How do you decide which products, brands, or experiences are worth your time?
If you’re like 78% of the population, you likely trust the recommendations of your friends and family, per a 2016 report. However, until brands can employ all your relatives and acquaintances to evangelize their benefits and features, influencers are the next best thing.
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In the past several years, “Influencer” has become a bit of a buzzword - as well as a lightning rod for debate. Influencers are people who have cultivated an engaged audience and credibility through the content they create - typically photos, videos, or blogs - on the various social channels where they publish. They aren’t traditional celebrities tapped for the role of a brand’s official spokesperson, but inhabit a space between that of a Regular Joe and a Kim Kardashian (who, now come to think of it, is still an influencer albeit a very expensive one to employ).
Because these influencers have established trust with their audiences, they have the power to transfer some of that shine to your brand if you work with them. Of course, you can’t just Frankenstein the body of a brand onto any ol’ influencer head. The match needs to make sense for both parties, but when done right, influencer marketing can be a real boon to a brand. According to Wikipedia, here are the main benefits (yes, I am not above quoting Wikipedia!):
Social reach: Influencers are able to reach new potential consumers through their social channels and blogs.
Original content: Influencers produce original, and oftentimes effective, marketing content for the brand. (ED. Note: This is what we’ll be talking about more in depth in just a sec!)
Consumer trust: Influencers maintain strong relationships with their audience, who have a certain level of trust in the influencer’s opinions.
So we’ve established that influencer marketing is a very effective way to reach consumers. But what is it like to work with one, especially as a video producer? That’s what we wanted to find out, so we turned to Tongal filmmaker Caleb Van Voorhis who has been collaborating with Macy’s ambassadors to create social content these past few months via the Macy’s VCN Filmmaker Identification Project to get the scoop!
Here are Caleb's tips for working with influencers:
Communicate
Working with an influencer means creative collaboration, and communication is the foundation for a successful collab experience. Per Caleb, “I’ve worked with 5 different brand ambassadors now and they’ve all been very positive experiences! With projects like this where it's continuous content creation and not just a one-and-done shoot, you definitely start to get to know the collaborators more as colleagues and friends rather than just on-screen talent. At first, it is getting to know the ambassador's style and how they want to create their content. Then, similar to any team project, once you get used to working together it becomes very natural. I think the best way to do that is by having good communication.”
Support your influencer's vision
An influencer is hired, in part, because they bring to the table a wealth of expertise in communicating with their specific audience. According to Caleb, “I see it as my job to make the ambassador’s vision become a reality. They have the initial idea and then I bring the technical and creative tools to the table to make it a reality.”
Let the influencer handle some of the producing
Unlike traditional on-screen talent, influencers are accustomed to producing their own content and will likely have opinions about how to shoot or tell a story, especially if the content will live on their own personal channels. For that reason, you can lean on them as a partner in the production process in ways you wouldn’t with actors or models. Your influencer may be able to help with find locations and brainstorm strategies around the best type of video to present the featured product(s) (e.g.: lookbook, unboxing, review, tutorial, haul, etc).
Keep it fun
When it comes to the videos you’re producing with your influencer, Caleb recommends filmmakers “keep in mind that this is for social media, and at the end of the day shouldn’t feel too spammy, but rather like content that people will want to watch and enjoy seeing. Think, ‘how can I make this something that I’d enjoy if I were scrolling?’”
Thanks, Caleb, for your time and insight!
Got any other great tips for producing video content with influencers? Let’s hear it in the comments below. And if you’re looking to get into this type of work, we’ve got a great new project for you to Pitch on between now and May 21st: the Macy’s Filmmaker and Editor Identification Project. Check it out!
