Leveraging (Micro) Influencers with Christina Edwards
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Have you ever had a fundraising brainstorming session when suddenly celebrity names start being thrown around? I’ve had more than one organization literally say that they “just need to get in front of Drake”, and that this will solve all of their fundraising and branding problems as if the sky would open and rain money. Now, that's not usually how it works, but we're seeing a lot more niche or micro-influencers having a really powerful impact in the for-profit world, as well as in the nonprofit world.
In today’s podcast episode, we’re going to talk about influencer marketing with Christina Edwards, the founder of Splendid Consulting, a marketing expert, and a coach, and she will show you how to work with influencers to grow your small nonprofit and amplify your social impact.
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Myths that Christina wants us to walk away from:
Influencer marketing doesn’t work with small nonprofits. Influencers are used to being paid but a lot of these people, especially on Instagram or TikTok, want to be part of change, they want to be part of making their world or their community or their neighbourhood, a better place. We just need to find influencers who care and resonate with our cause and highlight the benefit to them.
Influencers need to have large followings. Micro-influencers, who have 900 or 2000 followers are also powerful and sometimes even more powerful than influencers with 5 million followers because that person usually has a higher engagement level and is also very specific to what they talk about and that could be specific to your location or a cause of your organization.
Kim’s thoughts around influencer marketing for nonprofits
Make it fun and easy. Working with an influencer should feel fun and easy for the influencer. If it's not fun and it's not easy, then this is a business opportunity and we need to pay them for their time. This should feel like an added value for them because they're partnering with you. We give them done-for-you assets, we give them done-for-you copy, we give them done-for-you graphics. You don't want to overwhelm them and the factor here is that you want to make sure that they feel that they're part of something and that they're not launching something on their own.
Connect with influencers. Meet them where they are. Start by warming up before you make the ask. Interact, share and comment on their content in an authentic way. This should be a partnership that feels well aligned, fun, and easy for both people. You can also develop relationships with influencer agencies, managers, or publicists.
Make influencers your brand ambassadors and partners. Influencers are used to being paid for and they typically need to create a lot of content. In this sense, it's not a heavy lift for them if you give them done-for-you assets. The second thing is that we're really highlighting the benefit to them. They want to be part of something that is giving back to the community. They want to be a part of this social change. Lastly, start with an initial ask for one time, where you bring them in on for one of your campaigns. So that might be two or three times a year.
Favorite Quotes from Today’s Episode
“So working with an influencer should feel for the influencer fun and easy. It's not fun and it's not easy, then this is a business opportunity and we need to pay them for their time, right. This should feel like an add value for them, right. Because they're partnering with you. A lot of these people, especially on Instagram, like they want to be part of change. Like they want to be. Of making their world or their community or their neighbourhood, a better place. They actually do.”
“We didn't really talk about like the power of the influencer who has 900 followers or 2000 followers, because that person is so powerful. Arguably sometimes more powerful than the person who has 5 million followers because that person usually has eight engaged community that has a higher engagement level and is also very specific to what it is they talk about.”
Resources from this Episode
