Social media has become irrevocably interwoven with modern life, and social media influencers can really change a company’s prospects – for good or bad.
It’s not unusual for even small companies to partner up with popular influencers since the right influencer can easily reach a company’s target audience with great specificity. However, it’s essential to protect your brand identity when you’re working with an influencer, which means having clear and transparent contracts. Here are some tips:
1. Define expectations
Clearly outline the scope of work, including the type and frequency of content the influencer is expected to create, post and promote. Specify any brand messaging guidelines, including tone of voice, key messages and visual aesthetics, to maintain consistency with your brand identity.
2. Have an approval process
You need to see what’s going out with your name on it – before it hits the web. Require influencers to submit content for review before posting to ensure alignment with your brand values, messaging and quality standards. This helps mitigate the risk of inappropriate or off-brand content damaging your brand reputation.
3. Include exclusivity and endorsement clauses
Consider including exclusivity clauses that prevent influencers from promoting competing brands or products within a specified time frame or industry. Additionally, clearly define endorsement disclosure requirements to ensure compliance with advertising regulations and maintain transparency with consumers.
4. Address intellectual property rights
Clearly define ownership and usage rights for any content created by the influencer on your company’s behalf. Specify whether your business retains ownership of the content, grants a license for its use, or allows the influencer to retain ownership with limited usage rights.
5. Include performance metrics
Define benchmarks for engagement, reach, conversions or other relevant metrics to assess the effectiveness of the partnership. By setting clear expectations and tracking performance, you can measure the return you’re getting on your investment from your influencer collaborations and make informed decisions for future campaigns.
Obtaining tailored guidance specific to your business needs is the best way to make certain that your influencer contracts are legal and correct.
