Under the right circumstances, influencer marketing can be an effective avenue for brands to interact and connect with their consumers. While a variety of components make for a successful influencer campaign strategy  – solid "brand alignment" between brands and influencers, authentic and meaningful engagement, and so on –  some marketers are now taking a more transactional approach to influencers. This mindset has given rise to influencer-focused agencies that center their services around drafting deals, producing content, and ensuring basic compliance with the law. However, what's lost in this business-driven (and somewhat impersonal) approach are the foundational values from which a brand's relationship with influencers should be built upon. In this episode, we're talking influencers: who they are, what they do, and how to build relationships that maximize their effect.