Influencer marketing is about utilizing creators’ platforms to the advantage of brands. Brands rely on talented online creators who have already earned the trust and respect of the people that follow them and use their voice to work to their benefit. The typical influencer marketing campaign will feature numerous influencers working for one brand, paid in product, commission, or a flat rate.

While working with a large group of influencers is great, there is also a ton of value in forging long-term influencer partnerships with creators that brands believe are high quality. Throughout a typical campaign, specific influencers will perform better than others, whether that’s through generating high-quality content or a lot of sales. By deepening relationships with influencers that perform, brands can build long-term partnerships with influencers and create brand ambassadors.

Let’s dive into some of the benefits of a long-term influencer-brand partnership.

Making Marketing More Efficient

Influencer marketing can always be more optimized by working with creators with a proven track record of attracting leads and sales. In the typical campaign, there are going to be some inefficiencies. There will be some influencers that don’t produce any results, don’t create high-quality content, and essentially cost more than they are worth to the campaign. By partnering with proven effective creators, you can reduce inefficiencies and likely see an increased ROI.

If you cut out some of the influencers that aren’t leading to results and continue to promote through creators who generate engagement, you’ll save money. This will decrease the size of your campaigns and help you ensure that everyone you are paying is contributing positively. With trackable data from every campaign, it is easy to figure out which creators are worth a future investment and which may not be.

Higher-Quality User Generated Content

The more an influencer gets to know your brand, the better content they can produce. Casting a wide net is extremely important. Having a large supply of influencers that are consistently posting for your brand is a great way to get your business’ name out there. But having a smaller supply of influencers who are long-term brand ambassadors is also extremely effective. Influencers you are partnered with over a longer period will create higher quality content simply by knowing you and your brand for more time. They’ll have a better comprehension of your voice and vision.

Brand ambassadors are familiar with your brand, your product, and your marketing goals. They are people who’ve been working with you for a longer time, and they are more capable of making content that fits the purposes of your business. With better user-generated content, brands gain access to marketing material they can repurpose down the road. The better the content, the better the engagement, and influencer partnerships can lead to the best possible promotional material.

Build Brand Loyalty Amongst a Core Group

Authenticity is a core component of the appeal of influencer marketing. You want to prioritize influencers that naturally fit your brand, whose use and promotion of your product feels natural and not like a paid advertisement. With longer-term partnerships, you can zero in on the influencers who are more of a natural fit for your brand and use their platform to develop brand loyalty.

Many influencers, big and small, have devoted followings that are genuinely interested in their day-to-day life. They want to know where they shop for clothes, what products they use on their skin, and where they buy their furniture. Influencer marketing lets you capitalize on that interest, but a long-term influencer partnership works better for this than a one-off promotional post. If an influencer repeatedly mentions or posts a brand, their followers are more likely to believe it is a brand the influencer is connected with. This will help attract repeat customers from the influencer’s follower base.

A More Invested Partner

A more invested creator can yield the best possible results. While many influencers take their promotional content very seriously, increasing their stake in the process can deliver further commitment on their end. When you’ve worked with a creator several times and know you can trust them, they are a higher-value asset and should see an increased pay structure. This can be done by increasing their payment through commission, with the influencer receiving a higher percentage of proceeds.

The upside of increasing their payment is that there is more of an incentive for them to perform. This can lead to your influencer functioning as a member of your sales team, making a much more concentrated effort to reach new audiences. They could implement your brand into more content, increase brand awareness, and ultimately, be the creative and appealing brand ambassador all businesses look for.