Creating Brand Ambassadors
Identify Appropriate Targets:
Influencers work in three ways; driving brand awareness, sales, or both. When launching an influencer marketing campaign, it is important to identify the main objective ahead of time, as this will determine initial outreach and targets. While it may seem obvious to engage the influencer with the largest audience if driving sales is the objective, this may not be the most effective way to market the destination. When creating a target list, consider the below.
Mega-influencers (1M+ followers)
- Celebrity and social media stars driving brand awareness, rather than sales
- Many eyes, less conversations
Macro-influencers (50K-1M followers)
- Tend to focus on one specific topic
- Drive brand awareness and sales to a niche audience
Micro-influencers (5-50K followers)
- Often have more personal relationships with followers
- More likely to sway opinions and drive sales; seen as a peer influencer
Vetting Influencers
After a target list is compiled, it is time to do a deep dive, learning everything possible about each candidate. As noted, there is more to an influencer than the number of people who follow them.
- Engagement: Consider comments just as important as likes. In combination, comments + likes should be 5-10% of total followers.
- Comments: What do they say? Are they related to what your brand wants to promote? Are they action oriented? Do they reach a similar audience/aesthetic?
- Demographics: GroupHigh* allows us to delve into who is following an influencer, providing insight on age, location and gender. It is important to note that these demographics are stringent to the past 30 posts.
For example, if a blogger is traveling in Europe, their European following might spike temporarily. Nonetheless, you should consider these numbers when deciding to host, or not to host, an influencer. Does the age group and location align with your target market?
*Note: GroupHigh is a membership-based database. There are other sites, such as Influence.co, that provide similar information.
- Influencers Following Influencers: Another way to discover influence, is by considering other influencers who are following the person at question. For example, if an influencer is being followed by top celebrities and luxury brands, it is likely that their audience would skew more luxury. Same goes for budget and more adventure focused targets.
Approaching Influencers
Pitching an influencer is much different then pitching a journalist, just as the resulting coverage is much different.
- Mock social posts: Keep pitches short, image-heavy and experience-driven. In the case of travel, coverage isn’t going to develop from a PR pitch, rather an influencer’s actual experience.
- Itinerary: Since posts develop from experience, draft up an itinerary — what can they expect?
- Leave room preference: Because experience is everything for influencers, leave room to ask about their specific preferences when traveling. Maybe they love cooking classes or hate guided tours. Travel itineraries shouldn’t be locked.
- Guests: Not everyone likes traveling alone, or with a group of random people. Be prepped to assume that a guest will be requested — especially as many influencers have a certain photographer or film crew. Each guest scenario should be reviewed independently, determining whether it is deemed appropriate to pay for travel and other expenses.
- Smooth negotiator: Remember, all trade-out agreements are negotiable. If an influencer is paid, how can you make the trip more appealing, therefore knocking down the cost? When vetting influencers, be sure to incorporate their buzz words and favorite things/activities into the pitch. In some instances, the more exciting/luxe the experience is, the more likely a paid influencer will reduce their fee.
Drawing Contracts, Negotiating Terms
First and foremost, contracts are necessary and expected to protect the interests of all parties involved. Outlining expectations not only holds influencers accountable, but also acts as a roadmap to what is expected on the deliverables from the destination and the influencer.
Remember, the goal of an influencer partnership is to be mutually beneficial. Just as an influencer doesn’t want to spam their followers (resulting in “un-follows”), destinations don’t want images to come off as tacky/advertorial. Quality vs. quantity is key!
- Ask the influencer: What do they usually provide in exchange for the partnership secured? Paid partnerships can include posting (temporary and permanent should be included), as well as possible content ownership from the destination. Usually influencers are willing to sell the rights to their imagery, which is useful to destinations that may not have an up-to-date image library.
- Explore the influencers channels: This time, look past visual appeal, engagement and demographics. Ask the following questions: how often does the influencer post per day (on each channel)? How many posts are about one destination (past trips)? How many words are blog posts, how many on one topic? Are there specific angles of interest (culinary, spa, etc.)? All these items should be reviewed when considering a partnership with an influencer.
Executing
Only difference between an influencer and traditional media visit is the image-driven content. While many outlets are moving in that direction, influencers are a different animal. Consider what time of day lighting is best, what angles works and leave TONS of time for free exploration. If guided, also be prepared to be a part time photographer for the duration of the trip — that is if they are traveling sans guest!
Payment
If payment is part of the gig, it should be initiated once a contract is complete and all the deliverables have been met by the influencer – and not one minute before!