And some of the feedback that we got, rightfully so, was now what?How do we implement all of the things like we're bought in, we agree, we wanna do TikTok, we wanna do Instagram, we wanna work with influencers, now what do we do?
And so that's what we're really here to talk about today is the hows of social media and influencer marketing.So we're gonna be going through some best practices using our self-created marketing playbook.
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Well, hello, everyone.Welcome to the last session of Wine to Wine.Thanks for sticking around and hanging out with us.Yes, a round of applause for sticking around.My name is Amanda McCrossin.I've got Kristen Reitzel with me.
We had the privilege of being here last year to talk about social media. Separately, and this year we get to come together because our respective topics last year really covered the whys of social media.
So I focused on TikTok, where I have my content creation platform, as well as on Instagram.And Kristen really covered the whys of digital marketing and social media and why we should all be doing that.
And some of the feedback that we got, rightfully so, was now what? How do we implement all of the things like we're bought in, we agree, we want to do TikTok, we want to do Instagram, we want to work with influencers, now what do we do?
And so that's what we're really here to talk about today is the hows of social media and influencer marketing.So we're going to be going through some best practices using our self-created
marketing playbook, so the Influencer Marketing Playbook, with five easy steps to get you guys all there.I'm really excited to talk about this.I think these are all questions that I've been posed personally.I'm sure Kristen's been posed personally.
And as I mentioned, I am a content creator.My background is as a sommelier.I used to work at Press Restaurant in Napa Valley, where I was the wine director and saw them there for five years. and took my full-time career to content creation in 2020.
So I've built up my platforms across TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram, and now do this full-time, creating content both on my platforms and then also working with clients like regional associations, wineries, retail shops, things like that.And Kristen
is the other blonde.That's right.So, yeah, I run communications and all things digital at Jackson Family Wines.For those that aren't familiar, we're still a family owned winery.We only deal in wine.And we have about 50 wineries worldwide now.
And we're in eight countries across five continents. So we're definitely playing in a lot of places.I think a lot of what we're focused on in this conversation probably has more skewed towards a US audience.
That's what we deal with in probably 90% of where we play with influencers.But we've absolutely done programs with international as well.And I follow the same principles and sort of ask myself the right questions.
So this will apply pretty much to any influencer strategy, regardless of where you are. There's things just like audience and what consumers are looking for that will differ from country to country.
But I had my start in the tech industry on the agency side.I started my career before social media was even a thing.So I was a very curious person.I raised my hand a lot.
And I started helping build digital programs within the wine industry and felt like I had something to contribute, because I saw all these other CPG companies doing things that were really fun and digital, and I saw the wine industry not.
And so I have had a wonderful career for the last 11 years at Jackson Family Wines, and they have put a lot of trust in me to oversee literally everything digital and influencer marketing, kind of as that nice in-between of PR and digital marketing, which, thankfully, I manage both.
But yeah, so I think we're going to just jump into the presentation.So I hope this last year and this year, I preface this by saying, I hope I never have to really convince anyone of influencer marketing again.I think we should be beyond that.
Maybe certain programs don't make sense for your brand, but I think there's absolutely a place for influencer marketing in the wine industry and within your brand's marketing plan. We have it across most of our wineries.
Influencer marketing plays a really critical role in our consumer campaigns.And so the one thing I always like to tell people is you have to look at the influencer community as a media community.And so it's a place with a very specific audience.
There's independent voices, much like bloggers back in the day when they were kind of on the rise.A lot of people saw this niche in the media that they found really valuable.
I see that with influencers every single day, be it wine influencers or lifestyle influencers.I think they have this loyal following.
People do not choose to follow or choose to read if they do not believe in the content that this person is putting out.And I think that they build credibility on their own through their content, and they also build that trust.
So when product recommendations or product kind of show up in that space, that credibility and trust is already built with the influencer.
So you as a brand don't actually have to do that heavy lifting and I think that's where you can really unlock opportunity with consumer audiences that are interested in hearing about products from these influencers. So this is our agenda.
Basically, what we feel like we decided to really sink into what are the main things that we think about.And we actually came together on this because it felt like if I was up here speaking for influencers, that wouldn't be probably a good idea.
