Influencer Marketing, where do I begin?

1. Define your goals clearly

Before reaching out to brands, decide what you want to achieve with that partnership, how does this brand align with your brand, what do you bring to them, and what can this partnership bring to them.

-Why does this matter: Having clear goals and expectations with the brand will allow for both you and the brand to qualify the success of this partnership. .

2. Choose the right brand partners

Focus on brands whose audience align with your target demographic, and look for those that a partnership agreement can be mutually beneficial. With my main niche being Woodworking, DIY and Construction, I have also established a few lifestyle aspects that reflect me personally.

Why it matters: Building a partnership that is within your niche shows respect to the audience that you have grown and their interests, leading to a natural fit and overall success of the partnership.

3. Build authentic relationships

Rather than approaching brands purely for transactional purposes, take the time to build genuine relationships. Support their content, engage with them, and foster a long-term partnership that will be successful for you both. Brands want to know that their products and services are something that you have experience with.

Why it matters: Authenticity is key to influencer marketing. As a Content Creator who genuinely likes and supports your brands, the endorsements will feel more natural and genuine to your followers/subscribers.

4. Set clear expectations and guidelines

Be transparent about the content you will produce, including messaging, key points, and how you will present their products to your audience. Also, discuss compensation, timelines, and metrics reporting for measuring success upfront.

Why it matters. Clear communication ensures both parties are on the same page, reducing confusion and preventing any potential issues during the campaign.

5. Ensure you can be creative in your voice

While guidelines are important, ensure that you have the freedom to create content that fits your style, your voice and your moral compass. You know your audience best and can produce the most engaging content when given creative control. Avoiding limitations that lead to sounding like every other creator is very important to me.

Why it matters: Audiences can spot forced or overly scripted content, so having creative freedom results in more authentic and relatable posts.

6. Track and measure performance

Use tracking tools afforded to you by each of your Social Media platforms and your website to consistently know how each of your platforms performs and what you can offer as far as R.O.I. to each brand before entering into a conversation as well as being able to fine tune how and what you are posting.

Why it matters: Monitoring performance allows you to understand what works and what doesn’t, as well as being able to communicate that to potential brand partners.

7. Focus on long-term partnerships

Instead of one-off collaborations, which can be useful on occasion as source of income, focus on building long-term relationships with brands. . A sustained partnership allows for a more authentic connection with your audience.

Why it matters: Long-term partnerships build credibility with your audience, which leads to a stronger brand association and a more loyal following.

8. Make tough decisions

Not all brands are a fit for your brand and lifestyle. Despite the possibility of increasing your revenue, taking on the wrong fit can negatively impact the authenticity with your followers.

Why it matters: Each brand has a unique product, style and audience. Coupling your brand with theirs has to be a mutually aligning partnership that brings a net positive to the authenticity of your brand and theirs.

9. Make the experience memorable

Develop a unique plan of attack for content that only you can offer. Establish what you bring to the table as a brand that sets you apart and makes this partnership valuable to the goals they have set internally.

Why it matters: Brands will appreciate unique and thoughtful content that embraces both their brand and yours, which can make your brand stand out and help strengthen the relationship.

10. Ensure compliance with regulations

Make sure brand partnerships disclose sponsored content appropriately by ensuring this partnership is identified clearly.

Why it matters: Transparency builds trust with the audience and ensures compliance with all rules set by the FTC.