Four tips for success with influencer marketing

By Isabelle Shee, CFO at GROW and 1/2 of @sheesisters, digital creators specializing in golf and the art of living.

While social media remains a goliath in the online sales funnel, brands are seeing influencer marketing make a bigger dent in their sphere than ever before. In fact, the influencer marketing industry was worth around $16 billion in 2022, according to Statista. With the oversaturated pool of content online, the truth is, not every brand can cut it out there. For me, those who find success and those who get lost in the algorithmic sauce seem to be differentiated by one main thing: the authenticity of their content.

Here's my take: Brands should start giving creators full control of their marketing. The most important thing here is to make sure you've chosen an influencer who authentically represents your brand or product. For example, if you're developing a campaign focused on sustainability, be sure to choose influencers who have a history of supporting green causes and brands.

As a seasoned influencer who has truly helped brands achieve their goals, here's what I think you need to know for a successful marketing partnership.

Give your creator full control of creative messaging

In my experience, brands generally care about two things: their messaging and conversions. Makes sense: they're putting their stamp of approval on this spokesperson, so to speak, so they'll want to make sure they don't totally go off the book. However, when brands are in complete control of messaging, it can be a total loser for both parties. Creators know their own audience and know what content works best on their platform. Why? Because that's what we do every day.

For example, my best performing videos are transitions between golf outfits and glamorous outfits and skits about the day of the week. When promoting brands, I like to naturally incorporate their product into those videos, like having their drink in hand when I'm glamming, rather than making an unnatural sales pitch in a video dedicated solely to them. . My audience comes to my page for a reason and when I control my content, the brand draws a lot of attention to the product, I don't drop engagement and the partnership serves us both.

Treat your creator like a billboard, not a salesperson

Once your brand has been introduced to an influencer's audience, it's important to remember that this is only the top of the marketing funnel. It usually takes multiple marketing touchpoints to generate a viable sales lead. Your influencer is number one. The landing page you send them to, the emails you follow, and the targeted ads you send them matter as much, if not more, than your influencer numbers.

I see this fallacy all the time where brands think influencer marketing is a substitute for their sales team, but for most influencers that's just not true (except for Kylie Jenner and Kylie Jenner only). The reality is, creative marketers should be paid on views, not sales.

If you can't afford influencers, try sending your product for free

Okay, this point might sound a bit crazy, but hear me out. If you think an influencer is a perfect match for your brand but you can't afford their rates, sending them your product for free can be a good way to introduce themselves to their viewers at no cost (as long as they like your product) . The downside is that you really don't have a say in their messaging and you're not going to capture any leads, but if you're confident in your product and want to take your shot, that's a good option. As a creative marketer, I'm rarely averse to trying new products.

There is also a good chance that influencers...