The questions that distinguish a good partnership from a bad one
In our conversation with Avalon Gomez for #ACMLive she discussed the lack of hindsight by Caribbean brands to find an influencer that truly aligns with their goals and their desired target market.
Far too often regional brands don't create a thorough influencer strategy in order actually see the benefits of such partnerships. Influencers with the most followers typically get the job and little to no tracking is done to gauge the success.
There are a few questions all companies should ask and inquire about before pursuing any sort of influencer relationship or marketing, especially if they want to get the most out of it.
Here are our top 5 questions to ask influencers before working with them:
1. Describe your audience?
Firstly, you want to identify if an influencer has access to your target market. This requires getting information on the number of followers and a breakdown of their demographics. This includes gender, age, location and especially interest. Almost all influencers will fall into certain categories such as lifestyle, food, entertainment, beauty tech etc. Knowing what their audience is interested in is key to knowing if that's the right audience for your brand.
2. What Type of Content Does Your Audience Engage with?
Every audience will be different in terms of what captures their attention. While some things remain constant like high engagement on videos, very often an influencer can tell you the exact content they know their audience will like and find value in. This will then help guide what content should be created for the partnership.
3. What do you think of our brand? How will our brand align with your personal brand?
It is important to test their knowledge of your brand. This isn't meant to catch them off guard but it is meant to see if they have done their research and if they have a genuine interest in working with you. More importantly, ask them how your brand and theirs align.
4. How frequently do you post sponsored content? Have you worked with any of our competitors?
We have all unfollowed someone at some point for posting too many sponsorships. Asking influencers about the frequency of their paid content is simply another way to ensure that your content stands out and will connect to their audience. It is also important that they have not been paid to work with any of your competitors. The value of influencer marketing is the authenticity it provides to consumers so using an influencer who seems to endorse every product that comes their way won't work in your favour.
5. Fees, Rate Sheet & Timeline
Now into the logistics, many influencers have a standard fee or rate sheet which they will send upon request. However, if you have a price in mind, negotiation is usually possible once the deliverables and timeline are set. Caribbean brands should find fair compensation for the content and reach that the influencer can provide.
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