#AD #SPON #ANONCE (different language, getting creative) #PARTNER #ADV
However you wanna say it, or read it, it all means one thing- the post you’re looking at was paid for by a company, a marketing cost for the brand, the main way majority of influencers make an income, & the topic for today’s post. This is a subject I feel pretty strongly about, because honestly, there is just so much grey area with this topic.
I did a poll once & when I asked my audience if they feel LESS inclined to purchase a product when they see that #AD. Some people said that if they trust the influencer’s integrity, then NO… but a lot of people were straight up YES- they just don’t trust an opinion as much as they feel the rave review was paid for.
WELL WELL WELL, I cant’ speak for other bloggers, but I can speak for myself & that is what I want to do today… because honestly, how you go about #AD’s can really make or break your personal brand & kinda mess with the integrity of this whole industry. SO, let me break down for you guys my personal guidelines for running ads!
THE 5 FASHIONLUSH RULES FOR WORKING WITH BRANDS
1. IT HAS TO BE A GOOD FIT:
This one should be a no brainer!!! I saw an influencer recently run an ad for prenatal vitamins & the importance of them in pregnancy but she is NOT pregnant. That, my friends, is a bad fit. Hard liquor for me, hard no. I don’t drink, I’m vocal about not drinking (other than occasional beer!), posting about a tequila brand would not make sense.
I have made the mistake of working with a brand that was not a good fit & it not only did it not sit well with me, it didn’t translate & only weakened my brand. I never made that mistake again.
2. MY AUDIENCE MUST RELATE TO THE CONTENT:
When it comes to brand collaborations I always think about my audience first- is this something they will appreciate? Find useful? Relate to? If it aligns with my audience interests/demographics, I am open to learning more.
The whole idea between brand collaborations is CONVERSION & if your audience doesn’t relate to the content it won’t convert. I am sure some influencers don’t care & just want that paper, but I do care. If a collaboration doesn’t convert well, I feel disappointed in myself that the campaign wasn’t as succesful as I would’ve hoped. I prefer to create lasting valuable relationships with brands that I know my audience, & myself, already love!
3. IT HAS TO BE MUTUALLY BENEFICIAL:
This is really the whole point behind influencer marketing- a MUTUALLY BENEFICIAL relationship between brands & influencers is they key. I am all about making sure the collaboration is beneficial for the BRAND, but it’s also important that it benefits me more than just financially. Financial is, of course, very important- but creating content for my AUDIENCE is key. I need to relate to the product, feel the product, & yes- I need to be compensated for my work.
Don’t ever underestimate the VALUE of not only the content you create but the audience you have built. Influencer marketing is AN INTEGRAL part of a brands growth strategy, whether brands want to admit it or not (some brands are bitter about this), but it’s true. Don’t sell yourself short, also- they have a budget so don’t be scared to ask for what you deserve… but do so in the form of a rate sheet so you look professional!
4. QUALITY > QUANTITY WHEN IT COMES TO ACCEPTING & POSTING #ADS
Okay, I have a real problem with influencers who feed is AD after AD after AD. It takes the authenticity out of WHY they are doing what they are doing, plus these types of influencers are posting LITERALLY ANYTHING/EVERYTHING/WHATEVER. Dog food one day, shaving cream the next day, hair growth vitamins the next day- it’s as if they went on one of those networks where you can apply for brand collaborations & applied/accepted every single collaboration whether it made sense or not.
I ALWAYS space out my brand collaborations because back to back doesn’t only look spammy & inauthentic, but if you post an #ad every single day or even multiple times a day- you are diluting the quality of your collaborations. This is just is a bad business model- although you may see some money upfront this way, you are kinda thrashing your brand & instead you could use that time BUILDING your brand image, growing an audience, & then hopefully landing one job that pays the same as 20 of those small collabs combined. YA FEEL?
5. ALWAYS TEST THE PRODUCT BEFORE POSTING:
I have a two week rule for hair/skincare product collabs. I need to try it for two weeks before I post about it & that is that. It gives me time to get the know the product enough to come up with an authentic concept for how I plan to promote it + it guarantees I am not promoting something that breaks you out in a rash or makes your hair fall out.
For me, it’s all about trust with my audience & the second I promote a product that is absolute garbage, they will lose trust in me from there on out.
YOUR ROLE AS A CONTENT CONSUMER…
I have seen content consumers be a tad rude about sponsored ads, or more than that, they just choose not to engage because for some reason they lost complete interest once they saw “SPON” at the end of the sentence.
Here’s the thing- you just gotta know your influencer. If you trust their opinion & values, trust they aren’t gonna steer you wrong just for a paycheck. SOME WILL, of course, & I think I kinda covered all the ways you can see that. Posting an ad everyday or posting stuff that makes absolutely no sense for that individual- I get it, you’re gonna lose trust in them & I would too.
But for the ones you trust, the ones who work their asses off, BE SUPPORTIVE OF THE #AD. This is how majority of influencers make money & they work damn hard to create amazing content. If you want your fave blogger to keep providing you with the content of your dreams- you gotta respect the hustle!!!
& LASTLY, A WORD TO THE BRANDS…
I only have two things to say here…
1. BRANDS YOU NEED TO TRUST YOUR INFLUENCERS!!!!
We know how to sell to OUR audience & although I know you have initiatives, you’ve got to trust we know what to do. I have been boxed in before & it’s tough when the collaboration doesn’t convert as well & I KNOW it’s because I had to many guidelines to follow. When a brand lets me do my thing, 10 out of 10 times the collaboration is a huge success.
2. SEEK OUT CURRENT FANS, NOT ONES YOU WISH TO BE FANS!!:
Brands seem to love to go for the hot trendy influencer of the moment, WHICH I GET… but what I don’t see as much is brands going after their current influencer fans. Maybe the audience won’t be as large as the it girl of the moment, but sometimes a smaller audience yields higher conversion (& will cost the brand less)- if a brand picks 50 mid tier influencers who already authentically love the brand, I’m pretty confident they’d get better results than with one bigger blogger who charges the same of all of those 50 combined & has never heard of their product.