By: Pierre Zarokian
One of the major ways social media influencers can earn income involves brand relationships. Whether you’re just starting your career or looking to grow it, you probably wonder how to build deeper connections with key brand decision-makers. Here are effective ways to help you thrive.
Why Should Brands Partner with You?
As an influencer or brand ambassador, you must establish yourself as an authority in a certain niche, such as technology, fashion, food, travel, etc. Define your passion, and be crystal clear about your content’s value to your audience and future brand partners.
An Overview of the 4 Types of Influencers
Typically, brands choose who to collaborate with based on the size of their following and level of engagement. Here are the categories for influencers:
- Nano: 1K–10K followers
- Micro: 10K–100K followers
- Macro: 100K–1M followers
- Mega/Celebrity: 1M+ followers
But while bigger numbers might get a brand’s attention, larger numbers aren’t always better in influencer marketing. Smaller, highly engaged audiences are often preferred over sheer volume.
Your social media portfolio needs to be tight and cohesive if you want to attract brands. Your followers’ engagement is very important. Hopefully, you do not have fake followers, as these would be obvious based on their engagement level.
Your social media represents your professionalism and is attached to your personal brand. Some key areas where quality is always consistent include photography, writing, and video creation. It’s okay to outsource editing or social media management. Brands do not care if you do it all yourself or if you have a team, as long as you are professional and have an audience demographic close to what they are looking for.
How to Get Noticed by Brands
The following are six ways to get noticed:
Engage with Brands: Just engage with the brands you love by tagging them in posts, commenting on their content, and sharing your personal story of how you are connected to their products.
Personal Outreach: DM or email an intro of yourself. Tell them why you love their brand, how long you’ve followed them, and why you’d be such a great partner. Share your social stats and request a contact to discuss a potential collaboration.
Utilize Influencer Marketing Platforms: Sign up for influencer marketing platforms where collaborations and brand campaigns are listed. Many of those platforms outline a budget and guidelines on content and very often give the possibility to apply for an opportunity.
Contact Influencer Agencies: Many brands work with agencies to handle influencer relationships. Research influencer marketing agencies and contact them so that you get an idea of which brands they work with and reach out for collaboration opportunities. One of the best influencer marketing agencies you can partner with is HireInfluence.
Work with a manager: Find an influencer manager who will do all the work for you. Often, these managers have existing relationships with some brands. You can ask around other influencers if they have managers. Ask if they are happy with them, and if so, ask for referrals. Most such influencer managers will work on commission, so they only get paid when they book you jobs.
Leverage Your Network: Use LinkedIn or your industry connections to find and connect with people working in the marketing departments of the brands you want to collaborate with.
Building Long-Term Relationships
It’s not just about building the relationship but about maintaining it. Keep in touch with your contacts, ask how you can collaborate in the future, and always offer value. Consistency is key to persistence and professionalism in long-term partnerships.
Outsourcing and Collaboration
Don’t be afraid to outsource professional help in content creation. Hire top-rated photographers, videographers, or social media managers who can let you free up your time.
Finally, successful collaborations between influencers and brands all come down to persistence, quality content, networking, and teamwork. Keep honing your skills, building those connections, and pursuing your objectives doggedly.
Further Reading: YouTube Versus Instagram Influencer Marketing
Published by: Khy Talara