If she was up here speaking on behalf of wineries, probably not the best idea.So that's why we joined forces.And we actually found the same way she approaches working with a brand, the same way
kind of teaching myself and my teams to approach working with influencers.And it's establishing goals, thinking about the investment, vetting your partners, collaboration with ease is always the best, and then leveraging the content.
And so we're going to dive deep into each of these and really give you what we like to call our playbook or handbook of how we really approach our relationships and what we do and how we use it and how we leverage it long term.
Perfect.So as Kristen said, I think we are definitely coming at it from two different angles because I think it's helpful to know what each other wants.
And at the end of the day, the most important thing that you have to know is what do you want to get out of this?Why are we doing this in the first place? Why are we working with an influencer?
One of the things that I run into a lot as an influencer, as someone that people want to work with, is a lack of direction, an unknowing of what they want to get out of it.And so my first question to people is always, what do you want me to do?
What do you hope to achieve out of this partnership?Is it sales?Is it awareness?Is it driving to the wineries?So career directives are huge.And establishing your goals is also very important.
For me, how I decide to work with a winery, there's a few different things that I'm considering, and I think it's helpful for wineries and potential partners to know what those are.
As an FYI, I did survey a few of my colleagues who do the same thing that I do, which is full-time wine influence, or at least part-time. So I aggregate a little bit of information from them as well as far as what they wanted.
Of course, the first thing is the financial benefit.Most of us are doing this for money.This is a transactional thing that we're working between the influencer and the winery partner.
But that's actually not always the most important consideration, of course. We want to check at the end of the day.But one of the other main considerations is, does this raise or improve my brand's value?
So I'm looking to see if the brand that I'm working with is going to add a different color to what I'm already putting out there.At a minimum, I would love it to just kind of be on the same level, really align with me and my core values.
But I'd also love it for it to raise my perspective as well. And then the other thing that I think is the most important, probably more important than any of the other two, is the value add for my audience.
Is this product or is this thing that I'm talking about going to be valuable to the people that I'm speaking to?Meaning, is there a takeaway that they can get from this?Is this an event or an experience that I think that will behoove them?
Is this a product that will behoove them, that will resonate with them? And then, of course, clear directive and realistic expectations.
These are things that I'm looking for out of winery partners, really knowing what your clear goals are and being realistic about what you want the outcome to be.I would love to deliver all of the wine sales to you.I would love to do that.
But we have to be realistic about what's actually going to happen.So when we first start to consider working with each other, those are things that I'm considering.
as well as am I going to be able to retain my own autonomy and personality within this partnership?And so those things can sort of be gauged within the first few exchanges or exchange between.
And I think one of the ways that we do that is if the winery approaches me,
I often love to see when they send me examples of work that I've done before that really resonate with them, that tells me one, that they've done their research, which we're going to talk about in a second.
And two, it also gives me an idea of what they're after.So those are really important for me.And I know for the wineries, you guys have a few different expectations or goals that allow you to figure out who you're going to be working with. Oh, yes.
I think it's interesting.This topic came up.I think Dan brought it up in his presentation.
The word ROI gets thrown around a lot in presentations like this, most likely because your owner or your CEO or someone is asking you, your boss is asking you, like, well, what's the ROI? influencer marketing.
I think it's very important to note that ROI is more than financial ROI.ROI can be reach, engagement, looking at all those metrics that we measure for digital marketing campaigns.Likes, shares, comments, those are all things that have
a brand awareness opportunity.And we believe very strongly in top funnel campaigns.We believe brand awareness does lead people to the product.And you just have to make sure you have a pathway for the consumer to find your product.
One of the things I always like to challenge my team with, it's like, great, if you're going to create all this content, you're going to work with these people or do a media campaign, do a print campaign, whatever it may be.
If the goal is brand awareness, what market are you doing with it?And they're like, oh, we're going to do Indiana. Don't know why I chose India, but we don't have any product there.It's kind of a waste of time, right?
So think about your influencer too.So I think that's kind of one thing I like to talk about.Like ROI, brand awareness to us is a pathway to sales.Can you directly correlate it?No, but it absolutely impacts that.Marketing is an investment.
It's not just a cost. And I know my CFO calls it a cost in every quarterly meeting.
