What influencer marketing looks like in 2023

It used to be that influencer marketing was all about the big follower numbers, but today it’s creators and micro- and nano-influencers who specialise in particular areas and niches that can provide the best experience. Audiences trust the authenticity of their favourite creators which means, should you sponsor one of these creators, their audience are more likely to trust your brand and do business with you. According to a survey by TikTok, 66% of Millennial social/video platform users indicated that qualities related to creators'/influencers' authenticity had motivated them to buy a product/brand.

Dos and don'ts for your influencer campaign

DO know what you want!

Giving an influencer a clear brief with specified content requests and objectives will go a long way to help get the campaign you both want.

A clear brief should:

• Give a summary of your brand and the campaign
  • Summarise your brand and campaign goals (awareness, engagement, etc). Provide context to your campaign and why it matters to the creator.
  • Describe the unique selling points of your brand and its products. Include notable features and what makes you different from competitors.
• Specify what the creator will receive:
  • Are they receiving physical products? An experience? Are they being given a complimentary gift package that relates to an event or item e.g. film or TV show?
• Highlight key talking points that you’d like the creator to focus on:
  • Suggest words, phrases and benefits to include in the creator’s caption copy.
  • Describe pain points and challenges that your product(s) can solve for your target audience. Time saved, money saved, less hassle, easy to use, etc.
• Be clear on expected deliverables
  • Summarise your content requirements and any non-negotiable guidelines for creators
  • This can include how many and what types of posts are expected; how products should be displayed; how long posts need to be live
• Provide hashtags and handles that need to be included
• Give deadlines for sign-off and posting

By providing a clear brief, you and the creator should already be on the same page and each able to manage and meet expectations.

DO have a budget!

Influencers are content creators and even a simple post takes time to create. It might be that you have a strict budget to stick to - communicating this early with the influencer can help shape the deliverables of the brief. Have some leeway? Then you can negotiate with the influencer based on their rates and the amount of work and deliverables involved.

DON'T stifle their creativity!

One of the main reasons you want to work with creators and influencers is for their authentic style and because it aligns with your vision. While you can set some parameters for brand placement, hashtags etc, giving the creator freedom to do what they do best will produce the most effective content.

DO be flexible.

Things don't always go according to plan, so it's important to be flexible when working with influencers. Be prepared to make changes to the campaign as needed, and be understanding if the influencer is unable to meet a deadline or deliver the exact content that you had in mind. Be open with communication to help the relationship.

DON’T forget to follow up.

After the campaign is over, be sure to follow up with the influencer and thank them for their time and effort. This will help to build a positive relationship and make them more likely to want to work with you in the future.