Influencers, this is how you’ll create on-going partnerships with brands

Working with influencers is one of our favorite things to do at Wix Marketing. The value is immense and we invest in each partnership to make sure it's a win-win for both sides. 

A first time partnership with an influencer will usually be relatively small, to test the waters. Such a partnership could consist of one to three pieces of content. If things go well, there is a high chance that longer term partnerships will follow. 

As with any 1st time partnership, the influencer will need to invest time and effort in learning the product and value, back and forth communication with the brand, planning the content and creating it, getting feedback, often making improvements and edits, until content is finally live. 

This can sometimes take as much as 4 weeks. However, if there is a follow up partnership, that time-to-live-content will be much shorter for both the influencer and the brand, and will get even shorter from partnership to partnership. 

In other words, an on-going partnership is a win-win for both influencer and brand. 

Here are a few actions an Influencer can take to increase the chances of a long term partnership (Influencers - you may want to bookmark this!): 

1. You only get one chance at a first impression so make sure when pitching to a brand you always include an idea or angle for the first project. Even if the brand has a specific brief in mind, taking initiative, investing in research and suggesting an angle is a move that will go a long way and show just how professional you are. 

2. Throughout the initial communication and especially after the agreement is signed, make sure next steps are always clear, that you understand what is expected of you and that you always deliver on time. Working with influencers who are responsive and accountable is just as important as the quality of their creations. 

3. This may sound silly, but once an asset is live, share the live URL with the brand. Often brands find out about this via searches, sometimes several days later, and not from the influencer. This is particularly important when working with large brands that work with many influencers simultaneously.   

4. Even if not requested by the brand, influencers that respond to comments on sponsored posts/videos are valued far more than those that do not. Sure, this requires more time and effort by the Influencer however it will give the brand another strong reason to work with the influencer again. 

5. A week or so after the sponsored asset is live, send a brief summary email to the brand, sharing stats, highlight positive comments or any DMs received, as well as lessons learnt as to how the next asset could be better. This will demonstrate how professional you are, will show that you genuinely care for the success of the campaign and, whether your asset performed well or not, it will give the brand a reason to work with you again. 

6. Last but not least, make sure to follow the brand on social media so that you are aware of any new releases and new content focuses. Ask yourself how you could implement them in a new partnership and make sure to pitch it to them. The fact that you are initiating and actively thinking of new ways to work together will give you a huge advantage and expose the potential of a long term partnership.