Engaging panelists, stimulating subject matter, curious audience members and of course, coffee are the key ingredients for a successful panel discussion.  Tuesday morning, CFDA HQ hosted  Miroslava Duma and Nasiba Adilove of BURO 24/7, Lauren Sherman of BoF, and Jennifer Powell and Faith Kates of NEXT Management in a conversation moderated by rewardStyle, an invitation-only monetization tool for premium style publishers. The subject matter: creating digital influencer marketing programs that scale. The take away: these five fun facts about working with digital influencers.

Authenticity is king! When working with an influencer, don’t over control the situation. Let the content be authentic to the influencers aesthetic, something too forced or advertised is obvious to followers.

Don’t do it alone. If your big social media campaign idea has a lot of players, hire a team that has expertise. Don’t compromise on quality due to lack of internal bandwidth. Leave it to the experts!

Being on brand trumps the million followers rule. Don’t just seek out the influencers with the largest followings, make sure they are on brand for you and that you are in turn on brand for them. The best collaborations come from both parties being equally passionate for the product.

The designer has become their own influencer. There’s no one that knows you or your brand better than… you. Behind the scenes, sneak peeks, personal anecdotes are what people need to feel connected to your brand. Be your own influencer.

Take cues from the beauty world! The beauty industry is cutting edge when it comes to social media activations. Take a look at what make-up and skin care brands are doing across their platforms and borrow some of the same key elements.