How do you align your brand voice and values with the influencer's style and audience?

Foster a two-way relationship!!! Instead of simply using influencers as marketing channels, understand that they are your partners in your brand journey. Value what they have to say and ask for their inputs!

I think, before running behind influencers, first get your own house in order - your brand voice and values. It’s like when you know yourself, you can find friends who gel with you. So, create a brand voice chart or something, define what your brand is about. Then, find influencers who resonate with your brand - like finding your squad. This way, there’s no mismatch and everyone's happy! 🙌

Sometimes the alignment comes from understanding who your ideal customer is and recognizing that quality is worth much more than quantity. 10 qualified leads or impressions are worth much more than 100 impressions. Do your research internally first, and rather than bending to fit the idea of an influencer’s following- figure out who you’re trying to reach and connect with an influencer that embodies this.

Pitching an influencer on a collaboration is similar to pitching a story or source to a reporter. It should be beneficial for both sides, but your outreach needs to highlight why it would make sense to collaborate, why it's a good fit, and what the value is for them. You're seeking to build a relationship and position your brand (or your client's brand) as a trusted partner. Developing a good relationship can often pay off tenfold in the long term, even if a specific initiative doesn't pan out from the initial outreach.

Emphasize the importance of open communication and encourage regular brainstorming sessions with the influencer to co-create content ideas. You also want to highlight the significance of maintaining the influencer's authentic voice and approach.

All collaborations are not create equal, but it's always a shared process. You need to outline a specific set of reasonable expectations about what success looks like and communicate clear guidelines about what you see as valuable messaging. The content should be a reflection of your brand, but you also need to be open to strategic counsel about what's effective. That's how both parties co-create something valuable together.

Evaluating performance is a critical part of the content process. If you don't measure results, then you can't track success or assess how to improve going forward. You also need to determine which metrics are most important to you. Avoid vanity metrics and drill down on what KPIs really matter. That's how you move the needle.

I always say this: "You can't growth hack, if you don't track!" Always implement continuous improvement. Emphasize the importance of analyzing the data collected and using the insights to refine your influencer marketing strategy continually.