples of inattentive influencers publishing inauthentic content material, or the more-present-than-ever hazard of teaming up with creators whose previous content material and views might maintain unwelcome surprises … however can lengthen far past even these troubling potentialities.

So what are we left with as entrepreneurs? An enormously highly effective tactic with important potential to drive outsized return on funding… but one which additionally presents important barbs and traps for the unwary or the unprepared.

The trick to threading the needle between these two sides lies in guaranteeing we as entrepreneurs are asking the correct questions of our businesses and companions, our influencers and, crucially, ourselves relating to doing influencer advertising and marketing proper.

These questions completely ought to (and should) embody:

In 2019 way of life influencer Tiffany Mitchell ignited a firestorm of controversy for sharing footage of what seemed to be a staged motorbike accident. Worse, the posts seemed to be a thinly veiled (and improperly disclosed) commercial for Smartwater. Partnering with creators who worth authenticity over clicks has by no means been extra vital for manufacturers hoping to make an enduring, and significant, impression on social.

1. What are we doing to make sure the influencers we’re working with are reputable?

In a time when it’s simpler than ever for digital personalities to inflate their on-line followings by way of synthetic (and, finally, unethical) means, it’s extra important than ever  for manufacturers and entrepreneurs to be vigilant and to have the correct companions (and instruments) of their nook.

Not simply to audit the legitimacy and integrity of a creator’s viewers and engagement, but in addition to make sure that a possible associate isn’t partaking in disingenuous practices like staging pretend picture shoots to offer the looks of a life-style that’s removed from actuality.

To this finish, a seasoned influencer associate or group with the correct processes and instruments can consider any potential creator that may look like a match to your model or marketing campaign for the standard and legitimacy of their viewers, their engagement and their content material… lengthy earlier than a contract is signed and any sponsored content material is printed.

In January, 2022 previous Tweets by way of life influencer Elle Darby resurfaced — revealing a historical past of racism and fats shaming in her social media posting that had gone unnoticed by lots of the manufacturers that had partnered together with her. In 2022 and past, it’s essential for manufacturers to make sure the creators they associate with have been completely vetted — together with their previous social media content material — for pink flags and previous views/content material that will drag them right into a viral controversy.In January, 2022 previous Tweets by way of life influencer Elle Darby resurfaced — revealing a historical past of racism and fats shaming in her social media posting that had gone unnoticed by lots of the manufacturers that had partnered together with her. In 2022 and past, it’s essential for manufacturers to make sure the creators they associate with have been completely vetted — together with their previous social media content material — for pink flags and previous views/content material that will drag them right into a viral controversy.

2. What steps are we taking to make sure our influencers are proper for our model and never a possible legal responsibility?

Faux influencers, audiences and even content material are only the start of the minefield that savvy manufacturers seeking to create efficient influencer content material need to navigate.  It’s because even when a person has a major variety of reputable followers and engagements, and a protracted monitor file of making high quality content material…  a sudden revelation of racist, sexist, problematic political opinions or different doubtlessly dangerous content material in that influencer’s digital previous can result in an nearly fully avoidable PR disaster.  

There are a number of ways in which a powerful influencer advertising and marketing group (company or inside) may also help restrict the possibilities of an embarrassing revelation like this. First, having a instrument that searches by way of a possible influencer associate’s whole social media historical past for key phrases, phrases and problematic content material is a superb place to begin. However even subtle automated instruments can solely go to this point, and consequently, it’s vital that your influencer advertising and marketing group can be manually vetting the candidates they’re contemplating partnering with.

– Which manufacturers has this influencer labored with prior to now? 

– Has this influencer ever printed  doubtlessly damaging content material or statements associated to unlawful medication, violence, racism or issues of that nature? 

– Have they, at any time prior to now, voiced opinions that both aged poorly or had been by no means acceptable to start with? 

– Does this influencer’s content material and fame, previous and current, mirror effectively on our model and align to our core values and fame?

These are only a handful of the essential questions each influencer advertising and marketing group must be asking with each creator they group up with in 2022 and past. The prices for failing to take action are just too excessive to disregard.

When influencer Scott Disick by chance left the posting directions from his sponsor within the copy of his Instagram publish, he didn’t simply reveal the inauthenticity of his content material and endorsements. He additionally inadvertently shone a lightweight on the significance of discovering influential companions who make some extent of solely partnering with manufacturers that they’ve a significant, and actual, reference to.

3. Are we treating our influencers as artistic collaborators, or employed mercenaries?

At its greatest, influencer advertising and marketing could be the proper mixture of a robust model and a compelling storyteller – teaming as much as ship a compelling message to the correct shoppers in simply the correct approach. When the celebs all align, this may result in an iconic partnership that doesn’t simply reinforce the very best of what a model could be and is but in addition drives significant enterprise outcomes.

