JUNE | TRENDING
5 tips for ensuring your
influencer event runs smoothly
Working with influencers can add a lot of value
to both your campaign and your brand thanks
to the thousands of followers who meet your
target market, sitting right at their fingertips,
says digital PR specialists at Jaywing PR
T
he instant reach of influencers
mean having them along
to an event to help promote
a product or service is incredibly
impactful. But events can be stressful
when not planned or executed
correctly, so how can you plan the
ideal event designed to get the right
people talking about your brand?
1. Invite the right influencers
Choosing the right influencers
for your event is essential. While it’s
tempting to target those with the
highest following, it’s not necessarily
the most effective technique. Take
the time to research and select the
influencers you ask to attend. Do they
represent the brand well? Is their
audience and your target audience
the same? What’s their engagement
rate like? Are they consistent?
Ensuring your search is granular
may be time-consuming or an
extra investment, but it’s essential
when it comes to the outcome. If
you’re unsure how to find the right
influencers, consider working with an
agency.
Even the right influencers can be
tricky though, which is why many
brands and agencies create legally
binding agreements to make sure
all deliverables are met (and that
they actually attend). Executing any
influencer activity without this in
place can create extra risk. Always
seek expert advice if creating a legal
document is outside your expertise,
and be sure to keep it as clear and
specific as possible - don’t give them
the opportunity to be unsure in what
you mean.
2. Set an agenda. Have you ever
been to an event with no structure?
If so then you’ll know they never run
that smoothly. Hire experts, industry
celebrities and host interactive
activities to help create a flow to your
event. Make this agenda available to
guests beforehand - you never know,
that panellist or extra activity may
be the reason 10 more people come
along. It’s important that anything
on your agenda is well planned out
and kept relatively short. To prevent
a fidgeting audience, keep each
segment to around 45 minutes long.
3. Entertainment. While
everything in your programme
may be of interest to your audience,
ask yourself if it’s all going to be
entertaining? Adding things like
photo booths, performers and games
with personalised hashtags or filters
are a quick way to add a fun twist to
any event - and get the social media
tags pouring in.
4. Partnerships. Partnering with
another brand opens your event to
a whole new audience - theirs. As
they will likely promote the event
across their own channels, it allows
for you to become visible to a
customer base who may
not have previously
heard of your brand
beforehand.
Partnerships
can be done on
a large scale
with competitions and attendees or
a smaller scale in the form of goody
bags. Work with similar brands who
complement yours well and create an
exciting giveaway for your audience.
In order to maintain a strong
relationship with these brands, offer
to promote one another on social
media with regards to the event
wherever possible.
When inviting influencers,
many brands may ask for you to
be transparent with who you are
inviting, so they can ensure they
think the influencers suit their
audience and brand. Always be as
honest as possible, but keep it for
confirmed influencers only, not
ones you’re still in discussion with
and be sure you clarify to agents
and influencers that you will be
promoting their attendance.
5. Create a buzz beforehand.
Creating a buzz in the lead up to an
event can often be the trickiest part,
but it’s a great way to utilise the
influencers attending. Within your
agreement, request anyone coming
along promotes the event during the
weeks before. Whether it be with a
recognisable yet cryptic symbol to
be revealed by them the week before,
or by inviting people to buy/reserve
tickets and pointing them directly to
the checkout, get your money’s worth
from these promoters before and
after the event, not just during.
While planning is key, and
following these tips can put you on
the best possible path for a successful
influencer event, it’s important to
remember that you’re working
with people, and people can lead to
unforeseen circumstances. Always
have backups where possible, but
where they’re not, remain calm
and hit the challenges head-on
with rational solutions. Nine
times out of ten if you’re well
prepared, any hiccups will be
things only you will notice
anyway.
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