How can you identify and manage risks when working with social media influencers?

How to work with influencers on trust: 1. Statistics Checking. Check the blogger’s statistics on followers/subscribers/views to protect against cheating. 2. Build loyal and friendly relationships with influencers. 3. In the case of paid collaboration with influencers, always sign a transparent and detailed contract with all conditions: dates of creation/approval/publication/payment, content formats and brief/technical specifications, cost. 4. In the case of earned mention and non-paid cooperation (independent product testing and review), discuss in advance the possibility of mentioning the brand, refusing a review in case of a negative experience. 5. Always be in touch to answer any questions or solve difficulties, collect feedback.

Sure, the influencers have their tonality and personality. But so does your brand. Don't chase number of followers alone, understand what you're seeking to achieve from this collaboration. Do you really need an influencer with 1 million followers or someone with 10K niche audience group would help you achieve your target?

There is always a risk, in whatever you do. First rule od strategic thinking, planning and doing includes risk assessment and risks mitigation plans in order to be able to deliver goals. Thus, starting collaboration with an influenser includes deep analysis of their previous work and collaborations, try to undersand their values but also, analyse their public and conversations. Of course, it all should match your client/project/goals. Even in the work with micro-influensers, you need to align basics. But risk asesment and risk mitigation plan reduce headache and help build trustworthy partnerships with influencers, and other partners and stakeholders also.

Setting clear goals and expectations, we can choose the right influencer, tailor our message, and measure the effectiveness of our campaign. Mainly, influencer marketing is a collaborative effort. Partnering with the right influencer and setting achievable goals will pave the way for a successful and rewarding experience.

Before callaborating with an influencer, monitor the social media stream with a social listening tool (such as Talkwalker) to ensure that the content of their streams align with your organization's value. Doing so will also allow you to verify their followers and observe the engagement they receive on topics related to your industry. You can also leverage audience analytics tool, (such as Audiense), to examine the interests of the influencer's followers to verify that they align with your organization. Continue to monitor the influencer's social media stream throughout your collaboration to ensure that the influencer continues to align with your organization's values.

Do a deep dive into the influencer's posted content. Go back as far as five years if you can to determine if there are any red flags around issues that are counter to your company's values/brand. Ensure they haven't been featured in a negative light in earned media, too.

Ensure the influencer stays in sync with your brand's message and image. This matters if you want your brand to be easily recognized across different platforms and if you want the influencer to seamlessly include your brand messages in their content. Also, pay attention to the numbers. Check how engaged the audience is and if it matches up with your ideal customer. Look at the quality of interaction, not just the quantity.

Mitigate risks by researching potential influencers thoroughly. Examine their social media profiles, content quality, audience demographics, previous collaborations, and reputation. Ensure that the influencer aligns with your brand identity, campaign objectives, and target audience. Not all influencers are suitable, so choose wisely.

Conducting thorough research, we can uncover crucial information about the influencer beyond the surface. We should choose an influencer who complements our brand, resonates with our target audience, and embodies the values we want to communicate.

Após entender objetivos e KPIs da campanha, entra a pesquisa e curadoria de perfis. Ela deve ser quantitativa - considerando os números que são necessários para atingirmos os KPIs desejados, e também qualitativa - posicionamento, imagem e histórico do influenciador. Estamos vivendo um momento de grande questionamento do papel dos influenciadores, com casos com o da Blaze no Brasil e da Chiara Ferragni na Itália, em que houve irresponsabilidade por parte dos influenciadores, como falta de veracidade na mensagem ou divulgação de um produto potencialmente danoso para os seus seguidores. Logo, conhecer a fundo o histórico da celebridade ou influenciador com quem se irá trabalhar é essencial para mitigar riscos.

To reinforce content authenticity, I recommend including an exclusivity clause stipulating that an influencer cannot tag, mention, or show any competing brands during the term of your engagement.

