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COMPLETE  GUIDE  TO  WORKING  WITH  INSTAGRAM  INFLUENCERS  

BY  #PAID

Your  customers  are  following  individuals  they  relate  to  and  aspire  to  be.  Those  individuals,  due  to  their  compelling  and  influen<al  social  media  presence,  are  known  as  influencers.  Partnering  with  these  influencers  drives  growth  for  your  business  and  brand  by  cu?ng  through  the  noise  and  reaching  your  target  customer  through  the  people  they  choose  to  follow  and  aspire  to  emulate.  

This  guide  includes:  

• How  to  work  with  influencers  • How  to  pick  the  right  type  of  influencer  • Case  studies  including  how  one  brand  brought  in  250K  in  

revenue  with  a  4K  ad  spend!

WHY  INSTAGRAM  INFLUENCERS?

What  you  need  to  know  to  run  a  campaignTHE  BASICS

1.  RECRUITING   Beyond  finding  talent,  you  need  to  vet  their  followers  and  confirm  that  their  engagement  is  real.  It  is  necessary  to  ensure  that  the  influencers  you  choose  have  an  audience  that  meets  your  target  demographic.  AMer  a  few  years  of  recruiNng  influencers  for  a  variety  of  brands,  we’ve  designed  #paid  to  help  you  be  more  efficient  and  effecNve  in  finding  the  right  influencer  -­‐  and  we’re  excited  to  share  our  insights  with  you.  

  Some  Instagram  Influencers  will  have  a  point  of  contact  in  their  bio,  but  the  ways  that  you  can  work  with  them  will  vary  from  person  to  person.  Some  will  work  directly  with  your  brand  or  agency,  others  will  have  an  intermediary  such  as  a  manager.  Once  you’ve  connected  with  the  right  talent  and  veXed  them  appropriately,  you  can  start  collaboraNng  and  creaNng  content.

  “Ve[ng  that  all  of  our  influencers  have  authenNc,  engaged  followings  ensures  that  our  brands  can  feel  confident  about  who  they  work  with,”  states  Adam  Robles,  Head  of  Brand  Strategy  at  #paid,  who  has  executed  campaigns  with  ranging  from  global  brands  like  Pepsi  to  established  small  businesses,  such  as  Yellow  Shoes.    

The  most  important  aspect  of  all  campaigns  is  being  able  to  determine  brand  fit  with  the  influencer  so  that  your  company’s  message  can  be  authenNcally  communicated  through  their  voice.    

2.  COLLABORATING

  Working  with  influencers  will  typically  involve  a  back  and  forth  exchange  of  ideas  around  how  to  create  the  most  compelling  piece  of  content.  This  is  the  most  important  component  of  a  successful  campaign.    

  Maxime  Houde-­‐Shulman  (aka  @YourGirlMax),  Head  of  Sponsorships  at  #paid  and  an  influencer  with  extremely  high  engagement,  explains:  “When  you  change  the  voice  of  the  influencer  for  the  brand,  it  doesn’t  work.  Sponsored  content  has  to  look  and  sound  like  the  influencer,  because  their  followers  have  goXen  used  to  their  voice  and  have  chosen  to  follow  them  because  they  like  what  they  do.”    

  While  it  is  possible  to  manage  a  dozen  collaboraNons  with  influencers  over  email,  it  can  definitely  be  a  challenge.  If  you  are  managing  your  campaigns  this  way,  we  suggest  using  a  simple  CRM  soluNon  or  a  spreadsheet  to  keep  notes.  

3.  CONFIRMING  YOUR  CAMPAIGN     Once  you’ve  worked  with  an  influencer  to  find  the  right  way  to  tell  your  brand  story  through  their  authenNc  voice,  you  have  to  confirm  the  photo,  the  copy,  and  the  Nming  of  the  post.  One  other  element  that  is  crucial  to  consider  is  ownership  of  the  content.  Just  because  you  paid  for  a  post  to  go  up  on  an  influencer’s  Instagram  account,  doesn’t  mean  you  can  repurpose  that  content  for  your  own  markeNng  needs.  This  factor  should  be  outlined,  in  full,  in  your  official  agreement  with  the  influencer.  “We  know  it’s  important  to  brands  that  they  own  and  can  reuse  and  repurpose  the  content  produced,”  says  Adam  Rivetz,  “It’s  why  we’ve  done  all  of  the  legal  work  to  ensure  that  brands  have  all  of  the  rights  to  the  content  influencers  create.”

  The  other  thing  you  must  keep  in  mind  is  the  importance  of  FTC  Disclosure.“At  #paid,  we  want  to  make  sure  that  the  brands  and  agencies  we  work  with  are  protected  from  any  potenNal  negaNvity  when  working  with  influencers  –  it's  one  of  the  reasons  we  named  our  company  aMer  one  of  the  five  different  mandatory  disclosures  suggested  by  the  FTC  for  sponsored  content.”  

