6 Ways to Effectively Collaborate with Influencers

Over the years, influencer marketing has become a really popular strategy for brands to generate awareness and reach out to their intended audience.

Collaborating with the right influencers has helped brands generate traction online and engage a relevant audience.

Social media has over 4.74 billion active users. These users follow influencers that represent different niches and consume content shared by their favorite creators.

This has paved the way for brands to leverage influencer marketing as a way to convey their message to the masses and make them want to consider the offered solutions.

You can consider a variety of ways to collaborate with influencers whose audience has similar characteristics to the customer profile you want to engage.

Here are a few of them worth considering:

1. Gifting

One of the ways you can collaborate with the right influencers is by gifting them your products or services.

This strategy may help you onboard nano or micro influencers and is often preferred by small businesses or those getting started.

The strategy may also work for you if you are an established brand or a large enterprise, and it may even help you onboard influencers on a macro level.

Influencers may use these products themselves or choose to give them away to their audience. There are no strings attached.

In return, brands require influencers to review their products or services and tell their audience about their experiences.

Around 72% of people actively look for reviews before making buying decisions. And to many of them, influencer recommendations generally outweigh the ones received from commoners.

Plus, user-generated content is more convincing for 90% of people when it comes to their buying decisions compared to any other form of advertising.

Therefore, brands often send freebies to the right influencers and ask them to review the solutions in front of their audience.

2. Brand Ambassador Programs

Brand ambassador programs encompass a long-term influencer marketing strategy. Here, brands onboard the right influencers to be their advocates in exchange for the agreed-upon remuneration.

It won't be wrong to say that brand ambassador programs are a step up from standard influencer collaboration. These programs help brands cultivate deeper connections with influencers and acknowledge a higher degree of commitment from them.

When an influencer agrees to be an ambassador for a brand, he not only promotes the solutions offered by the company but also embodies the company's values. Plus, he is not allowed to work with the brand's direct competitors.

This forms a strong relationship between brands and their advocates, which is fueled by commitment and loyalty.

3. Brand Sponsorships

Around 42% of influencers prefer receiving payments from brands for collaborations. This makes sponsorships an excellent strategy to onboard the right influencers.

It's one of the most popular collaboration strategies preferred by brands and influencers alike. Here, brands require influencers to promote their solutions through their social media posts, and in exchange, influencers charge a certain amount.

Since it's the preferred collaboration form for influencers, it's a no-brainer that brands are likely to get better results and capture quality leads for the sales funnel.

However, these sponsorships aren't limited to just social media posts. Brands may also leverage independent or third-party platforms to get more eyeballs, like sponsoring different episodes of a podcast series.

4. Content Collaboration

This type of collaboration is best suited for brands that prefer to tell their story and convey the message themselves.

No one understands your brand better than you. So, this type of collaboration helps you showcase the features and capabilities of your solutions in the best possible way and stand out from other alternatives in your respective industry.

For example, you can collaborate with influential content creators and appear on their shows as a guest. There, you can talk about the trending topics or burning issues encompassing your niche and strive to educate your target audience.

This serves two purposes. First, it helps you foster thought leadership as you help the intended audience seek answers to their questions.

Second, it helps you generate awareness about your brand and makes it possible for you to promote the solutions you offer in a subtle way.

You get to connect with your audience directly without having to rely on others to convey the message on your behalf.

5. Advertisements

Influencers generally have a huge fan following. There are a number of people who follow them and pay heed to what they have to say.

This makes collaborating with influencers via advertisements or paid promotions another excellent strategy to get more traffic.

Whether you decide to air these ads on big screens or post them on social media, onboarding the right influencers will help you generate more traction and acknowledge higher shareability.

It allows you to cash in on the reputation of influencers onboarded and leverage their presence to make yourself heard.

6. Events

Hosting events has always been an excellent way for brands to get more exposure and attract their target audience. However, that's not the only benefit brands get from organizing events.

A lot of brands host events to invite a pool of potential influencers and brief them about the solutions they offer. This makes it easier for brands to educate potential influencers about their products or services and collaborate with the ones that pique their interest.

Brands also invite influencers to be hosts at their organized events. This helps them engage the attendants and make the event more interactive.

Brands can also choose to sponsor the events organized by influencers and use the opportunity to generate awareness or promote their solutions.

There are multiple use-cases here, with each requiring brands and influencers to work together to drive mutual benefits.

It's a Wrap

There you have it: the six ways to effectively collaborate with influencers. If you have been considering onboarding influencers lately and want to work with them to grow your business, the recommendations provided in the article may come in handy.