IMA Published in Entrepreneur Magazine

As guest writer for Entrepreneur, IMA’s founding partner, Emilie Tabor, wrote about the modern necessity for using influencers in marketing to drive brand awareness and deliver results.

She challenges the notion of brands who expect a huge ROI in return for having some of the biggest influencers share content, arguing instead that what really makes the difference is long-term brand-influencer relationships, and larger budgets. Years of expertise in the field has allowed Tabor to formulate several major tips that ensure an effective and unique influencer marketing strategy. She stresses the importance of the authenticity of influencers, saying that there needs to be a real connection between the brand and influencer in order for a campaign to be credible and drive meaningful engagement. Second, “building buzz takes time and scale,” so brands should select multiple influencers to work with over an extended period of time, rather than having a more small scale and short-term focus. Furthermore, a brand’s focus should not be limited to social media content, but should expand to include offline mediums such as events and video productions, which can really spark the creative nature of your influencers. However you wish to bring your message across, it is vital that you always give influencers the opportunity to put their own mark on the collaboration, so that it appears as organic as possible. Lastly, a brand’s relationship with an influencer should be nurtured to be more than just a one time partnership, as they have an invaluable connection directly with your target audience.

For more detailed tips, read the full article here.