But I'm like, you mean the investment we're making in our brand equity long term so people become aware of our product and then buy it from that lovely restaurant placement and that wonderful retail shelf that our sales team worked so hard to get it on?
That's the kind of mindset we have to have.So ROI can be things like building awareness.That's a big reason we work with a lot of influencers, like going back to that built-in audience, trusted, credible voice.
They're doing a lot of the heavy lifting for us. Driving traffic, this would be on site or online.So maybe you're trying to increase tasting room visitation.You're just trying to increase, you know, visitation to Sonoma County.
Maybe it's like to your region, if you have a winery in Italy, like you're just trying to create more regional awareness.The influencers are great for that.They seem, they're third party and they're credible. I always say boosting sales is great.
We do conversion campaigns with influencers as well.Their audience is used to being sold to.So those are considerations we're going to talk to a little bit when vetting your partner.
The goal is really important to establish, because even Amanda said, I don't know what you want.I don't even know if I'm a good partner for you.The last one is the engagement thing.
I think that we're going to get into a little bit, but you have to own that engagement as much as the influencer.So being a part of that post, engaging with the content, You should always community management is a very important thing.
A lot of wineries sort of forget to do on a daily basis, but it's critically important to your success.And then content creation wineries spend thousands of dollars a year on photographers, videographers, video editing, photo editing.
And I think it's really important to understand that creators do that for you.And a lot of times you can utilize that content. for your own platform, and sometimes I'll have them create 25 pieces of content.
We only collaborate on two, but then I do get usage rights to the rest of it, and it benefits both parties long-term.So they're very talented at creating content.
There's a lot of ways to work with us.
Yeah.But goals, right?Know what your goal is.What are you trying to accomplish?Because if you don't know that, then you got some other work to do.You got to go back to the marketing plan because the influencer is not going to do it for you.
And you actually probably don't want them to because they're going to do what they think is good for them, which is fine.Yeah.Yes.So we can talk a little bit about investment.So Amanda told you.
Most influencers do require some financial support to work with them.Are there influencers- Compensation.Compensation, financial support, you know, however you want.
So compensation, so it's like contracting a photographer, contracting a videographer, contracting any type of creative person. Very important after you've established your goal, do you have a budget?If the answer is no, be upfront about that.
If you do have a budget that's very set, let them know that as well.And then sometimes you can work, sometimes you may be way too low for them, and that's OK.Maybe some budget will come around the next time.But just be upfront about your budget.
But most importantly, know your budget.And know that for the most part, if you're working with established creators and influencers, they're probably going to require a budget to do work.And I know Amanda's going to get into a little bit of the why.
And then the consumer audience.I think we, I put the consumer first.I jokingly have this poster in my office from a very old movie called Tron, and it says, I fight for the users.The users to me are the consumer.
Everything I put in front of myself, I think, is this going to resonate with my current consumer? are the consumer that I'm trying to reach, retain, and convert.So you have to really think about that.So your audience has to match their audience.
And I get this question a lot from influencers.They're like, well, what is your brand's demographics?And then if I tell them, this is my brand's demographic, but this is the growth audience that we're trying to reach,
They also know their demographic.So sometimes they're trying to evaluate like is this really a fit for me?
So know your target consumer and then part of the vetting process will also be like is this influencers audience the right audience for my brand?Knowing what my goals are.
Well, and going back to your budget for a second, I think this is a big topic, right?Because I think a lot of wineries and partners don't necessarily know what influencers charge.And to be perfectly honest, it's a wide scope, right?
We all charge different things.Like I said, I surveyed across the board.Rates were everywhere from $500 a post all the way up to $5,000.I can tell you I land sort of somewhere in between that.And it does depend.
on the scope of work, which is why I said initially clear directives are incredibly important.Now there's a couple considerations that you can make and a couple ways to make this process a little bit easier.
Number one, if you have a budget, if you know that you're going to be able to pay an influencer, one of the first things that you should do is in the subject line, paid opportunity or paid partnership.
This signals to me that you're not just reaching out to send me samples or for trade or something like that.It indicates to me very clearly that there is budget for this project and now we can come to the table with some sort of negotiation.
