You did your research. You found an influencer with a massive, engaged audience and they’re willing to work with you in your budget. You mapped your content strategy, showed them the very best of your destination, and waited for the campaign to take off.
Instead, your reach tanked.
Where did you go wrong?
Here are six ways you may be sabotaging your social media campaigns before they even begin.
1. Not doing your research.
If you hire an adventure junkie to highlight museums, the content will fall flat with their adventure-seeking audience.
Find someone whose content already looks like yours.
2. Over-editing your influencer’s content.
This is the result of number one: when you reshape content to fit your brand, it’s no longer natural and won’t gain momentum among the creator’s followers.
If you like what a creator is doing but it’s not your vibe, ask if they’ll sell photos and B-roll for you to create your own content.
3. Not building a relationship.
When you connect with your creator, you’ll have the opportunity to see where your vision aligns and what will flow most naturally. Also, if they like you, it’s easier for them to create good content.
Make a point to connect before the trip, to say hello while they’re in town, and to follow up to see how the trip really went.
4. Paying for content, but not for the time.
It’s alarming how many times I’ve been asked why I charge a daily rate on top of my content fees. Content fees cover the hours editing photos, videos, and articles and engaging with published content. Before that begins, creators spend twelve hour days experiencing and capturing the destination.
If you like what a creator is doing but it’s not your vibe, ask if they’ll sell photos and B-roll for you to create your own content.
When I’m on location, I’m also not available to take on other freelance work. For creators doing this as a side job, they may be taking time off from their primary job.
If I run the numbers in my head and realize I’m making $2 an hour, I’m going to feel pressure to get the project done and get back to work that actually pays the bills.
Budget for a fair amount for full work days while on-site, and for time put into content creation after the trip.
5. Promoting something you don’t have.
Every destination has accessible experiences worth marketing. The problem is when you promise accessibility that hasn’t actually been tested.
Your creator is not going to feel comfortable promoting a restaurant when outdoor dining is the only accessible option, a hotel where they can’t use the shower, or a destination with no accessible taxis where they have to roll in the street because there are no curb cuts.
The bad experience for the creator will make them leery of recommending the destination as somewhere welcoming.
Call your partners to confirm essentials and preview routes with accessibility in mind.
6. Not amplifying your campaign.
When your creator is three days into sharing live stories and her first reel goes live without so much as a like from the DMO page, she starts to wonder if she came the right week.
It’s discouraging to see your disability content seemingly ignored by the very destination that invited you to create it. Meanwhile, the DMO is missing an opportunity to showcase its accessible offerings to both locals and the people who are already interested in visiting.
Like, comment, and share your creator’s work on your own social channels. You’ll reach more people, show your creator you value their work, and get more from the campaign you already paid for.
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