However the all too frequent flip facet of that coin is when it’s painfully clear to all concerned {that a} given creator is solely a employed gun. When it’s clear {that a} sponsored creator cares little for the model or product they’re ostensibly ‘selling’. 

Some of the well-known examples of a blunder alongside these strains got here in 2016. To kick off an formidable new marketing campaign, Naomi Campbell printed a sponsored publish with Adidas that had the doubtful honour of together with copy straight out of the model’s instruction e mail for the promotion. Along with being an embarrassing error, it was additionally a revealing one: laying naked the utter inauthenticity the connection between Adidas, Campbell, the product in query and her viewers.

These sorts of influencer advertising and marketing fails are sadly removed from a uncommon prevalence even as we speak. They’re additionally why it’s essential for manufacturers to make sure they’re setting themselves, their influencers, and their campaigns up for fulfillment not solely by being hyper selective about who they associate with (and whether or not these people have a significant connection to their model/product) but in addition by really collaborating with them as co-creators.

Influencer advertising and marketing, in any case, is at its strongest and most genuine when there’s a significant assembly of minds – when two separate manufacturers be part of forces to inform one harmonious story. Not when one model is merely the employed, and dispassionate, mercenary of one other.

When mannequin Nikki Phillips teamed up with Unilever to advertise considered one of their ice cream manufacturers on social media in 2021, it appeared like a match made in heaven. There was only one drawback: each Nikki and Unilever failed to make sure that the content material adopted business disclosure practices for sponsored content material. Resulting in a sizeable backlash, a hasty edit from Nikki to incorporate correct disclosures within the publish copy, and a immediate apology from Unilever for the blunder.

4. What are we doing to ensure our influencer advertising and marketing is clear and authorized?

It may appear exhausting to think about, however the quantity of sponsored influencer content material printed every day (even by main manufacturers) that fails to comply with basic disclosure tips is staggering. It is a drawback not only for the manufacturers and influencers that get caught breaking the foundations (and the hefty public blowback and even fines that may end result), but in addition the advertising and marketing world as a complete. 

As governments, oversight organizations and even shoppers themselves (rightfully) ramp up their scrutiny on dangerous actors, it’s important to make sure the companions you’re working with to assist convey your influencer advertising and marketing to life are unfailing of their efforts to make sure that all related disclosure tips and all authorized concerns have been adopted to the letter earlier than any and all content material goes stay.

Tim Hortons’ now iconic team-up with Canadian mega star Justin Bieber wasn’t only a nice instance of the correct model partnering with the correct creator in an genuine and compelling approach, it additionally drove actual and measurable outcomes for his or her enterprise far past mere engagement on social media. The truth is, Tim Horton’s CEO José Cil has since known as it “one of the vital profitable visitors driving initiatives in current reminiscence.”

5. How are we defining significant success?

Oftentimes, too many PR businesses and influencer advertising and marketing corporations are desperate to report on what number of impressions a given activation generated, or to concentrate on what number of followers an influencer has. However by no means has such a myopic obsession with a lot of these self-importance metrics been extra meaningless and doubtlessly deceptive.

So let’s get critical. It’s 2022 and it has by no means been extra potential for manufacturers and entrepreneurs to not solely outline and set up significant objectives for his or her digital advertising and marketing campaigns (sure, even relating to natural and influencer content material) however to additionally transparently monitor, report on and optimize towards their success.

This isn’t to say that consciousness or engagement driving campaigns don’t have a spot. They completely do. Nevertheless it in case your influencer advertising and marketing companions appear to be of the opinion that conversion-focused campaigns (whether or not in pursuit of gross sales, sign-ups, app downloads and many others.) are inconceivable, inefficient or simply too exhausting…then it’s time to rethink whether or not they’re the correct influencer advertising and marketing advisors to your objectives.

As a result of the fact is simply the other: conversion-focused KPIs can and must be the driving drive of influencer advertising and marketing campaigns the place applicable and, when set and monitored accurately, the outcomes can compete with nearly another digital channel or tactic on the market.

All it takes is a group that not solely values placing information on the coronary heart of not solely who they collaborate with…  however that additionally places huge care into how they leverage these companions to drive, measure and be held accountable to actual outcomes.

On the finish of the day, influencer advertising and marketing can and must be a robust instrument in nearly any model marketer’s arsenal. However like every highly effective instrument with important potential, that promise could be squandered if not thoughtfully approached with care, goal and rigor. 

This implies asking robust questions of not solely the businesses and influencers we work with, but in addition of ourselves – from the second influencer companions are first being vetted and approached, right through to content material creator and efficiency monitoring. Each step of the way in which requires care and precision.

And must you ever end up in want of a associate that imbues each influencer marketing campaign they orchestrate with that degree of consideration to element, we’re all the time only a DM away.