A long brand partnership taught me a lot. Having a long brand partnership was an unexpected opportunity that came in my first year of having Daily Dose of Luxury. I had the opportunity to represent The Body Shop and since they are a brand I already use I was super excited to be offered the opportunity.
As I’ve moved through the creator journey I’ve realized that one off partnerships aren’t as beneficial as long term opportunities. DISCLAIMER: That doesn’t mean don’t take one-off partnerships; that doesn’t mean you’re not a worthy creator because you’ve only been offered one-off partnerships. I have done a lot myself and often times it’s to see how it goes and see how my audience responds. That is helpful to both the brand and the creator. All that said today I’m sharing what I learned from having a long brand partnership.
A Longer Partnership Will Show True Engagement/ROI
A one off brand partnership might have great engagement, I’ve had really great one time posts, but are you really able to measure the return on an influencer just from one post? To a degree yes, however, collaborating with a brand over a long period of time gives a more balanced look into how influential you are and how well you work.
During my time with The Body Shop I was able to watch my engagement grow and even decline. Most brands provide campaign briefs to guide you in the direction they are going which is so helpful, but I also wanted to try different things especially when so many other creators might be on the same campaign. If we all take pictures doing the same thing, it’s not exciting and none of us stand out from the crowd.
If The Body Shop decided okay we’re about to do this again, I could pitch myself based on my analytics and return from my time with them and ask for another chance or opportunity. I could also use that same content to show what I’m capable of as far as other brand opportunities are concerned.
QUICK TIP: If you haven’t had a long partnership, but you have been using a brand for an extended period of time, use that content to pitch yourself.
Opportunity to Flex Your Creativity
A year long brand partnership taught me to get creative. Similar to what I mentioned in the prior section, if all of us in a campaign pose and do things the same way then it get’s old super quickly. Your goal is to keep people interested and coming back for more during the length of that campaign.
Mrs. Brittany Hennessy said it best, we are supposed to show people we are the taste-makers, that we drive the trend, so while it seems safe to do certain things, use your long term brand partnerships (and your one-off opportunities) as a way to flex and show what you can do.
Flex! Who are you playing it safe for? You want people to remember what you’re sharing. I think my favorite Body Shop Flex was for sure this post here.
In Depth Knowledge About Brand Which Leads to a Level of Trust and Expertise Among Your Audience
The opportunity to learn MORE about a brand that you use often or plan to use often is extremely helpful. Not only do you have additional information, you are the expert that people trust. People buy into you and what you have to offer so if a certain brand is your go to, learn all you can about it and share as much as you know.
I put a young lady that I work with on to the Drops of Youth line and literally she has associated me with The Body Shop ever since. She always tells me when sales are happening, when new products are dropping, and all I did was say one thing. To her I’m an expert in all things Body Shop, when in reality I was just sharing something that I feel like worked well for my skin.
You never know what your sharing could lead to.
I Like Them A lot More
The ultimate thing I’ve learned from having a year long brand partnership is that I like them way more. This year I’ve scaled back on partnerships for several reasons; one being that I want more meaningful opportunities that better fit my life and align with what I already have going on and two I don’t want to be just a one opportunity creator. My goal is to get so good that long term is the only option.
Have any of you had any 3 month or longer brand partnerships?