  Maxime  echoes  this  senNment.  She  agrees  that,  when  done  effecNvely,  disclosing  when  content  is  sponsored  doesn't  hurt  a  campaign  and  can  actually  improve  the  audience’s  percepNon  of  both  the  brand  and  the  influencer.  “On  my  page,  whether  it’s  with  #paid  at  the  end  or  saying  ‘Happy  to  be  collaboraNng  with,’  or  tagging  the  brand…I  think  it’s  important  to  let  my  followers  know  that  I  am  being  sponsored  by  this  brand,”  she  says.  “I  did  a  campaign  with  Nike  about  two  months  ago  and  my  followers  loved  it.  They  like  to  see  me  associated  with  a  brand  that’s  already  cool…as  long  it’s  done  in  a  transparent  way.”    

4.  ANALYZING   Since  measuring  the  effecNveness  of  your  campaigns  is  always  the  hardest  part,  your  brand  should  outline  the  campaign  goals  prior  to  engaging  with  influencers.  AMer  you  have  assembled  a  crew  of  influencers,  collaborated  with  them  over  email  or  in  person,  and  approved  and  executed  the  posts,  you  need  to  review  the  campaign  metrics  to  prove  the  effecNveness  and  ROI  of  the  campaign.  Establishing  and  measuring  the  metrics  that  maXer  is  the  most  important  step  in  running  a  campaign,  whether  your  goals  are  brand  awareness  or  generaNng  traffic  for  a  specific  product.  

  “When  we  first  started  out,  we  kept  everything  in  spreadsheets.  We  had  spreadsheets  with  followers,  engagement,  clicks,  and  formulas  to  assess  effecNveness,”  Bryan  Gold,  co-­‐founder  of  #paid,  recalls.  “Over  Nme,  we’ve  managed  to  bake  the  most  important  metrics  into  a  single  dashboard  that  makes  our  lives  –  and  our  customers’  lives  –  much  easier.”    

How  to  collaborate  with  influencers  for  brand  new  campaigns.

COLLABORATE  AND  LISTEN

  When  you  start  working  with  influencers  as  a  brand  or  agency  it’s  important  to  have  a  clearly  defined  idea  of  what  you  want  your  content  to  be.  At  #paid,  we’ve  found  the  most  successful  brand  partnerships  with  influencers  involve  a  collaboraNve  process  between  talent  and  brand  needs.  Instagram  influencers  have  built  their  followings  and  their  value  by  knowing  what  resonates  with  their  target  audience  over  Nme.  EssenNally,  as  a  brand  looking  to  communicate  with  an  influencer’s  following,  you  want  to  make  sure  to  do  it  in  their  voice.  The  most  successful  campaigns  are  those  that  incorporate  the  brand’s  personality  with  the  authenNcity  of  the  influencer.

1.  DEVELOP  TRUST   When  launching  a  campaign  for  your  brand,  it's  important  to  trust  the  feedback  you  will  get  from  the  influencers  you  are  working  with.  This  is  important  for  two  reasons:  

• They  know  and  understand  their  audience  beXer  than  anyone,  and  can  quickly  determine  how  to  get  your  message  to  resonate  with  your  target  audience  

• They  are  equally  invested  in  the  success  of  the  post—  they  want  to  engage  their  following  WITH  your  brand  message  because  engagement  and  reach  are  their  currency

2.  LEVERAGE  CREDIBILITY   AdverNsers  and  marketers  who  understand  that  they  can’t  simply  put  a  predetermined  message  in  front  of  a  bunch  of  consumers  and  garner  business  tend  to  have  the  most  successful  influencer  campaigns.  Audiences  have  chosen  these  Instagram  influencers  to  be  a  part  of  their  daily  habits;  it  is  as  close  as  a  brand  can  get  to  collaboraNng  with  someone  who  has  over  a  million  friends  who  care  about  what  they  have  to  say.

3.  CHOOSE  WISELY   The  three  types  of  influencers  you  can  work  with  are:  Lifestyle  Influencers,  Point  of  View  Influencers,  and  Persons  of  Interest.  Depending  on  your  product,  these  three  types  of  influencers  could  have  very  different  perspecNves  on  how  to  promote  your  product.    

  It’s  important  to  take  a  good  look  at  all  of  the  influencers  you  are  thinking  of  working  with  and  taking  the  Nme  to  understand  their  strengths  and  weaknesses  before  starNng  a  campaign  with  them.  Depending  on  what  you  are  selling,  different  types  of  influencers  will  be  more  appropriate  than  others.