When asked if, on preference of an initial budget stated, 75% of the influencers responded that they would prefer an initial budget to be stated.
Additionally, most people, when an initial budget is stated, if it were below where the budget should be for them or what their rates normally are, they said they would come back to the table and start negotiations.
So it's always a place for conversation, but I think it's clear and it just streamlines if you say, hey, this is a paid opportunity.Because a lot of times what happens is the winery's email or the partner's email and they say, hey,
We'd love to do this and nowhere in the email does it say that we have a budget for this.So there's an additional email that has to happen saying, do you have budget?What is it?So it's a good way to stream.
75% of the influencers that I surveyed also have rate sheets.So another easy thing to ask is do you have a rate sheet or a rate card as well as a media kit and this will give you insight into
as Kristen just said, your target consumer and demographic.These should be early things that you guys, that information that you're collecting in order to figure out whether this is going to be a good investment for you.And most of us have that.
I have a media kit.I'll never send a rate sheet, but I will get shit. Great.We're off to a fantastic start.But I will send you a sort of ballpark, but I'm interested in scope of work first and foremost, and the rates can change.
And I will also say that for me, I want to do this for the right price for you.I don't want to gouge people.I just want to make sure that My expectations, your expectations are all aligned together.
And a lot of times what can happen is I can bundle things together.So my pricing for Instagram stories together with a couple of reels can actually bring that total price down.
So if I were to send you a rate sheet that said one reel $3,000, Instagram stories $1,500. If we do that together over the course of a long period of time, because I know that's what you want, I can start to maneuver pricing in a different way.
Channels and activation types.This goes back to knowing exactly what you want out of this.All of our channels perform differently. TikTok does different things.I mean, I get asked all the time.Do you prefer TikTok over Instagram?
Do they do different things?They absolutely do.They reach different audiences and the media kit should tell that.And for Kristen, I know you generally have a preference.
Yeah, I mean, we we do and we don't.I think that you one should know probably the platforms that your influencer and you're about to reach out to is on.The one thing I always like to tell people is we as wineries are very
highly regulated because we were alcohol, particularly in the US.It's a little different globally.But there's things that we just cannot do.
We cannot say, we cannot tag, we cannot even show a bike because that's encouraging drinking while riding a bike.I had no idea. It's really fun.
So there's this very long list of rules that the wine and alcohol beverage companies cannot do on Instagram.Do people break our social media?People break the rules all the time.Just don't get caught.
One of those things is actually alcohol brands aren't actually allowed to be on TikTok right now.They're figuring that out.But guess who are? influencers.
And so there's opportunities to also have influencers create content in places we legally cannot.They can also point people to retailers.They can also like
highlight different things, they can say different things, they can perform content in a way that we are not allowed to as a winery.
So I think like, yes, know the platform, knowing your consumers, the way to know probably what platform you're going to gravitate towards.
And the goal will also tell you that because the type of content you might be creating, Amanda might say, actually, that's content that would be way better for TikTok.Instagram content is more better in this format.
So you've got to think about more better.Yeah. But yeah, and I know you went into the add-ons, and just think about the opportunities that influencers can do and say things that wineries are not allowed to.That's right.
And there's also different activation types.I think we all think of kind of what I'm doing right here in this screenshot of a video, which is a very common video that I do, me face to camera. with a couple bottles of wine.
And I'm talking about wine in some capacity.That is, this particular video is a video that I did with the Napa Valley Vintners to promote an event that they were doing.And the video was really just about, should you age your wine?
And then it lent itself to the topic that they were talking about.But these are not the only types of videos and activations that you can be doing with influencers.
Events are a great way to work with influencers, both paid and just event, like going, being invited to events.
So I'll talk about like Lambrusco did an amazing job this past year at bringing influencers and media together for a great activation that was on the Eiffel Tower.
It was very over the top, very Instagram worthy and an awesome way to work with the region. and be shown exactly how those wines can work in these settings.
And so for me, it was a great takeaway not only from a learning experience, but it was also a value add for my followers who were watching along the way to get to see how Lambrusco can actually play in a Michelin starred restaurant on the Eiffel Tower.
Another big thing that I'm doing right now are itinerary videos.So again, if you're doing press trips or trip activations, another great way to capture content as well. And then last, of course, is organic versus contracted.
