What Marketing Managers Expect From Influencers
“Knowing what your niche is and honing in on that is key.”
This week we chat to Samiksha Sookhdeo, whose current role is within the broadcast industry as a Marketing Manager. She’s worked in this industry for quite some time and has seen so many exciting pioneering concepts come to life! “At the very core, my purpose is to promote local content, in innovative and fresh ways to get the audience intrigued and watching” says Samiksha.
Sam, what does a typical day at work look like for you?
In this industry and working amongst the brands I do, no 2 days are the same. It’s an exciting and fast paced role, constant and rigorous collaboration with stakeholders is a key part in ensuring success and delivery on key objectives. The only constant I find is, change. So it’s pivotal to be agile and forward thinking in the current climate.
In your experience, what do Brand/Marketing Managers expect from influencers and Personal brands when working on a campaign?
I expect the influencer / personal brand to have a genuine interest in the brand. Do research, speak to people and gain insight outside of what you know so that when you meet the brand custodians, you’re in a better position to speak to the brand about the objectives required and how to meet them. Understanding the brand’s objectives for any piece of communication is imperative, and having an idea/concept that can translate this vision is very important. Trends and high levels of engagement are great, but if these don’t drive the brand’s objectives, what’s the point?
Do brands typically want creative control over the deliverables or do they generally allow the influencer creative freedom to create content and write captions?
Personally, having some element of creative control is important, especially from a custodian perspective but this can be illustrated in different ways. Ensuring the influencer understands the vision correctly, the brand tone, language and nuances, and can translate this effectively is quite important, so I’d be in a more comfortable space having this assurance versus approving every piece of copy.
What is the best approach for an influencer/personal brand that wants to be considered for future campaigns by a specific brand?
Influencers / personal brands need to come in well prepared when meeting with brands. It’s easy to pick up when external parties are ill prepared or have adopted a “copy and paste” strategy, without genuine interest/ research into the brand. They need to gauge where the brand is currently, what the mid – long term vision is and how they see themselves contributing as partners in achieving this vision. Properly flesh out the thinking and execution of how you, as the influencer, could aid and elevate this direction, and become a valued brand partner. Knowing what your niche is and honing in on that is key.