Lifestyle  Influencer Point  of  View  Influencer Persons  of  InterestTo  learn  more  about  the  difference  types  of  influencers  you  can  work  with,  keep  an  eye  out  for  our  upcoming  whitepaper.  

LIFESTYLE

Lifestyle  Influencers  have  followers  that  care  about  them,  the  products  they  use,  and  what  they  consume.  In  other  words,  their  followers  follow  them  to  fulfil  catharNc  and  aspiraNonal  desires.  

POINT  OF  VIEW

Point  of  View  Influencers  show  the  world  as  it  exists  through  their  eyes.  They  are  incredibly  adept  at  capturing  the  essence  of  their  environment  and  what  is  in  front  of  them.  Their  followers  are  interested  in  seeing  the  world  through  their  eyes,  and  are  typically  tasteful,  aspiraNonal,  and  creaNve.    

CELEBRITY

Celebri6es  are  famous  for  reasons  beyond  their  digital  presence,  like  an  actor  or  musician.  Their  endorsement  carries  a  very  different  value  to  your  brand,  and  their  followers  typically  view  them  as  a  celebrity  who  is  less  relatable  than  a  Lifestyle  or  Point  of  View  Influencer.  

How  Frank  and  Oak  succeeded  by  le?ng  influencers  use  their  own  voice  

CASE  STUDY

  For  the  last  6  months,  Frank  and  Oak  has  been  working  with  influenNal  Instagram  influencers  through  #paid.  Their  brand  has  had  tremendous  success  in  giving  our  influencers  enough  flexibility  to  express  themselves  while  also  promoNng  their  key  brand  messages.    

  In  their  biggest  campaign  to  date,  Frank  and  Oak  reached  over  500K  consumers  and  drove  over  $250K  in  revenue  through  a  crowdfunding  campaign  to  open  pop-­‐up  stores  in  the  USA.  They  conNnue  to  use  #paid  to  work  with  a  broad  cross-­‐secNon  of  influencers  with  both  large  and  small  followings.    

  The  key  to  their  success?  Giving  each  influencer  creaNve  control  over  the  content  while  ensuring  that  their  goals  are  always  met.  

GENUINE  BRAND  ENGAGEMENT

@SAMMYEASTERLING  gets  his  Followers  excited  about  @FrankAndOak

DOWNLOAD  CASE  STUDY

Working  with  Influencers  to  amplify  exis<ng  campaigns

AMPLIFYING  

  For  brands  and  agencies  that  want  to  Ne  their  Instagram  influencer  campaign  to  exisNng  campaigns,  it  is  important  to  find  the  balance  between  the  current  creaNve  direcNon  and  the  input  of  the  Instagram  influencers  you  choose  to  work  with.  In  the  case  of  amplificaNon  with  a  pre-­‐exisNng  campaign,  collaboraNng  with  influencers  has  more  to  do  with  how  to  spread  a  pre-­‐determined  message,  than  craMing  a  new  one.    

  When  your  brand  is  looking  to  influence  the  purchasing  paXerns  of  consumers  through  someone  else's  voice,  the  most  important  thing  to  do  is  solicit  feedback  as  early  as  possible  so  your  campaign  can  ebb  and  flow  in  order  to  conNnuously  resonate  with  your  intended  audience.

1.  SELECTING  INFLUENCERS   When  selecNng  influencers  for  a  campaign  your  agency  has  prepared,  it  is  crucial  to  focus  on  establishing  brand  fit  as  well  as  campaign  fit  from  the  onset.  Find  influencers  that  have  already  shown  an  authenNc  affinity  towards  the  campaign  you’ve  designed  for  the  brand.  It’s  not  enough  to  find  influencers  who  are  brand  users  or  ambassadors,  they  should  also  be  aligned  with  your  specific  content  or  key  message.  

2.  DEMONSTRATE  SOCIAL  PROOF  FOR  THE  CAMPAIGN     Influencers  want  to  be  a  part  of  the  larger  picture.  With  an  integrated  campaign  that  is  mulN-­‐plavorm  and  mulN-­‐dimensional  (reaching  other  audiences  via  mediums  such  as  tradiNonal  media,  PR,  or  other  social  networks)  it  is  important  to  show  the  influencer  that  they  are  contribuNng  to  something  that  is  already  awesome.    

  When  they  are  working  on  a  campaign  that  already  has  tracNon  and  authenNc  engagement  and  their  role  is  to  amplify  it,  it’s  far  more  effecNve  to  get  influencers  excited  and  want  to  become  a  part  of  the  bigger  movement.  Excitement  is  contagious  and,  when  they  care  about  the  campaign,  influencers  are  able  to  amplify  your  viral  brand  message  authenNcally.  