So not everything has to be paid.And a lot of times influencers are, I'm 5'1", and it's very short back here, so I'm on my feet trying not to die. Organic content versus contracted.
Obviously, there are some ways that we can work together that don't require getting paid.One of which is trade.The other is just sometimes I really like a bottle of mascarine and sometimes it ends up in a TikTok video that does really, really well.
And when that happens, an amazing thing for me is when the winemaker reaches out and says, hey, Thank you.That was really cool that you did that.I really appreciate it.
So being on the listening side of things and being aware when your content is being posted organically and just kind of leaning into that thank you economy of like, hey, I know that you did this.
I didn't ask you to do this, but I really appreciate it.It goes a long way.I've had the other side of that side of the spectrum happen where a thank you was not done.And I felt, honestly, a little slighted.I think, for me, it was like,
I know you didn't ask for it, but I know you were aware of it, and I know that you benefited from it.I think you would have been nice.
I agree.The one thing, that's where I kind of go back.I was asked a question the other day, like, where do I start with this specifically influencer marketing of like who to work with?
I'm like, you should probably be paying attention to who maybe is organically posting about you.That's a really good place to start.And someone was like, how do you do that?I'm like, it's called community management.
Like, you should be managing your tags, like who's tagging you, who's talking about you.You can do that in app.You don't need a fancy listening, software to do it.It's just paying attention to your social channel and who's tagging you.
And if you don't know who it is, maybe look at their profile.We've actually organically come across a lot of influencer partners this way that I'm like, oh, we actually came across a few celebrity partners this way.
And I just jokingly was like, do you want me to send you like a case every other month?And because I really appreciate how much, you know, La Crema you're showing everywhere.And she was like, that's hilarious.Yeah, that'd be great.
And if I wasn't listening and paying attention and also engaging with her content when she did post as the brand La Crema, which you can absolutely do.
I think it would have been a waste of that free content and it'd be like taking out a print ad and then going buying every issue that was ever printed and throwing them all in the trash.Why wouldn't you want to spread the joy around?
It just doesn't make a lot of sense.It's free promotional content. advantage of it.
I know it's hard.I'd say thank you.Yeah.And it's hard, I think, in our digital world, right?We get caught up in this idea that we're not real people.
I mean, you look at the comments on any of my videos, and it seems like maybe I'm not a real person, because they're talking about me like I'm not there.But we are real people.We're all real people.
And I think relationship building at an entry level, even on the platform, outside the platform, I mean, the whole reason that I even talked about mask in the TikTok video was because I had a relationship. professional one, with Dan Petrosky.
And he supported me over the years and we helped each other.And I think these are things that go a really long way in a world that is very digital.
That personal relationship and that professional relationship can be very meaningful to influencers who are considering posting about different things that are unpaid.
They're going to be the first people that they think of when they're looking to do content.
I always tell my team, if you're kind to people on their way, like when they're starting out, they're going to remember you when they get there and when they're on their way up.
And so everyone wants like Amanda now, but like she does remember the people that supported her when she initially made the jump to do this full time.And I think that's really important.
Kristen Reitzel is one of those people.
Why we're up here together, we actually really like each other.And we've been working together for years when she was not doing this full time.But yeah, so the next thing is you do vet your partners.
This is actually the number one area I get the most questions.I think it's the number one area. that people don't do their due diligence in, quite honestly.
And so this one is the one that will get me a little fired up, is when you don't do your research.And so influence or types.Amanda has a very clear point of view.I would consider her kind of a wine and lifestyle and kind of tourism.
There's a lot of categories you cover, but it's very focused in wine. I work with a lot of lifestyle influencers that are very much more about a mom lifestyle.We do a lot of environmental work at Jackson Family Wine.
So we work with a lot of climate activists that are influencers.And so we do partner in a lot of different ways.But know the influencer type you want to work with.
If you're just trying to reach 30-something single women who are in strong business roles that live in the metropolitan area, Guess what?There's probably influencers out there for you.There's a lot of influencers.There's a lot of accounts.
And so you can always find it.So identifying the goal is kind of part of that, finding the type.Like, what is this campaign?
