Building Stronger Brand-Creator Relationships: 3 Key Ways
Q1 2023 media buying is upon us, and many brands are thinking about it all wrong. Put simply, most brands think like advertisers, not like YouTube community members. If you are planning your 2023 media content strategy, consider these three tips to bring some empathy to your relationships with influencers and, in turn, maximize the impact of your program.
1. Create Content Together
Invite creators to your business and create content together. Then publish that content on your brand-owned YouTube channel. It is a really simple strategy, but it will help you create content that audiences care about, and it will put a face to your brand. Audiences on YouTube want to know what your brand stands for, who is behind it, and whether it can be trusted. It is nearly impossible to convey all this in a 60-second ad in an influencer integration. To build a direct relationship with your audience, co-create a few pieces of content each month on your channel that are entertaining and help audiences better understand what your brand stands for. Don’t overthink the content strategy. Largely recreate what is working for your influencer partners and enhance it through your brand’s participation.
2. Update Your Talking Points
Do not use the same talking points you used in 2022 in 2023. Audiences will become annoyed by your brand if they hear the same ad copy over and over again. Moreover, you put creators at risk and put them into potentially uncomfortable situations with their audiences. Instead create dynamic scripts that allow creators to put their own spin on the talking points. Personalization here is key, especially if you can get the creators to use your product and speak about their use in detail. This will keep the creative fresh, keep audiences engaged with your ad for longer view durations, and likely result in stronger KPI performance.
3. Ask About Creators’ Content Calendars
You may have a budgeting calendar, but you need to remember that creators have a content calendar too. Speak candidly about your influencer partners about the months that are most important to you, and also talk to your creator partners to learn which months they want to promote your brand in. This should facilitate a conversation around the specific videos your partners intend to make. From there, you can work together to pick the video topics that are most closely aligned with your brand, which should result in stronger KPI performance.
