How to Identify and Collaborate with Influencers
More than ever, people are turning to social media to plan their time out-of-office. With travel photos shared by friends and family intermingled among those shared by influencers and creators, the line between inspiration and collaboration is increasingly being blurred. In fact, 78% of Americans admit that social media influencers prompted them to explore a new destination in 2023. As the landscape continues to evolve, one thing has become so clear: influencer marketing has forever changed the way people decide where they’re headed to next.
But while influencers have proven valuable when it comes to inspiring travel, the success of an influencer campaign hinges on more than just signing someone with a large following. The best collaborations are primed to help you reach engaged and relevant audiences while building brand awareness and fostering connection.
So, how do you find the right travel influencers and creators for your next campaign? We’re sharing a few steps to get started on your way to growth and engagement.
What is a travel influencer?
Simply put, a travel influencer is someone with sway over where, when, why and how people travel. Known for their expertise, trust, and authenticity, travel creators connect people to places and experiences, and fuel a sense of wanderlust through imagery, video, storytelling, travel tips, discounts, and local recommendations.
Travel influencers can help your brand:
Raise awareness
Improve brand perception and engagement
Build trust through authenticity
Promote new experiences and offerings
The different types of influencers:
Based on follower count there are four different types of influencers within the digital landscape:
Mega influencers 1M+ followers
Macro influencers 100K - 1M followers
Micro influencers 10K - 100K followers
Nano influencers < 10K followers
Mega influencers
Mega influencers are the highest-ranking category of social media influencer, with a typical following of 1M+. These celebrities and social media personalities maintain significant influence among their massive and diverse audience, and are best suited for brands with sizable budgets looking for maximum exposure.
Macro influencers
Macro influencers are social media personalities with 100K - 1M followers. This subset of influencers are often seen as ideal partners for brands looking to reach a large and engaged audience. Like mega influencers, macro-influencers have substantial reach with a price tag to match, but since they often have a more niche audience, they’re best suited for brands looking to reach a substantial, but specific audience.
Micro influencers
Micro influencers have anywhere from 10K to 100K followers, and often specialize in a particular niche of which they’re considered experts in. While their audience is smaller than that of mega and macro influencers, they have stronger relationships built on expertise and trust, and can be beneficial to brands looking to get in front of a small subset of a targeted demographic at a relatively reasonable cost.
Nano influencers
Nano influencers have less than 10K followers. While their audience size is the smallest of all the influencer types, they tend to be much more engaged and loyal. Higher engagement rates and the perception of being more genuine and trustworthy make nano influencers the perfect fit for brands looking to reach highly tailored, specific audiences at an affordable price.
What travel content creators want in a brand:
Authentic Experiences:
Influencers look for genuine, memorable experiences that they can share with their audience. They appreciate unique and immersive opportunities that stand out from typical travel offerings.
Creative Freedom:
Influencers value the ability to create content that aligns with their personal style and voice. They prefer partnerships that allow them to maintain authenticity and creativity.
Mutual Benefit:
Influencers seek collaborations that offer value both ways. They expect fair compensation, which can include monetary payment, complimentary stays, or unique experiences.
Clear Communication:
Influencers appreciate clear and transparent communication regarding expectations, deliverables, and timelines. A well-defined partnership with mutual understanding fosters a successful collaboration.
How to Find Travel Influencers + Content Creators For Your Brand
Finding the right travel influencers for your brand can seem like a daunting task. After all, there’s an estimated 64 million influencer accounts worldwide. So, how do you find the ones whose content and audience align with your brand? Here are a few steps to take to uncover your next collaboration.
Step 1: Define Your Goals and Objectives
Before you start your search, you’ll need to clearly define what you want to achieve. For the most part, the ultimate goal for brands using influencers is to reach new audiences and build credibility. Some common additional goals include:
Increasing brand awareness
Driving traffic to your website
Boosting engagement
Generating leads or bookings
Enhancing brand image and recall
Set time aside to think about how your partnership will help achieve your broader goals, and don’t forget to set a budget while you’re at it. Influencer collaborations can cost anywhere from hundreds to tens of thousands of dollars depending on the influencer and the size of their audience/quality of their content.
Identify Your Target Audience
To identify the right influencer or creator, you’ll first need to identify who it is you’re trying to reach. Understand who your ideal customers are. Consider their demographics, interests, pain points, desires, and behaviors. Once you fully understand your target audience, you’re ready to select creators whose followers align with your brand.
Step 2: Research and Evaluate Potential Influencers
Leverage Influencer and Creator Database Tools
Use influencer marketing platforms like Influencity, Tagger by Sprout, Modash, Upfluence, or Aspire to search and identify influencers based on engagement rates, follower count, niche, location, and other metrics relevant to your brand and overarching goals.
