Hi everyone! My name is Cait and I’m the founder of SoBo Social. I’m doing a blog post today to answer your questions on how influencer marketing works. Having experience as both a “micro-influencer” and a Social Media Specialist, I understand the details of how brand deals work for both influencers and brands.
Chances are, you follow a handful of influencers on social media. Or maybe you’re wanting to start your own blog or influencing page. I’ve been blogging on CaitMinschy.com since 2018. When I started blogging, Influencers were just starting to get really popular but I still didn’t really understand how everything worked. I didn’t even know you could make money as an influencer doing brand collaborations.
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If you’re a blogger reading this, know that you DON’T need to have the coveted 10,000 to make money doing brand deals. I started earning paid local/ small business brand deals when I hit right around 1,000 followers on Instagram.
And if you’re a brand reading this, you don’t have to shell out thousands of dollars if that’s not in your budget – you just have to be matched to the right influencer for the job!
Now, as a Social Media Consultant and Influencer Marketing Coordinator, I complete short and long term brand deals for businesses. I love helping brands connect with the right bloggers and influencers for their influencer marketing campaigns.
But if you’re reading this, that means you’re probably wondering how the heck does influencer marketing work?
Influencer Marketing For Bloggers and Small Businesses
First, let me explain what a brand deal is. A brand partnership is a campaign that a brand and an influencer or blogger work together on. Typically, the influencer will promote a specific product from that brand to her audience on their social media, like Instagram stories or feed in exchange for payment. Specifics on these collaborations will vary from partnership to partnership, and I’ll dive into that below.
Brand deals are exactly like endorsements that athletes get. But brands can pay influencers hundreds or thousands instead of millions of dollars to reach average people on a level that’s more relatable.
People follow influencers because they want their recommendations. The also get to hear about their more average experiences – because they’re relatable. Brands can take advantage of the relationship influencers have with their followings to promote their products.
Brand Deal Pitch
A brand deal always starts with a pitch. The brand might pitch and influencer, or the influencer might pitch a brand. There are important elements to a successful pitch. First of all, a previous relationship needs to be established between the blogger and the brand. When a blogger has used a product and supported the brand previously, that is a bonus. Or, if the brand is pitching the blogger, it’s always best if the brand has established a relationship first. Usually that means following and engaging with the influencer on social platforms.
Another really important element of the pitch is making sure it’s the right fit. A brand needs to know that the influencer’s audience will want to connect with the brand. Brands use influencer collaborations for increased brand awareness and (hopefully) increased sales. The fit and the relationship are just the beginning of a successful pitch, but are two of the most important elements.
Influencer Marketing Contract Negotiations
Once a brand and influencer agree to collaborate, that’s truly the beginning of the agreement. A contract needs to be negotiated between the two entities to make sure that both hold up their ends of the deal. The contract should include details such as compensation, timeline (deadlines), receivables, deliverables, and etc.
This contract should also include if the brand will gain rights to any media produced by the influencer, and for how long. Sometimes brands want to use an influencer’s content to run future ad campaigns, so this agreement needs to be established in the contract.
Occasionally a brand will created a longer term partnership with a blogger or influencer, so sometimes this contract can include more extensive details. Long term partnerships are best because they help a blogger to establish trust between their audience and the brand. Long term partnerships lead to better and more consistent ROIs.
Content Production for Influencer Marketing
The influencer should always receive free product or services at minimum, and additional compensation when necessary. (A discount in exchange for social media coverage is not a collaboration. That only makes the influencer a customer.) Once the influencer receives the product, they will produce blog and/or social media content that was agreed upon in the contract.
Blog posts are usually the highest-paying collaborations because of the amount of work the blogger puts into writing, editing, and promoting the blog content across social platforms. Brands might also desire a combination or variety of social media marketing. It really all depends on the influencer’s social media presence across those platforms and what the brand’s goals are.
The blogger/influencer is required to submit their blog or social media content to the brand for approval prior to posting. Once approved, the blogger/influencer will spend time posting, engaging, and promoting the product/brand. A blogger or influencer is required BY LAW to include specific wording/formatting. The audience should have no doubt that it is a paid post. The Federal Trade Commission has guidelines for social media marketing that are the responsibility of the influencer.
Post-Campaign Analytics Reporting
Brands should always require post-campaign analytics reporting. Influencers report engagement analytics and KPI’s (key performance indicators). Bloggers are usually asked to submit a screenshot of Google Analytics if there was a blog post involved in the brand collaboration. As a collaborations coordinator, I generally provide influencers with a reporting form to fill out, and then share the KPI’s with the brand.
Getting Started on Your Next Brand Deal
Whether you’re a blogger looking to pitch brands, or a small business wanting to find influencers who will work within your budget, we can help you! We have experience pitching brands for influencers. And we’re pros at working the brand deals from start to finish on behalf of the brand. We’d be happy to give you a free discovery call and book a coaching session or help you through the process.
DM us on Instagram or contact us via email if you’re interested in collaborations services or coaching! Or apply for one of our social media coaching spots right here!