Team AdfluenceIn a world of fake followers and forced promotions, brands are looking for one thing…Authenticity. They want an influencer who can advertise their product in a way that is attractive, interactive, engaging, and of course, real! If you as an influencer are able to do this, you will be unstoppable in your endeavour of getting the best endorsement deals out there. And that is exactly why we’re here today – to tell you how to build an ‘Influencer Resume’ that gets your purpose, vision and mission across to your new clients.
So without further ado, here are the four things that brands primarily look for, and with a bucket load of hard work, you can embody them to perfection.
It’s All About the Interaction
While it’s normal to think that a huge number of followers would attract brands, this actually isn’t the most important parameter; interactions, on the other hand, is a far more reliable metric. Here’s why?
The easiest thing to do these days is build a million followers by boosting posts or running ads on your social media profile. In fact, every other ‘influencer’ and meme page out there has a million followers – but what they lack is a loyal and dedicated fan base. And since the whole point of hiring someone is to increase awareness and drive sales, brands have figured that genuine interactions are a more reliable meter of your reach. These numbers indicate that influencers have a strong connection with their audience whose trust they’ve managed to earn.
So, instead of chasing followers, build an audience, i.e. people who will be active and not passive followers; who will like, comment and share your posts, and do it regularly.
Quality over Everything
They say ‘Content is king’ and needless to say, the king must always be flawless. We’re talking grammar, sentence structure, vocabulary, punctuation, syntax and expression! No brand wants their image tarnished and they aren’t going to be too enthusiastic about partnering with someone who’s using sms language (u kno wt v r tkng abt) in their copies and taglines. So, dot your i’s, cross your t’s, pay heed to punctuation, and clean up your content so that it makes a good impression.
In addition to the written word, brands are also going to be looking at the quality of your visual content – photos, videos, GIFs, memes … everything. Any sort of pixelated, low-definition visuals that aren’t pleasing to the eye will not work. Neither will posting a bunch of common memes or templatized photos So, make sure everything is top notch and leave no room for doubt in your capabilities!
How relevant are you?
While content is king, context is the god and brands will always look at how relevant you are to them. And they will decipher this by looking at four metrics – your demographic, interests, experience, and most importantly, the brands you’ve collaborated with in the past.
The demographics of your followers will include factors like age, location, gender, nationality, etc. as they help brands better understand whether or not your audience and their TG are a match. Interests, experience and past collaborations all go hand-in-hand in deciding relevance, because only when the brand’s product and your image and lifestyle have parallels will the promotion have the most impact.
For instance, if Nike was going through your social media and saw that you’d partnered with Adidas in the recent past, they may be reluctant to onboard you as an influencer, due to the risk of sending conflicting messages to your audience. But, if they saw that you’re active in the sporting community on social media but haven’t partnered with any other brands in the past, their interest would definitely be piqued and the chances of them approaching you would be quite high.
They call it a UNIQUE Selling Point for a Reason
In even the short span of time that influencer marketing has existed, popular patterns and templates have emerged. Most people are sending out the same done and overdone messages and content, and brands just aren’t interested in them anymore. That’s why it’s important to have a USP that sets you apart from all the noise. From Superwoman’s relatable sketches about growing up in a brown family in Canada to Pewdiepie’s comic yet dark commentary on video games to Zoella’s upmarket yet sweet girl-next-door approach to fashion vlogging, a USP that sticks out in a herd of influencers is a USP that sells.
The important thing for you is to develop a strong voice and patent your own USP keeping your target audience in mind. For example, if your TG is 20-somethings with an interest in makeup, your USP has to be designed keeping them in mind. And whether it is quirky, intellectual or casual, it should be unique and consistent. Make it different and original and you should have no problem winning over brands and making sure both of you get the best out of your collaboration.
Influencer Marketing is the up and coming thing with every brand rushing to give their products and services the social media presence they deserve. That, of course, requires the right face! For you, as an influencer, it is important to identify what you want your voice to be, and exactly what kind of brands you’re aiming for. After that just sit back and enjoy … We’re kidding, burn the midnight oil, post religiously, and keep working hard! Sooner or later, you will be an influencer that brands will want to tie up with. Good luck!