3.  STICKING  POINTS  AND  PARAMETERS   Remember:  while  it  is  important  to  give  arNsNc  license  to  the  influencer  you  are  working  with,  you  have  to  balance  it  with  the  core  objecNves  of  your  campaign.  Figuring  out  the  most  important  elements  of  the  campaign  in  advance,  your  “sNcking  points”,  will  help  give  influencers  an  idea  of  what  they  need  to  do  in  order  to  meet  your  objecNves.  This  includes  specific  imagery,  social  tags  and  hashtags.    

Example  of  S6cking  Points  •The  product’s  branding  must  be  in  clear  sight  • The  product’s  name  must  be  included  as  an  acNon  the  influencer  is  taking  (drinking  x,  wearing  y)  

• The  brand  has  to  be  tagged  @brandname  • #brandstory  needs  to  be  included  within  the  first  100  characters  • There  must  be  a  call-­‐to-­‐acNon  for  followers  to  use  the  #brandstory  

  EssenNally,  parameters  are  the  range  of  expectaNons  you  might  have  and  where  you  will  be  willing  to  compromise  if  the  influencer  has  ideas  that  are  outside  of  the  original  scope  of  the  campaign.  Understanding  your  parameters  is  the  other  half  of  ensuring  that  your  campaign  is  successful.  Parameters  will  help  guide  you  and  the  influencer’s  discussion  around  what  can  be  done  to  make  the  campaign  more  engaging  to  your  target  consumers,  and  what  should  be  leM  out.  

Example  Parameters:  • The  ways  in  which  the  product  can  be  integrated  into  the  influencer’s  lifestyle—  elements  of  that  lifestyle  reflected  must  be  family  friendly  

• The  ways  in  which  the  brand  prefers  to  receive  praise  from  the  influencer  as  being  something  they  use,  and  trust—  the  influencer  has  license  to  interpret  what  that  means  for  their  own  audience  

• AddiNonal  hashtags  must  be  approved  by  the  brand  in  advance  

4.  PROVIDE  ACCESS  TO  AS  MANY  CAMPAIGN  ASSETS  AS  POSSIBLE     When  you  give  the  influencer  you  are  working  with  a  preview  of  the  underlying  message,  you  want  to  communicate  clearly  and  offer  them  opNons  with  regards  to  the  brand  assets  they  can  incorporate  into  their  posts  SomeNmes  influencers  will  have  different  perspecNves  than  marketers,  and  will  want  to  use  assets  that  otherwise  wouldn’t  be  used.  If  these  are  items  that  you  have  already  invested  in  and  are  on-­‐brand  and  on-­‐message,  let  them  have  it  and  be  creaNve!  Let  loose  a  liXle  bit  and  let  the  influencer  do  what  they’re  good  at  -­‐  they’re  the  experts  in  reaching  their  audience,  aMer  all.    

  The  result?  AuthenNc  brand  engagement  with  followers.  Our  influencers  “inspired”,  “moNvated”,  and  “moved”  their  followers  with  the  stories  they  chose  to  tell,  while  also  totally  nailing  the  brand  message.

How  AXE  leveraged  the  authen<c  voice  of  Instagram  influencers  to  amplify  their  #SelfMaker  Campaign

CASE  STUDY

  In  one  of  our  favourite  campaigns,  an  agency  had  created  a  series  of  videos  around  a  number  of  influenNal  entrepreneurs  and  entertainers  that  were  all  Axe  #Selfmakers.  #paid  helped  them  partner  with  a  number  of  top  influencers  to  amplify  their  message  through  Instagram.  They  gave  arNsNc  license  to  the  influencers  they  worked  with,  and  allowed  them  to  incorporate  their  message  however  they  wanted.  Their  sNcking  points  included  the  hashtag  #SelfMaker  and  a  call-­‐to-­‐acNon  to  check  out  the  videos.    

  This  campaign  resonated  with  each  influencer’s  audience  for  two  reasons:  the  influencer  could  choose  which  #SelfMaker  story  they  posted,  and  they  could  choose  how  to  narraNvize  the  post.  By  giving  license  to  Instagram  influencers,  Axe  Canada  was  able  authenNcally  engage  a  broad  cross  secNon  of  communiNes  on  Instagram.  

GENUINE  BRAND  ENGAGEMENT

@ori.ginals  inspires  his  Followers  to  be  #SelfMakers

Thank  you  for  reading  this  guide.  At  #paid  we  believe  that  reaching  consumers  authen<cally  in  the  places  they  choose  to  pay  aOen<on  to  is  crucial  to  any  brand  or  agency  campaign.    

With  that  said,  have  a  great  campaign  and  grow  your  brand!

THANK  YOU