Certain broad-strokes principles of influencer marketing are non-negotiable. Authenticity. Respect for audience. The right match of content creator and brand partner. They’re the vital, basic building blocks. But beyond these, there are some less obvious - but just as important - factors that brands and creators can bring to the table to supercharge the success of a working relationship.

These are the day-to-day, mutual needs and desired qualities that make a partnership especially enriching and rewarding for brands and content creators alike. The things that both sides of the equation need from each other, to take an activation partnership to the next level and deliver a whole extra tier of value. Nail the following, and your influencer marketing collaborations will become even more personally and professionally rewarding.

Flexibility

As we’ve explained plenty on this here blog, good influencer marketing content comes from true collaboration. Getting the right message to the right audience, in a way that benefits brand and creator alike, can only happen via the right content. And the specifics of that content are unique to every brand/creator relationship.

Just as every friendship or marriage is - in theory - about a specific combination of personalities working in tandem to create something greater on their own distinctive terms, individual influencer marketing partnerships should be considered unique entities to explore together. Content creators have to be open to the messaging required by their brand partner, and perhaps sometimes embrace the opportunities for new styles of content that a particular deal offers. And brands must utterly respect a content creator’s voice, audience, content style, and values in order to make sure that they never ask for something inauthentic.

Fundamentally though, if both parties are open to negotiation, some improvisation, and a bit of creative adaptation, the right outcome can always be found. Holding on too hard to early preconceived wants or concrete briefing demands can often get in the way of that.

Transparency

An offshoot notion of the above, but with wider-reaching implications, it’s really, really important that every stage of a brand/influencer relationship is conducted with total openness from both sides. Expectations, enthusiasm for a product or project, work schedules and capabilities, realistic outcomes, reporting of results… All of these factors underpin the successful execution of an influencer marketing activation at various stages, and all need to be fed into the process with clarity and enthusiasm.

Again, a good influencer marketing activation is about what both parties build it into, and an open dedication to maintaining common ground and understanding is the bedrock of a good collaboration.

Ability to deliver

This one goes further than you might think. Obviously an influencer marketing activation that underperforms doesn’t serve anyone as well as they might have hoped. But here, I’m talking about delivery beyond the context of the final numbers. Because however the analytics might turn out, a good attitude toward delivery up to that point can help forge a positive brand/influencer relationship in plenty of other respects.

A ton of bits of logistical nitty-gritty go into building an influencer marketing collaboration, and a prompt, efficient, courteous ability to deliver on time - from both parties - will make for a healthy, mutually-appreciated dynamic that runs like clockwork and garners a great deal of goodwill all round. From channel and audience info, to approval edits of videos, to tracking links, production assets, sample products and game builds, right through to any additional information and context needed to properly understand and tell a product’s story, there are plenty of elements that need to be provided to build an effective activation.

Being good at doing so will go as far as anything in terms of cementing positive, long-term working relationships. Never underestimate the power of making someone else’s life easier.

Investment in the relationship

And jumping off that last point, while a single, one-off influencer marketing activation can get great results for content creator and brand alike, some real magic - and sustained, snowballing benefits - can be accrued when a long-term relationship is maintained. Effective influencer marketing is all about an appreciation of authenticity and trust between brand, content creator, and audience. When the right partnership and content come together for an effective, engaging activation, the only thing that can improve that is consistency.

When a brand’s message resonates with a creator’s audience, and the right chemistry gels, it makes all the sense in the world for both parties to invest in that relationship in the long-term. When an audience like a collaboration, and appreciate a brand’s support for their favourite creastor, the goodwill will only develop over repeat appearances. On the flipside, when a creator gets to know a brand better over repeated collaborations, the potential for higher and higher quality content and storytelling goes through the roof.