What is a mega influencer

Understanding what is a mega influencer is important. They are a kind of macro influencers that are often difficult to partner with because they are in high demand. The situation gets complicated with large commercial deals involving management teams and critical stakeholders. They are significantly more expensive than micro influencers and macro influencers. One macro influencer definition is by their followers numbers, or their career as a social media star, a reality TV personality, a celebrity, anyone who has risen to digital fame. Essentially, a macro influencer is anyone with 300,000 followers or more. 

How to work with these macro influencers?

1. Do your research!

If you have the budget to include a macro influencer in your influencer marketing strategy, then make sure it is the right fit. Analyse the influencer’s feed and image, metrics is also important! Including engagement rate, average engagements,feed aesthetic, follower growth and audience to ensure that you are working with a credible, authentic influencer who are reaching your target audience. 

2. Set a clear budget

Before reaching out to a macro influencer,think about your budget and ensure it is within your limits. What is a mega influencer? They are influencers that are expensive with a well-known “branding” with a lot of professional manpower assisting in content production. This way, you can see why they can be expensive to work with.

Be upfront with yourself and the influencer about your budget. If it’s not the right time, wait for it to be. If the quote is over the budget you had in mind, negotiate and change the deliverables. Don’t put all of your eggs in one basket, especially when attempting a macro influencer strategy for the first time.

3. Set expectations to remain on track

It is critical to set expectations for everyone involved to ensure your campaign stays on track. Map out what each member is responsible for, what you expect from the partnership and vice versa. Clear queries before they are even formed!

Keep in mind that macro influencers are effective in driving brand awareness and reach rather than sales. Do your research beforehand! The high investment and nature of macro influencers may not justify the ROI you may be achieving if your expectations is to increase sales. 

4. Communicate timely with a clear direction

Being in high demand, it’s natural for them to have very busy schedules. So, you need to make it easier for them by ensuring that your communication is clear and concise. Know what you want to achieve from the collaboration and pitch ideas on how you might work together to make it really easy for the macro influencer.

Talent managers will likely be your primary point of contact, so approach them like how you would towards an influencer. Remain professional and the cooperation will be a pleasant one.

Always have a draft brief and agreement in place so the influencer and his/her team can review immediately. Make sure the brief and agreement is finalized and signed by all parties (to protect everyone involved). It’s important to understand exactly what your ROIs are and how you will make use of the campaign content.

5. Be open and flexible

It’s also important to be open and flexible during the planning stage! Keep in mind that you are not the only brand partnering with the influencer. When setting expectations and due dates, be flexible and considerate of his/her schedule to give them enough time to create and publish content. One tip is to add additional options and be flexible along the way.Building a positive working relationship goes a long way with influencers, their team and your brand.

6. Trust your influencer

All influencers know their audience the best, so trust them and give them creative freedom to create content that their audience loves. 

It is still recommended for you to brief influencers and ensure their content aligns with your brand. But never restrict their creativity by telling them “no” as it may impact your campaign in a negative way. If audience feels like the content is not authentic, and does not align with the influencers usual content style, then they are unlikely to engage with it.