
1. SEE BEYOND THE NUMBERS
If you are choosing to work with small influencers, chances are that your budget will not accommodate a post by Beyoncé or one of the Kardashians – this is absolutely fine.So, instead of getting obsessed about the amount of followers or likes an influencer has, look carefully at meaningful engagement: comments left under a post on Instagram, numbers of shares a piece of content has on Facebook, etc. These are the the meaningful interactions to keep in mind.
2. WATCH FOR A WHILE
Found an influencer that you would love to work with? Don’t rush to reach out.
Put the chosen influencer(s) under a little watch list (tip: follow them and enable notifications for two weeks). Get to know an influencer, the frequency of posts, by observing the quality and consistency of the content you have fallen in love with. By doing so will confirm that you either you have found the right influencer to collaborate with your brand, or not.
3. NARROW YOUR MESSAGE
Never contact an influencer (or anyone that you want to work withy) until you have a clear idea of what you want from that person. And no, that isn’t that 85-slide Power Point presentation you have about your company. This is the real task. In other words you need to clarify exactly which product or service you will have the influencer talking about and when this will be released.
4. ASK QUESTIONS
Hiring a new influencer to work with you is a bit like hiring someone to work at your office: you want to make sure you both ‘click’ and that the person will be a bonus, not a burden, once you start to work together. Ask questions almost as if it was a job interview (any travel plans? Family? Strong personality assets?) Also allow some opportunity for the influencer to convince you that it is a win-win partnership, because you really don’t want someone that is only doing it for the money.
5. UP THE GAME
Some may say ‘Never change a winning team or formula’. However in an era where information and content are created at the speed of light, there is a burden on brands never live on past successes. Even if your initial collaboration with micro or stablished influencers is doing well, be prepared to up the game with new requirements, new ideas and new ways to showcase your product and services. There is no bullet-proof influencer marketing strategy, especially no marketing strategy that will last forever. Get ahead of the game and dare to evolve your brand’s strategy.
PHOTO: Spencer Selover

Marcio Delgado is a Journalist, speaker and a Content Producer working with brands and publications in the UK and Latin America.