HypeAuditor has released the global results of its “Influencer Outreach Survey”, providing insights into what influencers want to see from brand partners and why they would refuse to work with brands.
The survey, which polled social media influencers across the globe, showed that 43 per cent of influencers reported to have never or rarely received a personalised message from a brand tailored to their platform. This means in a large proportion of cases, influencers are being approached by brands with generic, cut and paste style messages without personalisation to them or their platform.
The survey also revealed why influencers would refuse to work with a brand, with the top reasons being that they do not like or value the brand (51 per cent), that they were not happy with the budget (42 per cent) and they were told exactly what to write and had no creative freedom (38 per cent).
When asked what they’d like to see in messages from brands, to make it easier to select potential brand partners, the following top reasons were selected:
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59 per cent of influencers stated they’d like to see a clear idea of available budgets and expected deliverables
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61 per cent of influencers want a clear description of the product or service to be advertised
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More than half (51 per cent) asked for information on the company they would be aligning with.
Despite the rise of social media talent agencies in the last decade, only 15 per cent of influencers have opted to work with agents. In addition, more than two thirds (67 per cent) of the influencers surveyed that work with agents and talent agencies prefer to be contacted directly by brands. In fact, 40 per cent of all influencers questioned stated that they prefer to be contacted directly on their social platform. Email communications remain the preferred methods by 51 per cent of influencers surveyed.
On average, each month, most influencers (37 per cent) receive one to three messages sent by brands; most enquiries are in relation to free product testings (for 33 per cent influencers), collaboration on sponsor posts (31 per cent influencers), and brand ambassador proposals (for 18 per cent influencers). However, only one to two brands’ enquiries result in paid collaborations for almost 39 per cent respondents.
Alex Frolov, CEO of HypeAuditor, said: “We know that the best brand and influencer relationships are based on authenticity and meaning. This research has reinforced that from an influencer perspective, it is so important for brands to strike the right tone in their communication to influencers, prioritising personalisation and clarity above anything else. With our new outreach tool, we’ve made it easier than ever for brands to discover, analyse and reach out to potential influencers, all in one platform”.
To coincide with the launch of the Influencer Brand Survey, HypeAuditor has launched its Influencer Outreach tool, to allow marketers to research and liaise with influencers from within the HypeAuditor platform. Helping to remove friction and increase efficiency for brand marketers, Alex Frolov has also developed these top tips for brands marketers to improve how they communicate with influencers:
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Know your audience and your influencers – use research and insights tools to identify influencers that are relevant to your target audience and also assess the quality of the influencer’s audience, to ensure any budget spent reaches potential customers and not bot accounts.
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Let’s get personal – The majority of influencers share a lot of information about them online, use this to your advantage. Get to know them and personalise your sales pitch according to their likes.
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Clarity is key – ensure you have the important facts in your messages to help influencers make a more informed decision. Details on the product services, timelines, budgets and expected deliverables should all be listed in the initial outreach
Melbourne-based influencer Vicki Louise, who is on Instagram as @maketimetoseetheworld, says she agrees with the report’s findings that a lack of personalisation can be damaging to the potential relationship.
“I ignore all emails that are sent to multiple creators either publicly or as a BCC,” Louise says. “I want to know that they understand my brand. It’s annoying when brands get in touch expecting contra campaigns for cheap or irrelevant products,” she said.
