Influencer marketing can be used in a wide range of industries, including books and publishing. Spaces such as #BookTok help authors and publishers get noticed, which can lead to a wider audience and stronger sales. To have success with this kind of marketing, though, you need effective collaboration. Here are some of the biggest things to consider.
Understanding Influencer Partnerships
Finding the right influencers to market your books to their audiences is so important. You want to have a mutually beneficial relationship with people who recognize and value your goals, and who feel like they're getting a benefit from working with you. Developing that understanding is something that must be built and needs ongoing work to maintain.
- Clarity is key—Make sure that you both understand the partnership you're entering into and what it involves. Be sure that the objectives you have are in line with the content style and audience of the influencer.
- Keep communication channels open—This is a vital part of an effective collaboration, and it will make the process easier and less stressful. Remain accessible and responsive to each other, and make sure any questions or requests are stated clearly and addressed in a timely manner.
Creating Compelling Proposals
It's essential that you educate yourself about any influencer you want to work with and the audience they have, so you can reach out to them with a proposal that works for both of you.
- Craft authentic outreach proposals—A number of publishers and authors offer monetary compensation to influencers, but you can offer benefits such as exclusive content, free books, or other items that might interest them. Do not send a standardized message out to numerous influencers; make sure they're personalized and authentic.
- Show them you've taken time to learn about them—Curated messages that showcase the value of what you're proposing work best, because they show that you've taken the time to learn about them before reaching out. They'll feel as though you see them as a person and not just a commodity, and that you're reaching out to them with ideas that can be good opportunities for growth.
- Work together to develop creative ideas—You not only need to have ideas that will resonate with the influencer's audience, but you should also make sure the influencer still has their own creative input. Involve them in your ideation process. If they can't be themselves while promoting your book, their message won't register with their audience, and your campaign is likely to fall short of expectations.
Navigating Collaboration Logistics
Logistics matter when you're collaborating with an influencer. When you're talking through the logistics, make sure that includes legal requirements such as FTC guidelines. You don't want to end up with fines or other sanctions that could cost you a lot of money, time, and frustration.
- Keep negotiations stay direct and transparent—Negotiate all the terms of your agreement—including deliverables, timelines, and compensation—clearly
- Be committed to ethical standards—Make sure you're not partnering with influencers who don't have a code of ethics that's very similar to yours
- Manage expectations and timelines—Throughout your collaboration, make sure everyone is on the same page. Remain open to ideas; flexibility and adaptability are hallmarks of influencer marketing collaboration.
When you and your influencer are committed to working together, you can both make changes and adjustments to the campaign as you go along. That can improve the campaign and help you build trust with one another as well.
Cultivating Long-Term Relationships
Building genuine relationships with influencers based on trust, mutual respect, and shared goals is an excellent way to cultivate long-term value for authors and publishers, as well as for influencers and their audiences. When you want to work with an influencer for an extended period of time, understanding the goals they have and what they need from you can make a big difference in the success of your partnership.
- Provide them with ongoing support—While influencers are marketing your books, you should promote their content and engage with their audience. This includes gathering feedback, because influencers may not be aware that they could be doing something that doesn't work for you.
- Share your ideas and goals freely—This will help optimize any future campaigns. You may find that some influencers aren't a good fit for your books, but when you find the right ones, you'll likely want to work with them for an extended period of time.
Not only can you both get into a good rhythm of marketing techniques based on audience needs and your production schedule, but you can both continue to see the benefits from your collaboration. When you interact with influencers' audiences and use your own website and social media accounts to promote their content, you continue to build your online presence and increase trust. Over time, that can mean better sales and a larger audience of readers for your books.