Welcome to this week’s instalment of ‘Ask The Influencer’ – this is where we speak with established influencers to get their take on what small businesses need to know and do in order to create successful influencer partnerships that can help build their brand or business.
This week we speak with Emily Jade O’Keeffe, radio royalty and co-host of the Gold Coast’s 102.9 Hot Tomato breakfast radio show. With 25 years in the biz, Emily has hosted shows from Tasmania to Brisbane, presented television weather reports and been a regular contributor to various other national television programs.
The mum of two is also a lover of social media, having amassed a highly engaged following of more than 15,000 on Instagram, where she is also the proud ambassador for Frizelle Sunshine Automotive and Esmi Skin Minerals.
Here’s what Emily had to say…
What do you look for in a successful brand partnership?
In a successful brand partnership I simply look for local. As I’m only a small influencer with the majority of my followers being built via my already established media career, I wanted to marry the two together. So I only accept brands that complement the local radio station, or my personality that I have curated on air and online. I.e. Female, Mother, Wife, Friend, local business owner etc. The brands have to be something I would authentically use, love and believe in.
What sort of content best engages your audience?
The content that best engages my audience is either my kids, especially my son and his antics, or the funny things I notice and share. If I don’t share real life and real thoughts, and only promote brands or ‘free stuff’ or preach to my particular audience, they turn off.
What advice do you have for small businesses considering an influencer partnership?
My advice for small business looking for influencers is only offer your product to someone who would genuinely use it or love it. Viewers can pick “I’ve been paid to endorse this” a mile away and are turned off. I often ask to see, try and use the product first before I agree to a partnership because I don’t want to become known as the influencer who does anything for dollars. It’s such a personal medium, people truly feel like they know and love you and if you betray them by endorsing a product you would never use or afford or believe in, they will switch off and never trust you again. Its trust that moves product for any business.
If you are interested in learning more about effective Influencer Marketing, then check out our Influencer Engagement 101 manual which will teach you everything you need to know, from understanding the power of content and audience engagement, to identifying the best and most impactful influencers for your brand or business. We also share our ten-step process for using influencers to create brand impact.