Building Influencer Partnerships to Maximize Your Reach

Given the abundance of events vying for attention, influencer marketing emerges as a powerful tool to cut through the noise, connecting events with attendees through trusted voices. People rely on these influencers, almost like friends and family, for honest event recommendations. 

Other means of event marketing pale in comparison to influencer marketing. Most people are weary of ads — more than one-third use ad-blockers to prevent them, and people (more than 90%) trust people over brands. Incidentally, the global influencer marketing value has more than doubled since 2019 — a record $21.1 billion in 2023 — reflecting the trust audiences place in these authentic voices. 

This guide will unveil the secrets of leveraging influencers to make events seen and trusted in a crowded eventscape. Let's look at how you can maximize event success through strategic influencer partnerships.

Key takeaways

• Influencer marketing, valued at over $21.1 billion in 2023, is one of the most successful strategies to put the spotlight on your event in a saturated eventscape.

• Look beyond follower count — notice engagement, analyze track record, and, most importantly, align your brand values to choose the right influencers.

• Resist micromanaging influencers and give them creative freedom to come up with content their audience expects from them.

The impact of influencer partnerships on event marketing

Influencer marketing capitalizes on the trust influencers hold in the heart of their large and engaged followings. You can partner with these individuals to promote your event authentically and in a personalized way. 

The impact extends beyond mere visibility, fostering genuine engagement, conversions, and a cost-efficient solution to put your event in front of the right audience. Let's delve into the profound impact of influencer partnerships on event marketing.

Boosting brand visibility

Collaborating with an influencer isn't just about logo displays and brand inclusions — it's about orchestrating an immersive experience that leaves a lasting impression on your audience. 

Picture this: a fitness influencer not only promotes your wellness or sports event but actively participates in your event, sharing their honest thoughts with their followers. This isn't a mere endorsement — it's a genuinely head-turning experience. 

Micro-influencers, in particular, with their niche expertise, excel at creating engaging content tailored to their audience. Their testimonials aren't generic endorsements — they become personal narratives trusted by their audience, creating an impactful connection between the influencer and the event.

Enhancing credibility

Influencers can easily become trust ambassadors for your event brand through authentic and relatable interactions with their followers. For example, consider a music influencer sharing snippets of your music show preparations, expressing genuine excitement. This kind of connection with the event transcends mere promotion; it becomes a shared passion. 

Influencer marketing success hinges on authenticity. Here are a few ways influencers can ensure credibility and trust:

• Choose events that genuinely align with their interests to ensure genuine excitement is reflected in the influencer content

• Share event updates and candid behind-the-scenes moments to make your audience feel connected with the event

• Select events that resonate with their audience, avoiding partnerships solely driven by financial motives

• Avoid scripted content and express their genuine thoughts for a personal touch and to stay true to their audience

Trust is delicate, and in event marketing, influencers ensure the event not only gains popularity but becomes a credible choice for attendees seeking genuine experiences.

Driving audience engagement

The unique ability of influencers to relate with their followers becomes a powerful tool for driving audience engagement. 

Picture an influencer passionately sharing details about your event — the authenticity in their voice, the relatability of their experience, and the genuine connection with their audience. This isn't just content; it's a magnetic force that pulls the audience in. 

Influencers typically go beyond promotional content, sharing personal experiences, anecdotes, and genuine opinions about the event. They use storytelling to weave narratives around the event, encouraging them to actively participate in the unfolding story. 

The two-way engagement between the influencer and their audience builds a sense of community, turning your event into a shared experience. In this way, influencers not only amplify the event's reach but also create an engaged audience that actively contributes to the event narrative.

Establishing successful influencer partnerships

Creating successful influencer partnerships requires a strategic approach and careful planning. From identifying the right influencers to building mutual trust for long-term collaboration, let's see what it takes to foster genuine, long-term partnerships. 

Identifying the right influencers

As of June 2023, there were more than 177,000 Instagram influencers in the U.S. alone. Most of them won't be a good fit for your event. 

Selecting the right influencers for your event is pivotal, and the selection goes beyond the mere follower count. Here are a few things to consider when selecting influencers who align seamlessly with your event brand:

• Relevance: Ensure influencers are part of your industry or align with the niche of your event to ensure their audience will be interested in your event. Identify their audience demographics and evaluate whether the influencer's values resonate with your brand, which is necessary for authentic collaborations.

