Working as an influencer marketing provider, we act as the liaison between the influencers and the brand or agencies. Because most brands and agencies go through an influencer platform, like us, there is often a disconnect between these influencers and the brands they are working with. Most campaigns they never even communicate with one another. For this reason, we wanted to start a new series of articles, “Interview With an Influencer” to show brands how influencers feel about different changes happening in influencer marketing. Each article we’ll ask different questions pertaining to any pressing issues in the industry and, of course, get their burning questions of what they’ve always wanted to ask the brands they are working with.
This month we were lucky enough to talk with two influencers we have worked with in the past to get their insight into all that is going on with Instagram and where they see influencers going in the future.
Starting out we have Marquis Clarke, a Houson based family and lifestyle influencer who runs the successful blog SimplyClarke.
Mattr: “How do you determine your rate? Do you base your rate more on your reach or engagement percentage?”
Marquis: “My rate is determined by a combination of my follower count, reach/engagement percentage, time required for posts, and any other fees associated with the project (for example photography fees or exclusivity fees). My rate also fluctuates based on demand at the time, for example – during the holidays, I receive a lot more requests for coverage and only have a certain number of spots to fill.”
Mattr: “How do you think Instagram hiding likes will affect influencers? Do you see this as a good or bad move?”
Marquis: “ I am honestly really interested to see how it affects brand collaborations. I feel like it won’t have too big of an impact because most brands focus on follower count, engagement rate and reach already vs likes. There has just been a steady decline in people liking anyways so I don’t see it as a big issue moving forward. I think it’s more about consistency. My readers connect with brands they see multiple times throughout a month or over the span of three months. The consistency of posting the same brand gives them more trust in the product and creates more brand recognition.”
Mattr: “Seeing all that is going on with Instagram, what do you think your future is with the platform? Do you see yourself on other platforms in 5+ years? If yes, which ones?”
Marquis: “I honestly I have no idea and my plan is to go with the flow. When I first started blogging eight years ago, Instagram wasn’t even around. Now, Instagram makes up a majority of what I do to reach my audience. I think it’s all about adaptability and going where your audience is.”
Mattr: “How closely do you pay attention to FTC guidelines? Are you up to date on all FTC rules or do you lean more on the brand or agency to tell you?”
Marquis: “I pay extremely close attention to this – it is very important for your authenticity and the brand authenticity to do things the right way and follow all laws.”
Mattr: “Finally, what is something you want to know from brands? Any burning questions that you have for brands and agencies getting into influencer marketing?”
Marquis: “I would love to know their goals for their influencer marketing campaign and why they are choosing influencer marketing. I feel a lot of times there is a disconnect between what influencers believe they do and what agencies believe they do. I think by sharing each others goals and collaborating together on how to reach them would have a greater impact.”
Next we got to get some insight from Aubrey Williamson, an Austin based influencer focusing on lifestyle and motherhood and all things Austin!
Mattr: “How do you determine your rate? Do you base your rate more on your reach or engagement percentage?”
Aubrey: “I calculate my rate based on reach, market, and the number of sponsored posts I do. For example, I typically only take on 1-3 sponsored posts a month, which keeps my sponsored content below 10%. This allows me to keep a higher trust with my audience vs bombarding them with sponsored posts and allows me to be more selective and genuine with brands.”
Mattr: “How do you think Instagram hiding likes will affect influencers? Do you see this as a good or bad move?”
Aubrey: “I think it definitely will affect Influencers, whether good or bad, I’m not quite sure yet. I think the most important thing will still be a combination of reach and comments.”
Mattr: “Seeing all that is going on with Instagram, what do you think your future is with the platform? Do you see yourself on other platforms in 5+ years? If yes, which ones?”
Aubrey: “I’m not planning to leave Instagram anytime soon. I am keeping an eye out for new platforms but none have really caught my eye yet.
Mattr: “How closely do you pay attention to FTC guidelines? Are you up to date on all FTC rules or do you lean more on the brand or agency to tell you?”
Aubrey: “I know the basics, but when there are updates, I usually hear them first from the brands.”
Mattr: “Finally, what is something you want to know from brands? Any burning questions that you have for brands and agencies getting into influencer marketing?”
Aubrey: “What’s the most important thing you look for in an influencer when you are preparing for a campaign?”
About Mattr
MATTR, leaders in influencer campaigns for highly regulated industries, is the only full-service influencer marketing provider with detailed audience insights from PersonaMesh™. We go beyond demographics into psychographics such as values and interests so that your influencer campaigns align with your campaign targets.