What Influencers Look for in a Branded Campaign

As a marketer and/or brand, you know what you want out of a campaign. But no matter how many campaigns you have under your belt, it can still be a difficult task to get inside the mind of an influencer to understand what they want out of the campaign.

Obviously, price is the main factor, no argument here. But beside the indisputable price-component, what other 'considerables' to factor in an influencer's decision to participate in a branded campaign?

1. Partnership Longevity

One-Off Branded Sponsorships are the most common form of Influencer Marketing. The one-and-done approach can be a great way to fill up that budget and hit those campaign goals. However, this can often be a wasted opportunity to extend the dollar.

Believe it or not, influencers like brands. They have companies they believe in, brands they remain loyalty to, and products they swear by to friends and family without getting paid. So when one of these brands comes along with a paid-sponsorship opportunity, influencers want to make it last. A long-term, multi-post sponsorship means less stress about financials and more focus on creativity for the creator, which translates to a better marketing product for you.

Influencers want the peace of mind that comes with not having to book a deal for the next few months, so give the long-term play a chance, and see what sort of return you're rewarded with.

2. Brand Interaction

If you're brand isn't running its own self-service campaigns, you may very well find yourself reliant on an agency to mediate communications with the influencer. In this instance, the influencer is often the one getting the raw end of the deal.

Lack of direct access to a brand can often mean a few things for the influencer.

1) The influencer can expect responses and feedback to be delayed. This radio silence can lead to miscommunication, unfavorable impressions, and can oftentimes, lose you the deal.

2) Occasionally brands have very limited bandwidth to give back detailed feedback on sponsored-post concepts and early drafts pitched by the creator, resulting in miscommunication and mistranslation through the communication wire. In the end, the influencer is the one who is going to shafted, having to redraft ideas, make edits, or even reshoot.

3) It lacks sincerity. If you want to work with an influencer, work with an influencer.

3. Content Fluidity

Rule #1: No sore thumbs; ie. don't let your sponsored post stick out in an unfavorable way. Influencers are looking for brands who will allow them to maintain their online identity and not stray too far from form. An influencer's catalogue is a representation of who they are as creators, and the last thing they're looking for, is someone trying to dictate their style.

Now this doesn't necessarily mean that creative compromise is thrown out the window, just be aware that your brand fits into the overall mold of the creators page.

This leads us to the last, and most important factor...

4. Creative Control

The message is simple, leave the creativity to the creator. It's understandable to offer up a few creative examples to get the juices flowing, but at the end of the day, the influencer knows best. The worst thing you can do is pitch ideas to the expert with a quarter of a million followers; it's off-putting and very often, damaging.

Make sure you set clear boundaries on guidelines, but after that, sit back and let the creator do their thing. They'll enjoy the space.