Consumers trust recommendations. Recommendations carry even more weight when they come from someone they know or someone they want to imitate. They are limited though, by how many people you know and how many you can talk to at once. What if you knew hundreds, thousands, or even millions of people and you could speak to all of them simultaneously? That’s what influencer marketing is all about; influencers expose your brand to their massive audience base through social media channels. Here are some things you can do to get the most out of your influencer partnerships.

Find an Influencer that Loves Your Brand

The worst influencer partnerships are the ones that you notice. Your influencer should be able to talk about your brand positively, genuinely, and seamlessly. The easiest way to achieve all three things is to partner with someone who is actively using your products and loves them. The most significant asset an influencer provides is an audience that trusts them. If your influencer isn’t passionate about your product, it will show, and your partnership won’t get you the results you want.

Find an Influencer that’s the right size

Social media offers precise metrics that tell you the exact size of an influencer’s audience and how many people engage with their content regularly. Audience size isn’t everything, though. It may be tempting to look for influencers with a large following and high engagement numbers for brand exposure, but that may not get you the most out of your partnership. Some influencers may have smaller audiences, but their audience could be made up of users that are more inclined to pick up your brand. Small influencers may also be able to offer your company more time and more potential exposure.

Treat influencers like partners

Once you've found the perfect influencer to partner with, you should collaborate with them as much as possible. Some businesses approach every influencer partnership the same, but that can lead to poor returns for everyone involved. An influencer knows their audience, and they know the best way to speak to their audience. You’ll want to get as much insight as the influencer can offer before promoting your product to their audience. The best way to approach the situation is to ask the influencer about their audience, explain your product, and then ask the influencer the best way to proceed.

Craft your strategy carefully

The best influencer marketing is invisible. You don’t want influencers reading off prepared scripts or praising your brand with disingenuous compliments. Influencers should say their honest opinions, negative and positive, about your product in the same format that they use for the rest of their content. When influencer marketing appears forced, users don’t trust the recommendation and are less likely to engage with your brand. Figuring out the right way to expose your products can be tricky. Partnering with the right influencers and working with them to craft your strategy will make the process easier and yield higher returns.

Are you ready to start your journey with an influencer? If so, go ahead and contact the pros at Red Shark Digital and let us help you find your next influencer. We would love to help!