Thanks to everyone who read and shared thoughts with us on the first post in our series of sustainable business tips for success online! In that post, I shared three common mistakes sustainable brands make on Instagram, with my tips on how to fix them. Let’s build off of that with a focus on one of Instagram’s greatest challenges for businesses: influencer strategy.
Influencer strategy is your plan for working with bloggers and content creators who will share your product or service with their audience through sponsored content such as reviews, photos/videos, giveaways etc. This also includes gifting, which is when a brand sends free product to an influencer in exchange for a post. There are plenty of great marketing blogs that cover influencer strategy, so this is really only a small piece of the puzzle, but I think every small brand should begin with this foundation for knowing which influencers to work with, and how to work with them, to best benefit your brand:
How To Choose The Right Influencers For Your Sustainable Brand
Do they fit your aesthetic?
While working with influencers might be new territory for you, it’s really just a form of advertising. Thinking of it this way helps you understand why finding the right fit is so important. Have you ever taken an ad out in a magazine or website? You don’t just choose any ol’ magazine. You find one that fits your subject matter, since the audience reading is clearly into that, and may be interested in your offering.
Therefore, the influencer you choose has to have viewers who might buy what you’re selling. The first step to this is making sure their vibe fits your vibe. Can you actually see yourself, your branding, worked naturally into this influencer’s feed? If not, you might be wasting your time. The viewers won’t want to see something that doesn’t fit their aesthetic, and the influencer won’t want to disappoint their audience, so it just doesn’t work.
Do they fit your price point?
Shopping sustainably is often more expensive (think fast fashion vs ethical fashion price points), and conscious consumers are okay with that! But not everyone is a conscious consumer. First of all, you want to work with someone who “gets” why your items are priced the way they would, who might even buy them herself. If she fits your visual aesthetic (above) but posts fast fashion hauls every week, it’s not likely that her audience is going to buy from you, even if they think your shop is nice. They’re looking for a deal; they’re not your people. That’s not to say you can’t capture a new market, but working with influencers is really most successful when it’s one that aligns with your ideal customer or client.
Who else do they work with?
It’s always a good idea to check out who the influencer has worked with in the past. You invested time and money to produce goods responsibly, in small batches (or one-by-one if it’s handmade), in the most sustainable way, so ideally you’ll work with someone who holds those values too (again, because they are likely to share that with an audience of people who are into it). Not all influencers have the same values, so I think it’s important to take a quick peek at past partnerships and see if they align. That said, don’t forget that creating content is an influencers job. I’ve worked with many influencers who said yes to partnerships because it made sense financially, even though it wasn’t a 100% fit for their brand. That’s life and we all have to make decisions like that at some point, so keep that in mind too.
That’s so much to unpack when it comes to Instagram, and we’ve only just begun!
Sustainable brands, do you have an influencer strategy in place? Let me know what sustainable business tips you’d like answered next time!
your two cents