Your influencer's content strays from your brief. How do you realign your marketing strategy?

Begin by thoroughly reviewing the influencer's content. Identify specific areas where it deviates from the brief. Analyze whether these deviations affect the overall campaign goals, brand image, or message. I once encountered a situation where an influencer’s content did not match the brand’s tone. By carefully assessing the content, I pinpointed the discrepancies and was able to prepare a constructive feedback session.

Review the influencer's content thoroughly to identify specific deviations from the brief. Determine whether the differences are minor or significant and how they impact the campaign's goals.

Initiate a constructive and open dialogue with the influencer. Share your observations and concerns, and listen to their perspective. Ensure the conversation is collaborative, focusing on how to realign the content with the campaign goals. Engaging in a respectful and open conversation with the influencer helped us understand each other’s viewpoints. This mutual understanding facilitated a smoother realignment process.

Communicate with the influencer promptly. Discuss the discrepancies between their content and the brief. Approach the conversation with a collaborative mindset to understand their perspective and any challenges they faced.

Based on the discussion, amend your marketing strategy if necessary. Adjust content guidelines, campaign objectives, or creative approaches to ensure they are clear and achievable. Flexibility can help accommodate the influencer’s style while maintaining brand alignment. In a previous campaign, we adjusted our content guidelines to allow more creative freedom for the influencer while still maintaining the core brand message. This balance improved both content quality and alignment.

Based on the assessment and discussion, make necessary adjustments to the campaign strategy. This could involve refining the brief, changing the content approach, or altering the campaign timeline to accommodate revisions.

Reiterate the campaign's goals, key messages, and any specific requirements with the influencer. Ensure that they have a clear understanding of the expectations and provide them with any additional guidance or resources needed.

Reiterate and clarify expectations to prevent future misalignments. Provide detailed briefs, examples of desired content, and specific guidelines. Clear communication reduces the chances of deviations. Providing a detailed content brief, complete with visual examples and clear guidelines, helped ensure the influencer understood and met our expectations in subsequent content.

Continuously monitor the influencer’s content throughout the campaign. Use AI-powered tools to track engagement, audience feedback, and content alignment. Regular check-ins can help address any issues promptly. Implementing regular progress checks and using tools like Sprout Social for real-time monitoring allowed us to stay on top of the campaign and address any deviations quickly.

Learn from the experience and adapt your approach for future campaigns. Reflect on what worked, what didn’t, and how you can improve communication and collaboration with influencers moving forward. Reflecting on past campaigns and documenting lessons learned has been invaluable. Each experience provided insights that helped refine our briefs, expectations, and overall strategy.

Beyond standard practices, fostering a creative collaboration workshop can be highly beneficial. At Tru, I initiated a workshop where both our marketing team and the influencer brainstormed together. This session allowed for real-time feedback and adjustments, ensuring everyone was on the same page regarding brand voice and campaign objectives. This approach not only corrected past deviations but also sparked innovative ideas that aligned well with our brand’s vision. Such workshops build a stronger partnership and create a shared sense of ownership over the campaign’s success.