How Your Brand Can Build Better Relationships with Content Creators

Influencer marketing is one the most effective ways for a brand to reach and connect with its target audiences. But not all influencer campaigns are created equal. Some campaigns exceed expectations, while others can sputter well short of your goals. 

The major difference-maker between a campaign that succeeds and one that doesn’t is simple: the human element can make or break it. Content creators that are legitimately excited about your product are going to support it with more passionate and meaningful content than creators that only do the bare minimum. 

But how do you connect with a creator on a more personal level? How do you get them to fully buy into your brand? Today we’re sharing a few tips that can build a strong, long-lasting relationship that benefits both parties.

Do Your Homework

When you’re first putting feelers out to work with a creator, a few basic courtesies can go a long way. For example, instead of leading off your message with a simple “Hi” or “Dear creator”, take the time to address the creator by the name they call themselves in their content. Take the basic steps to make sure that they’re a good fit for your product.

For example, if they’re a streamer on Twitch specializing in PC gaming and your products are used for consoles or mobile devices, they’re probably not a great fit for your campaign. If you’re a clothing brand that specializes in geek culture, an influencer that focuses on fitness that has no interest in geeky topics would also not be a good person to approach for your campaign. 

Taking basic steps before the approach and applying some courtesy to show that you’ve done some research can help you avoid wasting your time (and theirs) if there’s not a good fit there. Using specialized software to source creators and communicate with them can help speed up this part of the process, and make it easier for everyone involved.

Respect the Creator’s Value in the Process

Like any meaningful relationship, a little mutual respect goes a long way. If your brand gives your influencers no creative control and insists that they stick to a strict script, you’re probably not going to get a promotion that feels sincere enough to convey any passion to that audience. This is especially true with Nano and Micro level influencers: their followers have a better feel for their personality, and will easily notice if the creator seems insincere compared to their normal content. 

Instead, consider making the dialogue a two-way street between you and the creator. They’ve earned their audience with their own unique style of content. They can enhance the effect the promotion has on their audiences if you allow them to bring their own ideas to the table. If they have a suggestion for how they can tweak your message to make it resonate better with the consumers who follow them, it’s worth listening to them. 
Taking this simple step can have a couple of major benefits: the creator’s content will be more authentic and create a trust that can build into a longer-term relationship and the creator have a mutual interest. It’s in the name, after all: you’re hiring a creator to create. Giving them the freedom to do that goes a long way.

Communicate Throughout The Campaign

Another big step your brand can take to build a better relationship is to keep an open line of communication. It’s critical to outline expectations, schedules, and planning in initial talks, but it’s also important to not leave it at that. The creator may have follow-up questions on fine details or may come up with suggestions to improve the campaign better that might need your sign-off to implement. 

It can be challenging to be responsive and keep an easy line of communication with creators. This is especially true when you’re running a campaign with a wide field of influencers. But with the proper SaaS solutions, it can be much easier for your brand to filter through messages and keep up clear lines of communication. The right software can also provide you with up-to-date sales information and metrics, so you can adjust settings in the middle of campaigns. This is all easy to do with open lines of communication.

Being communicative doesn’t only improve the quality of the end product. It gives your creators the confidence that they’re delivering exactly what you’re expecting. That confidence helps them craft better messaging that will help you reach your goals and build a long-lasting working relationship.

Make Evangelists Out of Your Content Creators

Content creators are tight-knit communities, especially among niche creators. Positive or negative feedback can spread quickly, and impact future relationships. One horror story can spread like wildfire online if you treat a creator poorly. Your brand could rapidly find itself with a very small pool of influencers still willing to work with you if you treat a content creator poorly. All it takes is a few Twitter posts to hurt your reputation. 

But on the other side of the coin, building the reputation of being great to work with can pay off with massive dividends. If you support the creator, communicate well, let them be themselves, and compensate them fairly, amazing things can happen. You could find yourself with content creators that are not only influencers to their own audience, but also influencers to other content creators. 

This can pay off in a variety of ways. It can make it easier for big names or up and comers to sign with your brand much more quickly. If your brand decides to create an affiliate program, you’ll see more creators applying to join. And of course, it’ll make the creators who already work with you much more passionate about your products.

Sideqik Knows Influencers

Still wondering how to connect with content creators and start building your own relationships?

Sideqik’s platform allows your brand to not only source the influencers that match your brand’s standards but track their creator campaigns for your products through robust social commerce integrations. We offer an end-to-end suite of services for your influencer campaigns, including over 20+ million influencer profiles that appeal to hundreds of interests. From micro-influencers with intimate access to their audiences with niche interests to mega influencers that are household names with unmatched reach, Sideqik has them all.

Interested in how Sideqik can help you elevate your brand with influencer campaigns and keep you ahead of changes like these? Contact us today for a free demo.