• Performance: Assess how consistently they post content — notice the frequency as well as the quality of their content. Consistent posting usually results in higher engagement rates, which indicates a dedicated and active following.

• Authenticity: Evaluate their connection with their audience through comments, replies, and responsiveness. Similarly, verify if influencers transparently disclose sponsored content, indicating authenticity in their recommendations.

• Past collaborations: Investigate if they have collaborated with similar events and analyze the feedback and reviews they receive, indicative of their expertise in event promotion. Use social listening tools and search relevant hashtags and location tags to discover influencers with successful portfolios in event promotion.

Remember, a meticulous selection process ensures your event collaborates with influencers capable of delivering not just numbers but also meaningful engagement and resonance with your target audience.

Building mutually beneficial relationships

A successful influencer partnership is a two-way expedition rather than a one-way street. It's about providing value beyond monetary compensation. Show sincere interest in the influencer's content, discuss shared interests, and align your event with their passions.

While financial incentives are crucial, authentic collaborations demand a deeper connection. Here's how you can build and nurture mutually beneficial relationships with influencers:

• Involve them in event planning: Invite influencers into your event planning process and seek their input on creative strategies that can add authenticity to your collaboration.

• Provide value: Ensure unique experiences related to your event, such as exclusive access, collaborative content creation opportunities, or special privileges to enhance the appeal of your collaboration.

• Co-create engaging content: Ensure your event offers substance and aligns with the influencer's brand. Provide comprehensive event details and create an ambiance conducive to Instagram-worthy photos. Influencers are invested in maintaining their image, and quality content enhances their credibility.

• Decide on appropriate incentives: Explore diverse incentives beyond monetary payments, such as all-expenses-paid trips, discounted booth rates, VIP session invitations, exclusive swag bags, or behind-the-scenes access — tailor incentives to make them feel valued and appreciated.

Remember, a successful influencer partnership is a collaborative journey where both parties find value. When you reach out, craft compelling pitches highlighting your event's uniqueness and clearly articulate why their involvement adds value to their audience. 

Providing experiences and incentives that resonate with influencers paves the way for long-term, meaningful relationships beyond a single-event collaboration.

Setting clear expectations and goals

Starting an influencer collaboration without clear goals and expectations is like setting sail without a compass. It's best to design a comprehensive contract, which should outline:

• Expectations

• Partnership duration

• Payment terms

• Other incentives

• Exclusivity clauses

A well-planned contract will lay the groundwork for a collaborative effort based on mutual understanding. But that's not all — it's equally important to clearly communicate and agree on specific goals and content guidelines for the influencer campaign. 

Whether it's enhancing visibility, driving engagement, or boosting conversions, having well-defined objectives and agreeing on the type of content required to achieve them provides a purposeful direction for the partnership. 

Similarly, set performance metrics for each goal to measure success. An added benefit is using insights from campaign metrics to identify influencers who sold the most tickets or sent the most traffic to event listings. 

Maintain high professionalism, honor commitments, fulfill promises, and ensure timely payments to build trust for cultivating long-term relationships with these successful influencers.

Leveraging influencer content for event promotion

For effective influencer partnerships, the first rule of thumb is to resist micromanaging the influencer. Set a clear direction for content tone and format, provide clear branding guidelines, and trust the influencer's creative process to create content most suitable for their audience. 

People follow influencers for their unique image, so the influencer content must maintain a balance between brand activation tactics and their identity to ensure an authentic connection with the audience. 

Social media posts and stories

Influencers use social media posts and stories to captivate audiences and generate buzz around your event. Here are a few ways influencers can distribute event-related content on social media:

• Strategic storytelling: Encourage influencers to weave a compelling narrative around your event through Instagram and Facebook stories. Stories only last 24 hours, so influencers can use them to provide sneak peeks, behind-the-scenes glimpses, and real-time updates. These updates not only create a sense of exclusivity but also foster immediate engagement.

• Interactive content: Interactive elements such as polls, questions, surveys, and quizzes can not only boost engagement levels but also invite the audience to actively participate in the event narrative, creating a two-way communication channel.

• Platform tailoring: Guide influencers to tailor their tactics according to the platform features and audience behaviors. For instance, they can use visually appealing images and short, impactful captions on Instagram to increase pre-event buzz. On Facebook, they can leverage event pages and focus content aimed at increasing sales.

