Planning Your Influencer Content Strategy

Influencer marketing is an effective digital marketing tool, but it is also a big investment. Make the most of your next campaign by creating a clear influencer content strategy so you can receive the best influencer content possible.

Select The Right Influencers

The first part of any influencer campaign is choosing what influencers you are going to work with. Based on your KPIs and budget, there are different categories of influencers to consider, but beyond sizing, you will want to consider the influencer’s content categories, location, aesthetic, and other factors.

Research the influencers you hope to work with, not just based on demographics and engagement numbers, but also so you have a general idea of the type of content they create. If you are looking for catalogue-worthy imagery, an influencer who only posts iPhone photos may not be the best bet.

Lay Out Clear Guidelines

A lot of brands are unsure about what exactly they are looking for in influencer content and leave the content guidelines vague, only for them to dislike the content that the influencer does end up creating. Avoid this frustration by being clear with what you are looking for from the start.

A good campaign brief should lay out key talking points, visual guidelines, and other important details. If your product has a prominent label, note that the label must be visible in all photos. If you want the influencer to be in the photo instead of a still product shot, specify this. 

Provide Examples

Have examples from previous campaigns that you absolutely loved? Share them! Providing influencers with concrete examples of the type of content you are looking for is the easiest way for all parties to get on the same page. Call out specifics of why you like a particular image, too; is it how the product is photographed? Is it the authentic caption? The more clarity you can provide, the better idea the influencer has of what you are looking for. 

Give Plenty Of Time

Nobody likes feeling rushed on a project. The more you can plan ahead and provide ample time to contract influencers and receive content, the better. Not only will the contracted influencers have time to think about and execute an amazing concept for the campaign, but you will also have plenty of time to make any edits or request reshoots, if necessary. 

Know When To Be Flexible

Of course, there is such a thing as being too particular, so know when to be flexible on content guidelines, too. An influencer partnership should be a two-way street, and if an influencer feels like your guidelines don’t fit with their content and style, or if they have ideas about what they think will work well with their audience, take these notes into consideration.

This goes for reshoot requests as well. If an influencer completely disregards your content guidelines and delivers a draft that has nothing to do with the campaign, you should request a reshoot (though hopefully if you are using these guidelines, your campaign direction will be clear). However, if there is a minor flaw in a photo, consider letting it go if it does not have an impact on the overall effectiveness of the content.