Working with influencers is an effective way for brands to connect directly to users through unique content. Influencers create unique and beautiful content that is tailored to suit their audience. As a brand, this is incredibly appealing to be a part of. Why? Well, for one it’s much cheaper than hiring a photographer to do the legwork and it allows brands to tap into their ideal audience.The main challenge with influencer marketing is engagement. Not only are there hundreds of thousands of fake Instagram accounts around, the legitimate profiles are struggling with engagement thanks to Instagram’s new algorithm. As a result, brands are looking for ways to encourage user engagement and see positive ROI (return of investment). This is where performance marketing and platforms like Tribe, Shopping Links and RewardStyle step in to help brands connect with the right type of influencers and manage their influencer activity.Performance MarketingBloggers are considered in the affiliate world as ‘upper funnel’ affiliates. This means bloggers are click active but conversions are often infrequent *queue all the marketing managers freaking out*. This is not something to shy away from. Influencers add a life time value that ‘lower funnel’ affiliates can’t as their content remains on their site indefinitely, meaning customers will still be influenced in years to come. The great value in working with bloggers through affiliate channels is it’s extremely affordable for brands. Often brands arrange contra along with a CPA increase as a way to incentivise bloggers to publish content about the brand. This is a low-cost way to incentivise bloggers to promote brands whilst effectively tracking the activity generated. This is perfect for brands who are keen to focus on driving brand awareness and performance conscious. Below is an example of Navigate Digital’s contra work with influencer Lab Muffin for Jurlique.
TribeContent led influencer campaigns can be incredibly beneficial for brands who are wanting brand presence with unique content. These campaigns allow the users to become the creators and give lifetime value. Tribe is an influencer platform focusing on content lead campaigns with micro influencers. Micro influencers are defined as influencers with a relatively small, yet powerful following. Micro influencers usually have between a few thousand to a hundred thousand followers, but their engagement levels are much stronger than macro influencers i.e. celebrities because their audience actively seek out and participate in their feed. Tribe partner with micro influencers because engagement is three times higher than of some macro influencers and its budget-friendly.Brands can purchase content from Tribe once the campaign is complete and this content can be used for their own marketing. An example of our work with one of our clients, Truprint, demonstrates how advertisers can collaborate to create engaging and relevant content (see below).
Image source: https://www.instagram.com/gordon_long_dog/ Shopping Links & RewardStyle Shopping Links and RewardStyle are influencer platforms combining performance marketing with unique content. These self-managed platforms incentivise bloggers with a fixed fee and a CPA. Both networks are selective with the bloggers who join, meaning brands can safely know spend is being attributed to strong bloggers. Part of ShoppingLinks and RewardStyle’s success is being selective with the bloggers on campaigns. Influencers apply to join the campaign and it's up to the brand whether the influencer is right for the campaign. Not only does this encourage brand safety, this allows brands to review influencers previous success before accepting their application, putting the brand in control. Both platforms are user-friendly, provide their own data around influencers and are tracked through affiliate networks.Working with influencers on either of these platforms is great for brands who have a healthy budget and are looking to record and analyse the success of the campaign both from a performance and content perspective.
An example of Navigate’s partnership with ShoppingLinks for HelloFresh.There are various ways to work with influencers. Depending on what a brand’s goals and objectives are will determine which path is taken. When performance is the focus and budget is limited, working with influencers through an affiliate network will ensure your activity is tracked over a life time. If the focus is around creating a strong brand presence that will influencer a customer’s journey over a life time, working with partners like Tribe will prove successful. Partnering with Shopping Links or RewardStyle will prove to be successful if the goal is a combination of performance and content, and budget is readily available.Navigate Digital partner with all the platforms mentioned. If you’re interested to hear more about the platforms or which method would be suitable for your brand’s goals, please contact us.Laura Anschau, Account Manager
