A checklist for managers to enhance influencer partnerships and avoid potential pitfalls

Influencer marketing continues to be an increasingly popular with marketing managers because of its effectiveness as a marketing tactic for raising brand awareness and its demonstrated return-on-investment. To date, much of the literature on this topic focuses on the benefits of influencer marketing but there can also be potential risks. Not all influencer marketing experiences are positive, as some firms have discovered. While influencer marketing in the digital space is still emerging, managers should not forget good management principles around supplier management when hiring influencers. This paper lays out a checklist developed to help managers navigate this marketing tactic and avoid potential mistakes by applying the same due diligence that they would to other suppliers. The checklist employs nine questions to employ during the life cycle of an influencer relationship, including selection, performance and contract management, and reputation management. The checklist is corroborated by the marketing literature but is meant to be practically applied by managers. To demonstrate this, we examine several case studies where managers would have benefited from more consideration to supplier management when engaging with influencers. By employing the checklist in their influencing marketing efforts, managers can avoid the mistakes identified in the case studies.