Nonprofits have to rely on social media for advertising more than simply for communicating with followers and clients. Influencer partnerships and marketing are a good option for nonprofit organizations to reach their target audience with help from popular and applicable public personalities. People view influencers as trendsetters who they can trust to make a decision and give advice on the right brands, products and causes they should support. 

If you’re a nonprofit, it’s a great move to align yourself with an influencer who’s trusted by your target audience so you can use their network and expand your reach. This article will help give guidance on how to build a relationship with an influencer for a successful campaign. 

1. Start by researching.

Before you reach out to an influencer, take some time to do some research and find the right one for your organization. Look at their content and previous posts and interact with it by sharing them, and leaving likes and comments. This helps you start building the foundation for the relationship. When you reach out, your email or message should be personalized to them and their work to show that you’re a fan of theirs. Influencers want to feel special and different from the competition, so avoid a mass email type of approach. 

2. Build the relationship.

A common mistake made by organizations is that they approach the influencer relationship like a transaction. That’s the wrong way to go. Instead, focus on building a lasting and trusting relationship with them because influencers want to link up with organizations on a more long-term basis that will benefit both parties. 

3. Be clear about the task.

It’s important to be very clear about what you want from them. According to Pamela Andrews, a marketer at Study demic and Revieweal, you should “start with something small and simple that won’t require much work from them. As time passes and your relationship develops, you can get more complex. Be sure to give them flexibility to be creative and modify your content to suit their style and voice.” 

4. Let them bring up compensation.

If you don’t have a budget to pay them, it’s important that you just send them your request and leave compensation for them to bring up, which they will. Social media is their business so if you have no budget, the ask must be simple and require no work from them. It’s best if you can portray how it will be beneficial to them in another way. For example, if you’ve had positive success in the past and a chance for them to expand their audience or showcase their creativity, or you can offer your organization’s help with any of their projects. 

5. The request to the influencer.

Influencers often don’t have a lot of extra time, so you should ask something small which takes up little to no time, especially if they’re working pro bono. When you’re writing your ask to the influencer, think about addressing your organization in a way that they will care about it without requiring much work. 

Make the promotion feel more like a partnership between you two, although you should be developing most of the material and bring them in for key points to keep their workload minimal while still giving them ownership. Think about what will have the most impact while taking the least amount of time from the influencer, keeping in mind what would interest them the most and make it seem effortless for them to do. 

6. Package your request.

If you have decided that a photoshoot with the influencer is the best way to go, you should also decide and agree in advance how it will be posted and what hashtags have to be used. Louis Thurlow, a communication manager at Write My Australia and Top Canadian Writers explains, “It’s important to agree on all of this beforehand because it’s too late afterwards. Make sure the agreement is in writing so you can refer back to it later.” 

By following these 6 steps, you can easily build a successful influencer campaign. Even if you’re a nonprofit organization and you have little to no budget for marketing and social media, you can still build a mutually beneficial partnership with a key influencer. 

 

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Ellie Coverdale, a technical and marketing writer at Elite Assignment Help and Australian Reviewer, is involved in social media and marketing projects with small businesses and nonprofits. She enjoys helping companies expand their audience by using modern tools and technologies. She also teaches writing at UK Services Reviews

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