Use Social Media
Search for influencers by using relevant hashtags, keywords, and exploring trending industry content. Use the search function to look up hashtags and keywords related to your brand and find influencers creating high-quality, relevant content; or use location-specific hashtags to find creators in your area. Take note of high-performing / viral content and look at who posted it—chances are it came from a creator. Don’t forget to take a look at the comments as well to discover other creators who are engaging with it.
Perform a Competitor Analysis
We would never recommend copying someone else’s marketing strategy, but if your competitors are partnering with influencers, there’s nothing wrong with using their groundwork as a jumping off point. Search their influencers’ audience, comment section, and who they follow to discover similar creators within the same niche. Don’t forget to take note of influencers and creators who've commented on your competitors’ posts or tagged them in content; chances are they’ll like your brand too.
Evaluate Engagement and Authenticity
Look for influencers with high engagement rates, not just large follower counts. Genuine comments and interactions indicate an engaged and interested audience. Tools like HypeAuditor can help analyze an influencer's engagement and authenticity rates. You’ll want to be on the lookout for influencers with fake followers or engagement pods, which can artificially inflate their performance metrics.
Check Content Quality and Style
Creators that align with a brand’s vision and values act as an extension of their voice, speaking to different types of consumers through relatable language. Ensure the influencer's content aligns with your brand’s aesthetic and values. Review their photos, videos, and captions to gauge their creativity, professionalism, and storytelling ability.
Step 3: Vet Potential Influencers
Review Past Collaborations
Look at the influencer's past brand partnerships. Successful collaborations with similar brands can indicate a good fit. Be cautious if they frequently promote conflicting brands.
Analyze Audience Demographics
Request media kits or demographic information from potential influencers to ensure their audience aligns with your target market.
Step 4: Reach Out
Personalize Your Outreach
Once you’ve identified potential influencers that align with your brand, reach out with personalized messages. Address them by name and mention specific content you enjoyed or what you admire about their social presence. This shows you’ve done your research and genuinely appreciate their work.
Create a Clear Proposal
Clearly outline your collaboration proposal, including what you’re offering (compensation, complimentary stays, exclusive experiences, etc.) and what you expect in return (posts, stories, blog articles, etc.). You’ll want to consider offering complimentary access to all your amenities, along with comped meals for well-rounded exposure of everything your property has to offer.
Step 5: Collaborate Effectively
Define Expectations
Create a campaign brief that clearly outlines your campaign goals, deliverables, timelines, and compensation. Be specific about what it is you’re aiming to achieve and what your influencer’s role in achieving it is.
Encourage Creative Freedom
While providing guidelines, allow influencers the creative freedom to authentically represent your brand. After all, their unique voice and style are what resonate most with their audience most. Don’t be afraid to encourage out-of-the-box thinking like guest blogging, giveaways, or collaboration posts.
Comply with FTC Regulations
The Federal Trade Commission FTC guidelines require that influencers clearly disclose when they have a relationship with a brand using simple and clear language (#ad #sponsored #partnership). It’s important that disclosures be placed prominently and not buried in a mix of hashtags or at the bottom of a post.
Sign an Influencer Partnership Contract
A well-defined agreement ensures both parties understand their responsibilities for a smooth and professional collaboration. A formal influencer contract will set forth the following:
Deliverables:
Clearly outline what you expect from the influencer (number of posts, stories, videos, etc.) and any specific content guidelines.Compensation:
Specify the payment terms, whether it's a flat fee, commission, or other forms of compensation (like complimentary stays or exclusive experiences).Timeline:
Set clear deadlines for content creation and publication.Usage Rights:
Define how the content can be used by your brand, including reposting on social media, using in advertisements, or on your website.FTC Compliance:
Include a clause requiring the influencer to comply with FTC disclosure guidelines.Termination Clause:
Outline the conditions under which the contract can be terminated by either party.
Access our lawyer-approved travel influencer contract in the shop now to establish successful partnerships and grow your brand with influencer marketing.
Step 6: Monitor and Measure Results
Track Campaign Performance
Use analytics tools to monitor the performance of your influencer campaigns. Track metrics including engagement rates, web traffic, and conversions to measure success against your initial goals.
Collect Feedback
Gather feedback from influencers about their experience working with your brand. Their insights can help improve future collaborations.
Influencer marketing has the power to put boutique travel brands on the map by reaching new audiences and driving brand awareness. Prime your brand for digital success and think beyond the short-term to build lasting relationships with influential profiles in the travel space. A hand-written note and a sweet treat in-room upon arrival can go a long way in nurturing a lasting brand ambassador and showcasing your commitment to a personalized, exceptional experience to potential travelers.
Looking to reach new audiences and attract travelers with influencer marketing? Contact us to help manage all aspects of your influencer marketing strategy.
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