What are the best ways to build a long-term relationship with an influencer?

It’s often a good idea to start the relationship with the influencer in a natural way. Send them your product to give them a chance to try it & see if they like it. If it’s a fit with them, their brand and lifestyle, then it’s a good opportunity to move into a partnership negotiation. This allows the influencer to authentically promote a product they like and it makes for more effective advertising.

In being in the medical/fashion industry, we are surrounded by talented professionals who inspire beauty and good health. Combined, our values and goals are to provide the sexiest medical device on the face of the planet. Most of us wear glasses and we have provocative, independent, global designers to share, and as such, our influencers are always gracious in their receiving our frames and accessories, to best add to their persona and style. We also support our influencers by inviting them to join our many exhibits, fashion shows and filming opportunities, to help support their platforms. Friendships are forged, everyone wears very cool glasses, and our mutual goals are achieved. Be creative, unique and generous, this is how we do it!

1. Identify your Target Customer 2. Carve out your Niche 3. Know your Networks 4. Choose your Medium 5. Build up your Content 6. Create your Community 7. Maximise your Engagement 8. Use Social Listening 9. Approach Influencer Build your strategy and spend quality time creating your content and community. And engage with your followers, brands and other influencers. I’ll leave you with this quote which sums up the need for influencers perfectly: “Social media allows us to behave in ways that we are hardwired for in the first place - as humans. We can get frank recommendations from other humans instead of from faceless companies.” ― Francois Gossieaux

Starting the relationship with the influencer in a natural way also helps them to be honest and authentic about the product. There is no pressure on them. So if they say they like the audience to buy and use the service/product it's because it matches their lifestyle. This will be a win-win deal.

I believe influencer relationships should be built on trust and shared goals. Also being supportive, flexible and also to let them shine.. It's not just about transactions and monetary values but about nurturing a mutually beneficial partnership for a long term.

It’s very important to treat it as you would most other professional relationships. Your first interaction with an influencer goes a long way in creating a prosperous partnership. Since larger influencers get many requests every week, it’s important to show you took time to research them and you think they are truly a good fit for your brand.

It's all in a long-lasting relationship. However, that should start with authentic, genuine, and transparent communication. Flexibility can be a loose element, but still, communicate your objectives, KPIs, budget for sure, and important aspects of collaboration. Be open in communication, but also open-minded with suggestions.

A personalized message is a must and including links to content or images that you liked shows how professional and interested you are. Including a detailed offer with clear information saves both parties time and avoids a ping pong game. Do allow them to use their creativity and originality to complete the campaign or assignment. Let them do what they do best!

Better yet, if you have a mutual connect, ask them to broker the intro. That adds credibility to both sides and if you know the intermediary decently well, they can give you advance insight as to whether this influencer is a good fit or not. Can save everyone a lot of time and this evens the playing field from a leverage perspective.

Let's be honest here. When did a generic message work? Never and never will. Do your homework, research their profile and content, and look for other collaborations on their page. And when you finally reach out to them, make your outreach personalized. Mention specific aspects of their content that you admire or relate to.

It’s important to allow the influencer to create content for your brand in a way that is authentic. This means they need to have creative freedom to make the content fit in with the rest of their content. Otherwise, their post about your brand/product will stand out sorely like a paid advertisement that isn’t authentic.

There is no perfect method or mold (shape) that's possible to use to achieve an end result. The most prominent strength of influencers is their uniqueness. No matter what, don't try to take away that. Support and empower creative freedom. It's authentic value for you.

No, scripts will not work unless the influencer creates them. I know that as a brand we want our influencer to say everything we want to communicate, but giving them creative freedom is the best way to get great results. Why? When we let the influencer create the message: -They will tailor the message to their style. -The audience will not feel like they are "selling" (which helps with sales). -It sounds organic, natural and finally, it is strategic. So, instead of providing a script, provide suggestions and some brief about your product or service. Let the influencer do the magic.

Ensure that the interaction is organic and that they understand the brand in and out. Before promoting a product/service make sure that the influencer aligns with the business objectives.

Provide an outline or base requirements document but then encourage them to use their creativity (within reasonable limits) to promote or talk about it using their voice. Keep in mind they are the influencers for a reason...they know how to attract and talk to a large crowd. So give them the ingredients but then let them cook!

Influencers are just people. So, how do you build long-term relationships with anyone? It starts with authenticity. If your purpose for connecting is just to in some way create for yourself the ability to extract value from the influencer and their audience, you're already starting from the wrong place. Research them. Provide value to them and their community by engaging in their content. Help spread their message or shout them out. Reach out to let them know you genuinely admire their work (without asking for anything). Rinse and repeat over an extended period of time. If you're their for the right reasons, it will likely happen on its own. If you're not, you'll get bored and give up.

