Let\u2019s look at a small\u00a0example. Imagine\u00a0you reach out to Kristi Hines<\/a>\u00a0to promote your new article, she accepts the request, and shares it on her Twitter account. If you’re going to say just thank you and move on, then the relationship is as good as dead. Here are a few top tips:<\/p>\n There are a lot more things that you can do. The aim is to stay in touch with them. Develop top of mind awareness, and grow the relationship.<\/p>\n “A transactional relationship is based on an expectation that a favor will be returned in kind.” –\u00a0<\/em>John Jarvis <\/a><\/em> Influencers may or may not be your customers. But given the kind of returns they can fetch your brand, it is imperative that you consider them like<\/em> your customers.<\/p>\n Here are a few ways to build meaningful relationships:<\/p>\n Whatever you do, it should appear genuine and authentic.<\/p>\n Like any other relationship, if you don\u2019t communicate with influencers regularly it will fall apart. Here are few tips on how to communicate with influencers effectively<\/a>:<\/p>\n Your employees don\u2019t like to be micromanaged.\u00a0How do you think influencers would react? Here are a few tips to stop you from micromanaging your influencers:<\/p>\n Example<\/strong>: Clothing retailer Zara\u2019s #iamdenim campaign helped them gain 4.6 million new Instagram followers in 8 months. One of the major the reasons for the success of this campaign was the kind creative freedom they gave the influencers. Nobody likes it when they’re treated inconsistently or unfairly. Here are a few tips to avoid such situations:<\/p>\n Although influencers are not your average marketing vehicle, brands often make the mistake of considering them as such. Here are a few instances:<\/p>\n To\u00a0build a successful campaign, it’s crucial that you treat them like you treat your customers – with care and respect. Here are a few points that you should keep in mind:<\/p>\n Influencers are human beings, so, you can\u2019t expect all of them to behave the same. Their needs, motivations, and passions may be different<\/strong>. Here are a few key points to remember:<\/p>\n At the end of the day, influencers are human beings. They need to be treated as such – with respect and authenticity. This is why building influencer relationships is regarded as a complex yet delicate process.
\nSure, you may come out of it feeling delighted at all the traffic you got. But in reality, you just lost a huge opportunity to build on that relationship and achieve greater things.
\nThe Influence 2.0 report<\/a>\u00a0cites that this kind of shortsighted view hinders performance, making influencer marketing<\/a> less effective compared with\u00a0other strategic programs.
\nDon\u2019t be blinded by the short-term benefits\u00a0– those are\u00a0just one-tenth of what you can achieve.\u00a0The key here is to put in sustained and focused efforts to grow the relationship.<\/p>\nNot sure how?<\/h3>\n
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2. Considering it as a transactional relationship<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\nNormally in a transactional relationship, all parties are in it for themselves. These relationships easily fall apart because there’s no attempt from your side to grow the relationship or build an emotional connection. Today,\u00a0businesses try to avoid this by\u00a0providing authentic and meaningful experiences to their customers.
\nThe pitfalls of considering influencer relationships as transactional are:<\/p>\n\n
Not sure how?<\/h3>\n
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3. Lack of regular communication<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\nWhen you have ongoing communication with them, it’s easier to gain top-of-mind awareness and to ask favours.
\nIt may sound simple, but it’s not<\/strong>. If you’re too aggressive, they might feel like being spammed. If you’re too laid back, they might forget you. The key here is to maintain a balance.<\/p>\nNot sure how?<\/h3>\n
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4. <\/strong>Micromanaging them<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\nInfluencers normally succeed in building an engaged audience because they know what their audience wants and how best to deliver it. Their audience trusts them as experts, and values their advice.
\nIt’s safe to say that the influencer-audience relationship is built on trustworthiness, uniqueness, and creativity<\/strong>. These are the same values that get compromised when companies try to micromanage influencers.
\nEnd result: a subpar campaign! The audience may not feel particularly interested because it lacks authenticity. The influencer could also get called out for being overtly promotional. Let them do what they do best – engage with their audience.<\/p>\nNot sure how?<\/h3>\n
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\n![\"Instagram](\"https:\/\/mention.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Instagram-zara-influencer-marketing-campaign-2-.png\")
\nSource: Shane Barker<\/a><\/p>\n5. Being inconsistent and unfair <\/strong><\/h2>\n
\n![\"influencer](\"https:\/\/mention.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/pasted-image-0-8.png\")
\nWe’ve seen a lot of instances where the brands act warm and fuzzy initially, but once the influencer completes the task, their tone becomes the complete opposite – cold and indifferent. Sometimes, they’re rude enough to end the relationship without even a\u00a0thank you.
\nWhen influencers dedicate their time and energy for you, it is utterly unprofessional and indecent to leave them hanging<\/strong>. Not only does it leave a bad taste, you might also get called out by the influencer. Furthermore, other influencers may refuse to work with you due to your reputation<\/strong>.
\nWith influencer marketing yielding\u00a0as much as 11x the ROI<\/a>\u00a0of online display ads, you simply can’t afford to treat influencers like that.<\/p>\nNot sure how?<\/h3>\n
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6<\/strong>. Treating them like a marketing channel and not like a human being<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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\nAnother thing brands should note is, through influencers, you have a golden opportunity to reach an already engaged audience. They trust and value the influencer\u2019s opinion. It’s important\u00a0that you have a well-tailored strategy<\/a> for approaching and managing influencers.<\/p>\nNot sure how?<\/h3>\n
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7. Considering all influencers the same<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\nSome influencers may not be interested in remuneration. Rather, they might be looking for a helpful resource that they can share with their audience. At the same time, there will be influencers who will ask for remuneration explicitly.
\nIt’s up to you to understand and respect the influencer\u2019s choices<\/strong>. If you don\u2019t, the relationship will fall apart pretty soon.
\nYou can’t ask an influencer who is vocal about privacy laws to promote your latest big data analytics app. It’s doesn’t make sense, and the influencer may feel insulted too.
\nOne reason why they’re influential is the values and beliefs they stand for. You can’t ask them to compromise that. Even if they agree to your request, their audience will feel let down and cheated.<\/p>\nNot sure how?<\/h3>\n
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Wrapping up<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\nAvoiding the mistakes above, and you’ll go a long way in building a sustainable and mutually beneficial relationship with influencers.
\n![\"mention](\"https:\/\/no-cache.hubspot.com\/cta\/default\/1896803\/89261858-a8de-4694-ad31-383c0617cc7f.png\")
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