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14 min read | August 29, 2022

How to Hire Influencers: The Whole Process Defined

If you have recently launched a new brand on the market, it can be challenging to build credibility and trust with your target audience. A basic marketing campaign and a few posts on social media are unlikely to be enough to raise awareness, so you have to get creative. To address this challenge, many businesses these days make the decision to collaborate with influencers to help win over their target audience.

Are you tired of the infinite back and forth when pitching a campaign to an  influencer? Download our Influencer Outreach Guide to create flawless briefings and  unambiguous contracts.

With this in mind, in today’s post we are going to look at everything you need to be aware of when you hire an influencer to promote your brand. We are going to break down the entire process, from sourcing and communicating with a potential influencer, to negotiating and signing contracts, and finally what you need to transmit to make sure you get the most from your influencer marketing campaign.

Look for potential influencers

The first thing to consider is how to find the right influencer for your brand. You might decide to do your own online research or use an existing influencer marketing search tool to speed up your search. 

There are a few things to consider when conducting your search: 

  • Does the influencer’s audience match your brand’s target audience?
  • Does their content align with your brand values? 
  • Is their data promising in terms of engagement?

For more information on this, check out our post on how to find influencers.

Communicate with an influencer

Communication is key when you hire influencers.

Once you’ve drawn up a shortlist and found an influencer who could potentially be a good fit for your brand, it’s time to reach out and have an open-ended conversation to find out more about them and explain what you are looking for.

The best way to connect with influencers is to reach out on social media. Follow them on their channels and post a few comments on their posts. Take a look at their metrics. How many followers do they have? How engaged is their audience? What hashtags do they use?

Once you’ve established contact, it’s time to get to know them. It’s always best to establish a relationship before heading to the negotiation table. Ask them about their successes and what they are interested in. Listen to what they say and make sure you seem genuinely interested. Identify shared interests or experiences if you can. Answer any questions that they might have. The more an influencer can relate to you and your product, the more open they will be to your pitch. 

Negotiate and make a proposal

The next step when you hire influencers is pitching your offer and negotiating the terms. It’s important to start off on the right foot here. Make sure your initial proposal is both specific to your needs and crafted to the influencer’s brand. Explain why you think they would be a good fit. For example, highlight what you like about their content, such as their creativity, their sense of community, or their brand values.

It’s important to be clear about your expectations so that you don’t waste your time, or theirs. Do they know how to market your business on social media? Outlining your position from the start will give you a firm foundation to begin negotiations. Make sure you are clear about what you are willing to pay, how much brand coverage you are looking for, and how much control you expect to have over any sponsored posts. Remember, you want to make sure your brand is correctly represented while leaving room for your influencer to create authentic content. Don’t forget to discuss content usage rights at this point, too.

Sign an agreement

Once you’ve negotiated terms, it’s time to draft an influencer contract. This is a vital step when you hire influencers as it ensures all parties are on the same page and protects you from any potential misunderstandings.

Make sure you include the following information in your influencer agreement:

  • Influencer’s contact information
  • Social media platforms you want them to use
  • General campaign information
  • Payment fees or non-monetary compensation (free products, sales commissions, etc.)
  • Content rights (who owns posts after your contract ends?)
  • Copyright and confidentiality agreements
  • Any other relevant terms and conditions

Be clear about your campaign objectives

Finally, whenever you hire influencers, it’s important to be clear about your campaign objectives from the start. In other words, you need to provide your chosen influencer with all the information they need so that your campaign is a success:

  • What are your objectives?
  • Which metrics are you most interested in?
  • Are you prioritizing raising brand awareness or reaching a new audience? 
  • Is the primary focus on engagement or conversions? 
  • How will you ultimately quantify their success? 

Working towards clear objectives with a well-defined strategy will help to maximize the ROI of your campaign from day one.

 

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