In an era where social media buzz can profoundly influence a brand’s reputation, influencer marketing has matured from something done in ‘flashy lights’ to a common practice nowadays. The space has grown even more crowded, and too many brands are using ‘likes,’ ‘shares,’ or ‘follower counts’ as a gauge for credibility, while influencer marketers are quick to tell brands that the value of the collaboration is based on ‘credibility’—not the hype. To further influence and create long-term value, brands need to work with influencers authentically, strategically, and towards a common purpose.
This shift from traditional ‘surface-level’ promotions to long-lasting partnerships is just one of the many larger movements towards building brands better and smarter. A trusted brand consultancy agency will tell you that authentic influence comes from resonance, not just reach. An influencer marketing collaboration, delivered with intent, can give a brand voice and credibility to audiences.
How to Use Influencer Partnerships to Build Credibility
For businesses to cut through the noise and create lasting brand impact, they need to look beyond surface-level influencer metrics and find ways to create trust-driven campaigns. Here’s a guide to developing influencer partnerships that leverage credibility and connection.
Start with Research, Not Popularity
Finding the right influencer is not a follower count contest; it is about finding the right alignment. You should take a research-based approach first and find influencers who are aligned with your values, tone of voice, and audience.
Quantitative research approaches can be useful here, as you are using data to examine engagement rates, audience makeup, relevancy of content, and even sentiment analysis. Brands that get mesmerized by vanity metrics will typically align with influencers that do not provide real influence—or worse, credibility.
Quantitative insights you gain from influencer research reveal to a brand which voices drive action and build trust with your target customer base.
Prioritize Long-Term Collaborations
One-off sponsorships may create quick visibility for the brand, but they usually lack depth. Ongoing influencer partnerships communicate authenticity. Consistent references to a brand over time signal to an influencer’s audience that the relationship is real and not transactional.
Ongoing partnerships allow an influencer to tell fuller stories, show product usage over time, and offer real-life testimonials that connect. Ongoing partnerships create opportunities for co-creation and allow the influencer to function as a brand ambassador (not simply a sponsor).
Ensure Creative Freedom and Authentic Messaging
According to influencers, they establish trust with their followers based on their specific voice and style of content. If the brand tries to micromanage that voice within the messaging or tries to over-script the messaging, it may take away from the influencer’s credibility. The objective should be to provide guidance, not control, in how your brand fits into their content.
Give the influencer your main messages and values, but allow them to interpret those messages and values from their perspective. Influencer content that appears natural and authentic will be a better driver of genuine engagement. Remember, credibility comes from authenticity, not perfection!
Transparency Builds Trust with All Audiences
Consumers are more aware than ever—they recognize sponsored content when they see it, and they expect honesty. So make sure every collaboration you’ve gotten into adheres to disclosure laws (make sure to use #ad or #sponsored), but also promote honest storytelling.
When influencers talk honestly about the brand partnerships they’re promoting—excitement and also their concerns—they build credibility for both the influencer and the brand. Authenticity, even with flaws, humanizes your brand and creates a level of trust.
Measure Impact Through Trust-Based Metrics
To go above hype means to go beyond vanity metrics. Rather than measuring social media likes or impressions, measure what indicates trust and intent- elements like the sentiment of comments, referral traffic, conversions, and retention.
You might also consider brand lift studies, or surveys of your followers after a campaign to help measure how you intend to shift the perception of the brand. These metrics are equally important in assessing whether your influencers’ strategies are establishing credibility or merely earning fleeting attention.
End Point
As consumers continue to navigate a landscape full of sponsored posts and staged endorsements, they are left longing for something authentic. Establishing brand credibility with influencers is not finding the loudest voice but rather the right voice. When brands create partnerships with influencers that believe in their mission, and message and have a product they truly use and care about, something with meaning happens: human campaigns, connected stories, and trust that lasts.
To move away from hype, brands need to have a strategy, use data, and take the time to determine true authenticity. It is about creating partnerships based on shared values, genuine experiences, and more importantly, people that truly matter – your audience. In doing so, brands have an impact, not just make noise.