Working with bloggers and influencers is a relatively new concept with little “textbook” advice on the subject. It can be difficult to create positive influencer relations. Anyone can work with an influencer once. The challenging part is creating positive recurring collaboration. How is this done? Below, we are sharing four tips from a micro-influencer.

How to Create Positive Influencer Relations

Influencers always prefer to be paid. They want to benefit as much from the collaboration as your company benefits. Creating positive influencer relations is especially difficult when you are given a limited budget to work with. However, there are a few ways to make your collaboration as mutually beneficial as possible.

4 Tips from a Micro-Influencer

1. When you are looking for influencers to partner with, start by following them on social media. Engage with their posts and show that you have an interest in them.
   • If the collaboration goes well, continue to follow them. Influencers will notice if you unfollow them immediately after the collaboration. And this leaves a bad taste in their mouth about your brand.
2. “One and done” collaborations are bad for all parties involved.
   • Influencers prefer long-term collaborations. An influencer’s followers appreciate repetition when it comes to the collaborations they see. Repetition shows brand loyalty. It also proves to fans that the influencer actually uses your product/service. Remember, the more legitimate the collaboration is, the more likely fans will swipe up and visit your website to try your product/service.
3. Influencers deserve credit, payment, or both. If you want a happy influencer (who is easy to work with), you need to give them at least one of these.
   • Be considerate of the influencer’s time. Do not ask or expect them to provide you with stunning content for free. Good content takes hours to create! It is not fair to ask them to be free labor.
   • If you have a small budget (or no budget), provide them with free products. You can also incentivize them by offering to tag them in the final posts. Many micro-influencers will say yes to this option because it helps them reach new audiences.
4. Make the collaboration a mutually beneficial deal.
   • Be clear with what your company is looking to get out of the collaboration. Are you trying to get more website visits? Are you trying to create more brand awareness in a new market? Make these goals clear to the influencer. That way, they can create their content with your goal in mind.

For More Tips

If you want to learn more about best practices for working with influencers, this article shares a great perspective.