• Countdowns and teasers: Use Instagram countdown stickers and/or post teasers to create excitement leading up to the event. Similarly, teasers introducing key speakers or showcasing event venues can spark curiosity among their followers.

• Utilize Instagram reels and TikTok: Capitalize on the popularity of reels by encouraging influencers to create engaging clips on Instagram and TikTok. These platforms offer a dynamic way to showcase event highlights, performances, and interactive elements in a visually appealing format.

Influencers should be a vital part of any social media marketing plan. They usually share content regularly on social media, ensuring that your event remains a focal point of interest across various social media platforms.

Blogging and vlogging

Blogging and vlogging both hold immense potential to generate buzz and anticipation for your event. Align goals with the medium: blogs excel in providing in-depth information and improving SEO, while vlogs offer a more immersive and immediate experience. 

Encourage influencers to craft detailed, SEO-optimized articles that delve into event highlights, introduce key speakers, and mention unique experiences in the event. Besides being informative, blogs also contribute to SEO so that people searching for similar events can discover your event organically. 

Conversely, Vlogging provides a dynamic visual medium for influencers to showcase behind-the-scenes footage, interviews, and firsthand event experiences. Vlogs can capture the essence of your event, fostering a connection with their audience.

By leveraging both, influencers can create a comprehensive promotional strategy that caters to diverse audience preferences. Distribute them on social media and include them in your email marketing campaigns to reach a wider audience and increase brand exposure. 

Live-streaming

Live-streaming is an indispensable tool for influencers seeking authentic audience connections. In the third quarter of 2023, a staggering 7.6 billion hours of live content were consumed globally, underscoring its popularity. Projections suggest the live-streaming market will reach $252.76 billion by 2029, which means live-streaming will be even more impactful in the coming years. 

Live interactions provide influencers a unique chance to be more accessible — real-time engagement fosters a camaraderie beyond traditional dynamics. Algorithms also seem to favor live content, particularly on platforms like Facebook and Instagram, offering prime visibility to users who go live. 

Efficiency is another asset — live streams demand less time and effort than pre-recorded videos, and you can easily repurpose them later. Influencers tapping into live streaming can really save time and build authentic connections with their audience, fostering the trust and bond crucial for influencer marketing success.

Measuring the success of influencer partnerships

Measuring the success of an influencer marketing campaign is vital for understanding its effectiveness, identifying areas for improvement, and optimizing future partnerships for better results. Identify metrics to measure success against the goals and objectives you set for the campaign initially. 

Tracking engagement metrics

Engagement encapsulates the audience's level of interaction with influencer content. You can measure it through:

• Likes

• Comments

• Shares

• Clicks

• Impressions

Brands can use social platforms' built-in tools to learn about influencers' followers, content impressions, and engagement levels. Publicly available metrics such as likes, comments, and hashtag use all serve as an initial gauge of an influencer's interaction with followers. 

Calculate engagement by summing likes, shares, comments, and other interactions you're measuring. You can also calculate the engagement rate by dividing these figures by the number of impressions. 

Use these metrics to gauge influencer engagement success. For example, suppose an influencer usually has higher engagement rates, but their followers are not engaging much with your content. In that case, they may not be a good fit for promoting your event. 

Monitoring conversion rates

The conversion rate (CR) is a crucial metric, representing the percentage of individuals undertaking a desired action after interacting with the influencer content. This action could range from visiting the event website to registering for the event. 

Event brands can measure conversions by employing promo codes. Influencers can use promo codes to attract new attendees to your event while simultaneously facilitating precise sales tracking. You will know precisely how many people registered for your event using a specific code. 

You can also ask influencers to share post-campaign analytics data if they're willing. This can really help you understand the success of your influencer campaign and refine your assessment process. 

Evaluating ROI

Ultimately, any event marketing campaign's success hinges on the return on investment (ROI). It aligns campaign costs with generated revenue to gauge the financial return on the brand's investment in influencer marketing. 

Calculate the number of conversions, for example, ticket sales or earned media value, and the resulting revenue. For example, let's say you paid the influencer $10,000, which generated about $20,000 of profit, then your ROI will be 200%

The formula is simple — (Revenue/Cost) x 100. 

Consider all hidden costs, such as incentives or discounts, and calculate all the value generated during the influence campaign to get a realistic ROI for tangible and less-tangible campaign results. 

