One-off relationships with influencers can have certain downsides. Unknown factors about their audience and the influencer’s ability to deliver the intended results are two of the main risks. One-off collaborations leave little room for error and learning. Therefore, it’s harder to optimize workflows and strategies with only one campaign to base decisions on.

Long-term relationships, on the other hand, offer several advantages:

1. Familiarity: Over time, influencers get deeply familiar with your brand, products, and messaging which can result in more authentic content.
2. Trust: Regular collaborations build a level of trust between a brand and the influencer, which can often translate into better campaign results.
3. ROI: A long-term relationship often leads to better ROI because campaigns can be refined over time, based on the learnings from previous campaigns.

Several influencer marketing platforms, like Flinque, help streamline the process of long-term influencer relationships by managing campaign workflows, tracking performance, and providing detailed audience analytics. This enables brands to make informed decisions about extending influencer partnerships beyond a single campaign.

However, every brand and campaign is different, and a one-off collaboration might be more suitable in certain situations, especially when you want to reach a new audience or when working with high-profile celebrities. But in general, long-term partnerships can often present a more sustainable strategy for consistent success in influencer marketing.

In conclusion, the choice between one-off and long-term relationships with influencers should be made based on your brand’s unique needs, goals, and resources. Over time, this decision should be refined based on the performance data collected from your campaigns and insights gained from platforms like Flinque.