And if this campaign is not really for an audience that just wants to know about wine, it's more about like, OK, I want to partner with someone that is really into horseback or horse racing because La Crema is the official wine of the Kentucky Derby.
We should find probably not wine-centric influencers for that, so we went out and found like horse racing enthusiast influencers and we're like hey it's the official wine of the Derby and they promoted it for us.
It tapped a completely new audience for us which was part of the reason why we took on the sponsorship and it made sense to the influencer.They're like, oh, yeah, this totally makes sense.It's absolutely on track with what my audience is looking for.
In fact, they're probably going to be excited because they don't normally hear about wine from me.So think about that.And then kind of those niche, I kind of went into the niche, like the horse racing, the beauty, whatever they are.
Those niche audiences have to be, your product has to fit with it and make sense.Otherwise, it's going to feel very paid and very forced and very awkward.And your performance on that partnership usually is disappointing across the board.
Well, and we're vetting our partners as well as influencers, right?So as much as they're trying to identify whether it's a good fit for them, I'm trying to identify whether it's a good fit for me.
And so one of the things that I love to get is a sample first.I will never work with a winery that I don't have a previous relationship with in some capacity.Yes, we will be sending samples.Please tell me that.
It's very hard to get away from sending at least one bottle.
Yeah, and I think for me, one of the things that I love to see, and I know other influencers feel the same way, is getting samples packaged in the way that the consumer would.So I mean, I know it's a lot easier to send samples a la
traditional media in a box.But it doesn't give me a really clear idea of who you guys are.I don't know what this brand stands for.I don't know what my followers are going to get if they decide to buy this wine.
I don't know what that's going to look like for them.And for me, it really is a tell.So getting packaging that's a little bit more in line with what the customer would receive is great.
Also, for you guys, I know analyzing followers and content performance and audience behavior, this is one thing that I tell people all the time.Make sure you're looking at, and I know you guys do this,
Make sure you're looking at more than just the followers and the likes.Dig in.Dig into that stuff.
And that's where you can ask for that.I will say, typically we do have to because I don't have the analytics behind that influencer's door.But do not base your partnership just on followers.
Followers, in a lot of ways, even for a brand, has become very much a vanity metrics.People love having a million followers.But if you do not produce content and keep that audience engaged,
It's the way the algorithm works, like your content just stops showing up.So I've had people come to me, they're like, I have 800,000 followers, you should partner with me.
I can just organically look at their engagement and I'm like, you're getting less than 100 likes on your content.So you may have almost a million followers, but very few people are actually engaging with you and your content.
And then we're like, we're good.But go a layer deep.Followers should never be the only thing you look at when vetting an influencer.
Actually, one of the things I love to do is actually look at the comments section of posts that we feel like this is content we're probably going to be asking this person to partner with us on.We like it.We like the aesthetic.We know it's a fit.
She's done stuff like this before.Okay.And then you look at the comments and they're like, either very odd all over the place, absolutely not about the product she is trying to push forward.
It's much more about her shoes or the background and things like that.And you're like, oh, well, your audience seems to really be more about you and not all these products you're trying to push.So once again,
I don't know if this is really going to be a good fit for us.But comments can be very telling.
I think there's a lot of people in here that have probably seen an article on social media, and they just go directly to the comment section just because they're like, let's see what craziness is erupting here.
And it can be very telling of not the article necessarily that is written, but the actual audience.And when I see an audience flip out at content, the first time I'm in a magazine or anything, I'm like, Clearly not your audience.
Like you wrote an article that was like hitting in a weird way.So I think that you have to kind of just dig in.Vetting is like a little bit of like Google stalking.You're just kind of like trying to find out as much as you can before you reach out.
And then once you do reach out, as I mentioned earlier, clear directives are huge.So in addition to being clear about whether there's budget, also letting us know what it is you actually want.Do you want this, like I said, on Instagram?
Do you want this content to have usage rights?Do you want to whitelist this and use it for ads?Those are really important things. And then ABCD alignment on brand and campaign deliverables.
This is sort of a similar thing This is your sort of contact contract negotiation round.So this is where you should know One like I said usage Going back to what are your goals? is where is this content living?