Just like any other business relationship, professional and respectful communication is key. By continuing to communicate regularly you let the influencer know you appreciate their efforts and care about the results. It also provides a valuable avenue for you to gather feedback from the influencer (and their audience) about your product.

This is extremely important for creating those lasting relationships. - Don't just reach out when you need something. - Engage with them outside of content promotion (give it a like and comment!)

Email communication is probably one of the most common ways that creators and brands interact. While it's very convenient, jumping on a video call or a phone call can go a long way in strengthening that relationship. It will allow you and the creator to connect in a way that you can't through email alone and can help bring more of a partnership aspect to your relationship with creators, as opposed to a purely transactional one. In addition, having regular touchpoints with creatours outside of campaign opportunities is also valuable. This can be as simple as checking in with them during the holiday, sharing updates on your business, etc.

Building a strong, long-term relationship with an influencer is like cultivating any meaningful connection – it takes time, authenticity, and mutual benefit. Remember, influencers are real people, so treat them with respect and courtesy. Lastly, a simple 'thank you' can go a long way in solidifying the relationship.

As the saying goes, 'Mutually beneficial partnerships are the cornerstone of enduring relationships.' Recognizing an influencer's value beyond payment, through rewards, collaboration, and growth opportunities, fosters loyalty and ensures a partnership that thrives.

By treating influencers you work with as you would other high performing employees you will continue to connect and strengthen the relationship. Commissions, beta products and bonuses all go a long way to help incentivize.

Nurturing your relationships with influencers is crucial. When working with them, it’s important to make them feel that they are an extension of your brand - a living, breathing and walking example of what you deem as your ideal customer type. So whether that’s being able to give them exclusive access to products, discount codes, affiliate links or including them in larger events, it’s a great way to make them aware of their importance for the brand and give them buy in too.

With the emergence of the creator economy, more people are now looking to monetize their passions and interests, making compensation an important aspect of building long-term relationships with creators. In addition to paying creators fair rates for their work, surprises and delights, as well as other opportunities beyond campaigns, can be ways to show that you value them and ultimately strengthen that relationship with them.

Find an influencer YOU can help become more influential through their work with your product or service. Make it a win for them. That is the ultimate reward and incentive.

There are a number of valuable tools out there if you do a quick Google search for "influencer marketing software" that help tremendously with tracking and analyzing your results. As with any marketing channel, it is very important to collect and understand the data so you can scale profitably.

To be able to evaluate and optimise you need to always set clear objectives for the influencer partnership first. Is it to grow your audience, convert sales etc. Because each of those things will need different tools to be able to measure from, for example, to track converting sales you can use a unique code for each influencer. And as with anything, your influencer marketing shouldn't sit on its own - make it work hard for you by having supporting content going on whether it's organic social or a paid integrated campaign.

Develop collaboration ideas that provide value to both the influencer and your brand. Consider how the partnership can help the influencer grow their audience or improve their content.

In my experience, fostering a long-lasting relationship with an influencer begins with aligning values and visions. It's not just about numbers; it's about finding someone who resonates genuinely with your brand. There should be collaborative growth and a partnership that evolves organically over time, fostering a narrative that is both influential and impactful. Growth has to be two ways. Both the Brand and the Influencer should be able to complement each other with the collaboration.

Look at your relationship with an influencer in a similar way that you would an employee on your team. A genuine relationship versus a transactional one will go a long way in continued growth and profitability. A good example is Yucky Lavado - he was one of the original influencers to work with Gymshark (a billion dollar brand built off social media and influencer marketing), and he never became the biggest in terms of followers (still only has 100k), but is still a valued partner to Gymshark all these years later.

Building a lasting relationship with me as an influencer is all about shared passions and genuine engagement. Show your authentic interest in the topics I cover and the content I create. Engage meaningfully by commenting thoughtfully, sharing insights, and sparking conversations related to my niche. Collaborative opportunities that align with my interests and values are a great way to connect on a deeper level. Consistency in supporting my work, whether it's through sharing or constructive feedback, is highly appreciated. Most importantly, be respectful and kind in all interactions. Building a long-term relationship with me as an influencer relies on a foundation of authenticity, shared interests, and a positive online presence.

Taking the points of contact concept to the next level with consistent creator posts is important to note in influencer marketing, as most audience members will not be swayed by a single post. Instead, implementing a consistency/time formula to your spending will help increase ROI as time goes on.