As a creator, influencer, or freelancer, the key to your success is determined by how well you manage your relationship with your brand partners. Although it's not a walk in the park, it's possible when you follow a valuable guide.
The reason is simple - your relationship with brands is the number one determining factor to your success, not your skills. When you do it right, the result will come, and who doesn't want to make a truckload of money doing what they love?
Since we’re passionate about helping creatives like you live their best life, we have put together 5 ways you can leverage to be loved by brands. Let's dive in!
1. Personalize Your Interactions
Although you're working with a corporate entity, the fact remains that people like yourself are heading every position. Therefore, making sure you address someone by name can go a long way to help you establish a deep and meaningful relationship that could benefit you in the future.
Just as you expect the brand to treat you like a human and not as an advertising space or a robot, the brand you work with deserves the same treatment. After all, you are working with people with feelings, emotions, and values.
When you get personal by asking about their day, kids, weekend, or even enquiring about their work, you set an intention to build and improve your relationship with brands.
2. Always Show Up
Every contract you sign with a brand signifies a new commitment, and as a creator, you have to own it and consistently show up. That means ensuring you complete your tasks before the deadline and doing what you say you will do.
You have to stay true to your words and do the work you have been hired to do. Failing to respond or constantly forgetting things and having to apologize for a mistake continually is the quickest way to get yourself struck off.
Depending on the provisions of your contract, you have to show up every day and do what you're best at - creating original and creative content that takes the brand closer to its goal.
3. Be Sure; Don't Assume
There are times as a creator when you will feel lost, unsure about the outcome of your campaigns, or perhaps fail to understand the requirements of a task. In such a situation, it is best to ask than to assume since you're likely to be wrong.
To improve your relationship with brands, you must eliminate guesswork by being an effective communicator. For example, if there's something you don't understand, ask right away for more clarity instead of guessing.
It's better to take more time to understand what is required than assume what the brand wants. Even if your assumptions might seem logical, chances are you're wrong when there are many variables on the table.
When communicating with brands, your tone has to be friendly and professional and shouldn't come off as accusatory but as a genuine interest to know more. Do this, and you will solidly improve your brand relationships as a creator.
4. Know Your Boundaries
You expect brands to give you the creative control and freedom to do what you do best without watching over your shoulder. In the same way, most creators don't want to hop on a video call and prefer emails to communicate effectively. They have their reasons, which translates to a boundary that must be respected.
You first need to understand what works for you, and where you draw the boundary for a smooth working relationship. Remember that 'NO' is a complete sentence.
On the other hand, brands also deserve the same level of respect. After all, it's reciprocal. For instance, during drawbacks, how many postponements will you wait through, and how many times should you reach out without any response? Plan for the worst; hopefully, you wouldn't end up there as often.
5. Don't Burn Bridges
You can apply this lesson to just about any situation in life. But, most importantly, it would help improve your relationships with brands as a creator - and that is being gracious to the brand you're working with, especially when there's a better offer at the table.
If you're choosing to move on to a bigger opportunity, how you let go of current brands is crucial and speaks volumes about your character. Depending on your approach, the brand you're working for could make you a better offer or wish you the best in your future endeavors.
Dumping a long-term brand simply because another brand offered a higher rate is a mistake you shouldn't make. While you're in the business of making money as a creator, your loyalty shouldn't be easily bought by other brands.
Wrapping Up
Unfortunately, many creators learn this late, but your success often doesn't lie on how outstanding or impeccable your work is but on your character, reliability, and empathy. After all, you're dealing with people with life as complex as yours.
The best you can do to become a successful creator is set intentions to manage your relationships with your brand partners, and improve in areas you believe you're lacking.
Here at Gigapay, we want to help you live your best life, so we're constantly publishing valuable guides to aid your journey as a creator. Feel free to subscribe to our newsletter, so you don't miss our future guides :)
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