Is it going to live on the influencers platform?Is it living on your platform?Is it living on both?Are you going to use this for paid spend?All of those things cost different money and require different contracts.
Contract negotiation is one of those things that can come from either direction.For me, rounds of edits are really important.So I will, you know, you can always request more.Those are all things that you should be aligning on in those early moments.
And then we move on. to once we have made a match, you found your person, you swiped right, now we're working together and we're gonna collaborate for a mutually successful partnership.So how do we do that?Collaboration considerations.
Number one, just give me one person, one person to talk to, or two, two is fine, but I want a point person from start to finish who I can clearly communicate with, about everything, and that's really, really helpful.
I think that person should be your go-to person for any questions.They should also be providing a very clear brief with guidelines.
One of the best briefs I got was recently, I'll send it to you if anybody's interested in seeing it later, but it was great.It was just really clear as far as like,
all the directives, the key takeaways, they gave examples of content that they had seen previously that they wanted their content to be more in line with.And then it also gave me some messaging points.
It didn't give me a script, but it gave me messaging points that they wanted to see within there as well as any technical data that I would need to include in the actual video.So a clear brief is huge.
One thing with that is I tell people don't write a script unless you're asked because you're partnering with this person because you like their content and then also key messages.
Absolutely include your key messages that you want this person to hit on and what a call to action is if you do have one.Be that click the website, use the promo code,
buy these tickets, like us, or like the brand, whatever it is, just make sure that's in there.But I've been asked to do scripts before.I don't like doing them, because I think it looks like it's been scripted.
But that being said, you absolutely should put your key messaging points in there, because you don't want to be left being like, oh, I just didn't really like the way they said that, or they didn't hit on this point.
I'm like, did you provide that point to them? No.I'm like, OK.So I think we called it, just set yourself up for success.Make sure you both said everything you want to say.And yeah, just try not to have it be too much of a back and forth.
That's why having a lot of this locked up before you even reach out is really important.Briefs have come in all shapes and sizes.Ours is actually a very simple template.It's like a one pager.We actually just fill it in.
So I will tell you, some people are like, oh my god, you have to do a brief, and then you have to do this.And it's actually not that complicated.It's a Word document.
And we have just like these things that everyone on my TR team just fills out when they send it out to like a mass audience To see if these people want to work with this mass being like, you know
I am happy to send an example of a brief, but just on this brief are things like project title, the goal, deliverables, i.e.
one video, the general title of the video, how long they want that video to be, the format in which they want that video shot.So in most cases, that's going to be your 9 by 16 for iPhone.
Whether they want audio included, a lot of times if you're talking about content that's going to be used for whitelisting or for ad purposes, you want license-free music.So make that clear in your brief, whether that's a thing.
And then where they want those files to be delivered, whether that's providing a Dropbox or Google Drive.
It should also say where you're going to be posting this, your key messaging, as I mentioned, as well as any of the marketing points that you want us to hit. And then let us do our thing.Allow for creative freedom.I mean, you hired us for a reason.
You clearly, something resonated.Let me do my thing.At this point, I have everything that I've needed because you gave it to me.Thank you very much.And now I get to take it from here with all of those guidelines intact.
As I said, I allow for one round of edits with my content, which is really just to allow for anything that's Messaging that's incorrect or anything legal.So allowing for that creative freedom is huge.
And then cultivating your relationship, making sure that that relationship continues as you maintain.
And I think stay true to your point of view is for both sides, right?Like, just make sure this is on brand for you.When I look at it, it's like, does this influence or does this make sense for this brand?Sometimes it's a yes, sometimes it's a no.
I have a lot of wineries I get to work with.I feel like we have probably a wine for every consumer out there.
Make sure that influencer fits with that brand and it's someone you want representing your brand because they do become like Peter talked about brand ambassadors yesterday He talked he did not talk about this but like influencers somewhat can become brand ambassadors for you.
We've done long-term contracts with them right now We're working with a few for your wine store, which is this is one unboxing post but we work with them on a yearly contract because we want constant content being created on our behalf.
And it says hashtag your wine store ambassador.So do you think about long term contracts?It also is fun for the influencer because then they have that income that they know they can rely on long term.So I know they've always appreciated that.
