Team AdfluenceInfluencer marketing is fast becoming a force to be reckoned with. If you have the right influencer on board, your brand can sell its products and services while gaining visibility among an audience base beyond your existing one.
However, like any other marketing strategy, your influencer campaign will only be as good as you allow it to be. And it begins with writing a proper marketing brief for your influencers. This brief contains details of everything you and the influencer need to know to make your collaboration successful. The more information this brief has, the more clarity there’s likely to be between both parties. A quick one-liner like, ’We want more followers’ is pretty vague and with a brief like that, you’re only setting yourself up for trouble.
In that context, let us explore everything that should be part of the brief you prepare for influencers. This simple 10-step-structure will ensure that your influencer marketing campaign goes off without a hitch.
1. First things first, use visuals . “A picture is worth a thousand words,” they say. So why not take advantage of this human psychology and make your life a bit easier too?
Pictures will not only help you convey your ideas but also allow the influencer to visualize what it would be like working with you. Whether you use pictures to showcase the success of previous campaigns or to set the tone of this campaign, visuals always make things easy to understand.
A word of advice, though: Don’t let pictures overcrowd the brief. Play smart and provide visual representations only when relevant.
2. Moving on, your brief should outline a strong value proposition for the influencer. What does the collaboration hold for them? What should they expect from it? What incentives are you willing to give in exchange for their content? Most A-grade influencers are busy (just like you) and swamped with requests for collaboration. So make it worth their while and give them a good reason to overlook other propositions and go with yours.
The value proposition should be conveyed as clearly and succinctly as possible. Use simple language and be to-the-point. Use headers, pointers, bold fonts, etc. in the document or presentation to convey your thoughts in an easy-to-read manner.
3. After outlining the value proposition, it’s time to talk about yourself. Start by providing background information. If you are a new brand, what should they know about you? What are the qualities that set you apart from your competitors? What are you targeting as a brand? Knowing about your brand value and ideology often becomes the deciding factor for influencers.
4. Now, let’s focus on the product or service you want the influencer to promote. Include answers to questions likely:
- What is the product or service?
- What’s the USP?
- Any particular features you want to highlight?
- Why is it likely to be popular among the masses?
If possible, send the influencer a product sample or arrange a demo of the service you’re offering. This will help him/her understand and see if they are a fit for your campaign. Also, this experience will be helpful later when they are creating content for the campaign.
5. After all this, it’s time to get down to business! Begin by explaining your campaign. No one knows your campaign better than you, so, this step won’t be a difficult one. But mind you, it’s an important step and should not be overlooked.
Share your campaign goals, the message you want to convey, and the audience you want to reach. Do you want the influencer’s content only for one social media channel, or do you want to share their content across all platforms? Share examples of campaigns that have given you the right traction, mention which social media platform has worked best for you so far, and what you envision for the others to perform better. But, don’t crowd the influencer brief with big numbers. An overview of the campaign with its key elements will work.
6. The next section will include the expectations you have from the campaign. There should be no ambiguity about the end results – increased number of followers, customer acquisition, etc. – you are expecting from the campaign. Also, elaborate on the role you expect the influencer to play in the campaign when you are working together. By making the role of both the parties clear, you will be able to establish a transparent, long-lasting relationship. Furthermore, you’ll avoid potential misunderstandings and increase the chance of meeting your target.
End the section on an open note, where you ask for the influencer’s inputs and how they can help you achieve the set goals. Be receptive of their ideas too and modify the brief to accommodate their suggestions, if you feel they are valid.
7. Now that you are discussing the role of the influencer in the campaign, it’s important to draw creative outlines at this point. These outlines will cover the details of the kind of content you want the influencer to produce for your campaign. Again, some visual examples will be a great help.
Include details on points like:
- Type of creatives you need (photos, videos, live interaction, etc.)
- Why you need them (they are interactive, in tune with your brand’s temperament, etc.)
- Who they are meant for (young blood, urban women)
- On which platform (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc.), and more.
Also, describe things like when you want to publish the post (twice a day for a week, one post per campaign product), accounts to tag (your brand, any third party), and which hashtags to use. Make everything as transparent as possible, leaving no room for misinterpretation.
8. While you are stating what you need, you’ll also have to be clear about what you don’t need. Have a separate session of the Do’s and Don’ts. It’ll help avoid confusion and provide answers to the questions the influencer might have to fulfil their end of the deal.
When listing down the do’s and don’ts include points like:
- Use bright coloured photos
- Don’t use black & whites snaps
- Highlight features using words like handmade cookies, cruelty-free skincare products
- Don’t be salesy in your copy or tagline
The clearer, the better! But don’t let this list restrict the influencer and take away creativity from their work.
9. It’s time to close the influencer brief by clearly communicating deadlines. Whether you’re running a campaign with one influencer or scores of them, a clear timeline helps everyone stay on top of their work. Make sure the influencers are aware of important deadlines for submission of drafts, final deliverables, and so on. This way if there is an issue or a glitch, they can let you know ahead of time so that the plan of action can be adjusted accordingly.
10. Last but definitely not the least, carefully lay out the rules and regulations that the influencer needs to follow. This includes things like:
- How and when the influencer will be paid?
- What documents do they need to provide while signing the contract?
- How can they submit the content?
- Will the content be approved before posting? How many edits can the brand get done without any cost?
As you now know, there are a lot of things you have to think about before approaching an influencer. An influencer brief contains all that information laid out in a logical and sequential manner, which goes on to lay the foundation of a successful campaign. Once you have a brief that is thorough and runs smoothly, there will hardly be anything that can stop you from having a successful campaign.
If you’re new to Influencer Marketing or would like someone else to handle this form of marketing for you, there are a lot of platforms and agencies out there that can provide their expertise. Working with these agencies will give you access to experienced campaign managers who will not only help you discover the right influencers for your brand but also come up with an impactful marketing strategy.
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