#NotSponsored: 3 considerations for introducing influencer marketing at your company

As a young PR professional born in 2000, I have a good understanding of both the old and new ways of influencer marketing. Though the term “influencer” has become popular in the last few years, being influenced to purchase something, especially because someone you admire is endorsing it, has been around for decades! As a kid, I must have brought home over a hundred Danimals yogurt cups from the grocery because my favorite Disney Channel stars, Dylan and Cole Sprouse, were on the packaging. Though I have refined my taste palate a bit more since then, I’m not ashamed to say that I’ve tried a new restaurant or purchased a new item because one of my favorite Instagram influencers recommended it. 

Digital content creators and influencers have saturated our social media timelines, and we shouldn’t expect this influx of sponsored content to slow down any time soon. According to Statista, the influencer marketing industry is projected to reach $22.2 billion by 2025. It’s impossible to ignore the major impact these individuals have on their followers’ purchasing decisions. I believe PR and marketing professionals can benefit greatly by building meaningful and productive relationships with influencers. 

At Pierce PR, we recently had an opportunity to explore influencer marketing for our client, OZ Arts Nashville, a nonprofit contemporary art and performance center, at its annual Beyond Bourbon event. As one of the team members who facilitated these efforts, I can confidently say that I learned a lot about the industry and how to facilitate mutually beneficial relationships between influencers and the clients we serve. Continue reading to learn my top three pieces of advice for connecting with influencers and utilizing their talents to bring your company success. 

Research the right influencers for your company

When determining which influencers to potentially partner with, it’s important to evaluate your company’s exact and realistic needs for this type of marketing. Once determined, spend time researching influencers’ specific niches to match your goals.  For example, OZ Arts Nashville was looking for influencers to promote and attend their Beyond Bourbon event, which featured local food and beverage tastings. Keeping this in mind, we only targeted micro-influencers – individuals with less than 100,000 followers online – who were Nashville locals and had an interest in the food/beverage and/or contemporary art scene(s).

When thoughtfully selecting the influencers to initiate contact with, you’re increasing your chance of having a successful relationship with them because your company or brand likely aligns with the content they’re already creating.  I encourage you to familiarize yourself with each potential influencer and their audience before reaching out.

Utilize proactive communication and think ahead

If I could give you just one piece of advice, it would be to start these conversations as early as possible. Influencers have a busy lifestyle and are often booked out with prior commitments weeks or months in advance. 

Many influencers and content creators handle their own inquiries, schedules and other forms of partnership communication, on top of creating and managing their content publicly. That means it may take longer than expected to hear back from them. Because of this, I urge you to reach out to them very early on in your campaign or event planning stage to ensure they have the capacity to partner with your company. Finding the right influencer takes time, which is why thinking ahead is crucial to partnership success.

Lay out the numbers and set specific expectations

While being an influencer may appear as fun and games to some, it’s important to recognize that their work is a serious form of income for them. Many influencers will share their media kits once the conversation is initiated, but if they don’t, it’s your job to ask them for their pricing information. Be sure to inform them of the exact requirements you’re asking them to fulfill. 

For example, tell them that as part of the compensation agreement, they are required to post two Instagram stories promoting your product or event. By doing this, you are eliminating a plethora of back-and-forth communication and decreasing the chance for confusion.

As the PR and marketing landscape changes, so does the nature of our work. When thinking of a way to expand your company’s audience, influencers hold the key. Navigating this new era of influencer marketing may come with challenging obstacles and numerous questions, but I hope that these tips give you the confidence to unlock the door to thousands of new eyes on your brand through implementing influencer marketing.

Olivia Beasley is an account coordinator at Pierce PR.