And then leverage content.I mean, this is really something I think is important.I touched on earlier, but Be involved in that community, monitor the comments.
Just because you have an influencer building content for you, it doesn't mean they become your customer service rep.
Sometimes you as the brand actually want to be in there answering the questions that people are posing or sending the answers to the influencer if it's something like, oh, are you guys in Rhode Island?
Like, pretty sure Amanda might not know that, but maybe we are.So I always make sure that we're really on top of that. and then reshare, repurpose, track it constantly.The lifetime value of content just comes in waves.
You did a collaboration, and then suddenly six months later, it's taking off again.And you have no idea why.It's all about the algorithm.But suddenly, that topic became very topical again and engaged with again.
And so make sure you're always tracking the lifecycle of your content.And then I say, I do report out things.I'm a data person. I'm absolutely asked to report out the success or non-success of a influencer marketing campaign.
A lot of that has to do with engagement rates, and audience type, and things like that.But I send those out, and people are like, it's amazing.And they love to see it.So be proud of the campaigns you're building, and share the results.
Because that's how, particularly, I get questions.I'm like, I can't get my company, or I can't get my brand bought into an influencer marketing program.
Just try to get them to let you do one, but then just make sure you're sharing that out just like you would any type of media, right?Like a great ad or a great headline in the New York Times.Be proud of that content.
Honestly, it's usually more fun than some of the content we send out, and then they start following people.But yeah, I think that it all comes down to those kind of steps that we walked you through, and it's not rocket science.
I just think there has to be a formula to something, and if you go with it, don't overcomplicate it.It doesn't have to be a 30-page PowerPoint or 30-deck PowerPoint presentation.
Like I said, WordDoc, you know, we're a relatively large company, and yes, our scope of work is WordDoc.
Yeah, this is leveraging the content is probably the step that I think gets lost and forgotten about the most on my end.As Kristen said, a lot of times people are looking for the products that I am talking about.
And I can't tell you how many times I've gone into partnerships saying, hey, make sure that when this goes live, there's a place for people to figure out how to buy this product.
Too many times we run into a situation where there is no pathway to find this product or purchase this product.And it's a problem.And it makes me look bad.Right.And the comment monitoring is huge.
But also, one place that I have seen people get burned on is not including in their contracts the metrics reporting.This is sort of a thing that most people are totally fine sharing.But you will find every now and then an influencer who says, nope.
Those are proprietary.I'm not releasing that information.Get that in your contract.Make sure that's in there.Metrics reporting, specifically, we want to see everything.We want to see the reach.We want to see the impressions, shares, saves.
We want to see screenshots of that.And we want it within one week of posting.This is very standard stuff.Do not forget to include this in. in your contracts, it's huge.
I'm just doing a time check, because I do want to look for questions.But these are our key takeaways, as you see a lot of slides that say key takeaways.But it's really just about there is value in working with influencers.
So just think about how that could be part of your marketing plan moving forward or next year.We always talk about developing a clear strategy is a very important part, especially on both sides of the fence.
We believe strongly in vetting your partner.Research is really important. You wouldn't pitch a French wine to a publication that explicitly tells you they only cover Italian wine.Kind of the same with influencers.You can vet them in the same way.
And hey, if you think that we're a fit and we don't appear to be a fit, sell me.Tell me why you think I'm a fit.I'm open.
Yeah, leverage the content.We just like really went dug hard into that.And I think, please do that.I can't stress that enough.And then continue to strengthen the relationship.
Like I said, Amanda and I are up here because we actually have a long history together and a relationship.We've worked together in multiple different ways.And the life cycle of that content is only just getting longer and longer and longer.
So stay in touch with people.I think that this is an industry built on relationships.And I think influencers are just as valuable to you as media, traditional media, bloggers, trade, restaurant buyers.
And I think if you start looking at them that way, and that's what I've really trained my team to do, and that's the mindset I approach, you should really start seeing that value unlock so quickly.Because it's a partnership.And it's a good one.
And it feels good at the end of the day.
All right, that's a wrap on 2023 Wine to Wine.
I always feel like there should be cocktails in here after.I feel like at the end, there should be a drink.
I want a confetti cannon.
Yeah, well, thank you, everyone.
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