Here's how to successfully collaborate with content creators and influencers

As with any strategy, start with the question: what is my target audience waiting for? What do they want to know more about? What engages them? After you have determined your message, target audience and objective, you can begin the selection process.

Don't focus on numbers, nor assume that only content creators and influencers in the same sector as you are a good match. Fashion fits fashion, but can also go together with interior design, for example.

Fortunately, you don't necessarily have to choose between either strong numbers or the right industry. For example, you can call on a content creator with a large reach to become the face of your campaign and also engage a group of micro-influencers for the necessary conversion and traffic within certain niche audiences.

Dove has been a pioneer in this approach for years. With a community of over 300 creators, they consistently shine a spotlight on body positivity. Previously, they also collaborated with Lennie. This animated influencer in the form of a bubble with a sweet voice sings about self-confidence and positivity. Again, Dove succeeds in bringing authentic and credible content.

A successful collaboration is about bringing together expertise, ideally at an early stage. If your campaign is already fully formed and you’ve decided how you want to involve the content creator, it can often have a negative impact on the results. There's a high chance that the collaboration will end in frustration on both sides.

You have knowledge about your product, while the content creator understands the subject and the world of the target audience. Your goal is the same: authenticity, impact, and engagement. So, bring your ideas together and create an action plan. For example, if you’ve been working with ambassadors for a while, involve them in the launch of a new product for a fresh perspective and additional insights.

For the launch of the Brabantia Refresh & Steam collection, we worked closely with our ambassador Valerie, founder of the clothing brand Elle & Rapha. We combined our knowledge and ideas to create a unique experience for the new collection.

For this kind of co-creation, you need to find a healthy balance between what you as a brand want to say and the creative freedom of the content creator. Therefore, make clear agreements about what can and cannot be done and about how you as a brand may deploy the content afterwards.

But let it go afterwards. After all, you are not buying advertising space. You are working with a person, a content creator with his or her own identity and vision. So trust that he or she will get your message across to the target audience in the right way. When all the pieces of the puzzle fall together, the results will follow.