Avoiding common pitfalls in influencer partnerships

Navigating influencer partnerships can be a rewarding yet challenging endeavor for event marketers. Understanding the potential pitfalls is crucial for steering clear of missteps that can compromise the success of your collaborations. Let's look at some common stumbling blocks to avoid:

Inauthentic partnerships

Inauthentic partnerships pose substantial risks to the credibility of both the influencer and the brand. Such associations may result in decreased trust from followers who perceive the collaboration as insincere or manipulative, leading to a decline in engagement and audience loyalty.

To prevent mistrust, brands and influencers should ensure their values align, ensuring genuine connections with their audience. 

Influencers should endorse events they genuinely feel connected to or events they've personally experienced and enjoyed, fostering transparency and credibility. Similarly, brands should thoroughly vet influencers to ensure alignment with brand values.

For example, an influencer known for promoting a healthy and active lifestyle unexpectedly partners with a 'sweet revolution' or 'burger boom' event featuring fast-food recipes. This type of partnership will create a jarring contrast with their established image.

Followers, accustomed to health-conscious content, may perceive this collaboration as disingenuous, leading to skepticism and a potential loss of trust. The audience may question the authenticity of their endorsement and may even bash the event for aligning with an influencer whose values sharply differ from offerings.

So stay true to your values and be careful in forming partnerships to uphold audience trust and brand reputation.

Overemphasis on follower count

A high follower count may not translate to audience engagement since it's the quality of the followers and not the quantity that dictates influencer marketing success. The two most important signals are engagement and relevance. 

Ignore the follower count and notice how much they engage with the influencer content. Also, keep an eye on the type of content they interact with the most to decide if they're suitable for your event.

Sometimes, influencers use bots or buy followers to increase their follower count. Look for a stark disparity between the massive follower count and minimal likes and comments — it's definitely a red flag!

Social media algorithms can detect inactive or fake followers and limit the reach and engagement of such accounts. Even if algorithms were not to interfere, a large following loses significance without active engagement. Moreover, a high number of followers may attract an irrelevant audience that is uninterested in your event niche. 

Building a meaningful relationship with an existing, engaged audience holds more value than chasing sheer numbers since inactive or disengaged followers may not translate into actual customers. 

Insufficient communication

Regular and clear communication is vital to delivering effective campaigns. Actively engage with influencers during planning, venue selection, and content creation and value their opinions and feedback. This small effort can often yield significant appreciation from influencers. 

Open communication also helps align brand goals with influencer objectives, reducing potential hiccups during campaigns. 

Staying informed about influencer content, collaborations, and audience feedback allows real-time adjustments. This kind of constructive feedback is crucial for increasing the effectiveness of campaigns and ensuring the influencer content aligns with brand values and goals. 

From identifying the right influencers and fostering meaningful relationships to setting clear expectations and leveraging diverse content formats, this guide provides a comprehensive roadmap for establishing mutually beneficial influencer partnerships. 

By avoiding the common pitfalls, event creators can develop genuine connections with influencers, maximizing their event success and establishing credibility around their event brand through long-term collaborations.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much do influencers get for paid partnerships?

Influencers can earn hundreds to thousands of dollars for paid partnerships, depending on their following and engagement levels.

How do you reach out to influencers for partnerships?

To reach out to influencers for partnerships, follow them, and genuinely engage with their content. Once you've established a connection, contact them via email with a clear, enthusiastic message. 

Express genuine admiration for their work and explain why their content aligns with your event. Clearly outline the benefits of the partnership, emphasizing how it complements their brand. 

Offer specific details about the event, including any perks or unique opportunities for them, and express enthusiasm for potential collaboration. Keep the message concise, respectful, and personalized to capture their attention.

How do I get an influencer for my event?

To secure an influencer for your event, identify those whose audience aligns with your event's theme. Reach out with a compelling message highlighting the mutual benefits of collaboration, offer incentives, and explain how their participation can enhance both their brand and your event.

How can influencers boost event visibility?

Influencers can boost event visibility by creating engaging content that resonates with their audience and sharing it on their social media platforms, thereby reaching a larger audience and generating more interest in the event.

What should we look for in an influencer for event marketing?

Look for an influencer whose interests, values, and audience demographics align with your event and who has high engagement rates and quality content. This will ensure a successful event marketing partnership.