Negotiating a comprehensive and mutually beneficial contract, we can establish a clear framework for our influencer collaboration. As a matter of fact that protects both our brand and the influencer, fosters trust and accountability, and sets the stage for a successful campaign.

It's key that you put all expectations in the contract. You cannot demand what hasn't been signed. However, do give your influencer freedom so that he or she can create content relevant to their style and audience. They know what people respond to. Do ask in the contract for your pre-approval, of course, just to make sure your brand is represented correctly, but don't try to correct the influencer's style and delivery

A comprehensive contract is key. It should cover specifics such as the nature of the content, posting schedule, compensation details, and usage rights. Outline clear guidelines on how your brand should be represented. Include legal stipulations around disclosure and intellectual property to ensure compliance and protect your brand.

When working with influencers, protect your interests by negotiating a detailed contract. Include deliverables, deadlines, payment terms, disclosure rules, ownership, exclusivity, and termination clauses. A well-defined contract ensures accountability, compliance, and dispute resolution, reducing potential risks in influencer collaborations.

Constantly monitor the influencer's content and campaign performance. Establish a routine for regular check-ins and feedback. Effective communication ensures that the campaign remains aligned with your goals and allows for timely adjustments if needed. This oversight is essential for maintaining campaign quality and relevance.

This is truly helpful. I had an offer from a social media influencer for a restaurant I managed. They were great with posting their visit and gave rave reviews, but after their "free" meal, we never saw them again. Influencers will constantly be trying new places and things, but is that going to gain you loyal customers?

Make sure you and your stakeholders are on the same page regarding the reputational risks by providing clear information.Determine the possible consequences of the risks and mark any areas where your current mitigation strategies are inadequate.

Analizar la acción y la aportación de los influencers, tanto a priori y a posteriori, para obtener aprendizajes y puntos de mejora.

After the campaign, thoroughly evaluate its performance against your initial goals. Analyse key metrics like engagement rates, reach, conversions, and ROI. This evaluation helps in understanding the effectiveness of your influencer partnership and provides valuable insights for refining future strategies.

The social media landscape is continuously evolving. And much like everything else, it has its pros and cons. When collaborating with influencers, monitor their interactions with other brands and media platforms. Avoid working with people who are problematic even if they have a large following that matches your audience. Look at influencers as brand spokespeople - a long-term partnership will be more beneficial than a one-time collaboration.

Keep up-to-date with the latest trends in social media and influencer marketing. Adhere to ethical standards and best practices, including transparency and compliance with advertising regulations. This not only safeguards your brand’s reputation but also fosters trust among your audience and partners.

To create content and process your idea, get help from the influencers themselves. Considering their knowledge of the tastes, literature and culture of their audience, they will probably produce more effective content than public relations. As a PR, you only monitor this content to be aligned with your organizational values and brand identity.

Working with influencers is much more risky than working with other third-parties like analysts or journalists. Fraud is a risk. Influencers also have an annoying habit of getting their facts wrong about you. And influencers may associate with other influencers that you don't want your brand anywhere near, like maybe a podcast host who also spouts toxic political views.

SM influencers are a recent phenomenon. In my experience, the influencers themselves are in the process of getting the KPIs and KRAs aligned. So while you are engaging with an influencer, who more often than not are freelancers, insure that you educate them on the processes that you follow to measure the success of the project. There is a possibility that you get to learn the influencer's processes too. In either case, it is a win-win. You'll be setting up the expectations right from the minute go.

Importante, hoy día, la tendencia se inclina más a contratar varios microinfluenciadores, incluso creadores UGC, pues su pauta y alcance al poder contratar varios, puede lograr generar mayor impacto y credibilidad que los macroinfluenciadores.

Definitely do your homework! Do the influencers draw the crowd you want? Are they going to bring the right people to your establishment? Personally, I would much rather hear from those who are going to show up every week for brunch, than a one-off looking for a free meal.