Discovering new creator companions can really feel like discovering a needle in a haystack. And, as soon as you discover them, there’s no assure that they’ll pay attention to your model or all for becoming a member of your marketing campaign.
So how will you put your finest foot ahead when incomes consciousness and engagement out of your dream companions?
On this two half collection, we might be recapping some insights from an event that we held with L’Oréal’s Luxe Canada’s Head of Advocacy and Influencer Advertising, Shari Nowroozi, and mega content material creator, Tara Sighari.
Throughout our session with them, they shared their perspective — from each a marketer and creator perspective — on how manufacturers can discover new creator companions which might be a superb match for his or her influencer advertising program. Extra particularly, they supplied three particular actionable ideas for the way manufacturers can discover new creator companions by leveraging influencer product seeding methods. Preserve studying to be taught extra!
Be Prime Of Thoughts Via Efficient Product Seeding
All this being mentioned, whereas it’s nice to start out along with your advocates when looking for new creator companions, that shouldn’t be your solely technique. And, in case you’re a smaller model that’s nonetheless build up its consciousness amongst creators and on social, it’s extremely seemingly that you will want to department out even additional.
Among the best strategies for constructing consciousness amongst creators? Product seeding.
“Seeding is the easiest way to seize a creator’s consideration, so that you need to make it a superb expertise. If you happen to’re sending them coupons or vouchers, that’s an additional step that your creator must take after they’re seemingly already receiving dozens of packages out of your opponents day-after-day.” – Shari Nowroozi, Head of Advocacy & Influencer Advertising at L’Oréal Canada
When you’ve recognized new creators that you simply need to work with (who don’t already learn about you), the subsequent step is to get them and conscious of your model. The top strategy to acquire new creators is to present or seed free merchandise to creators.
In keeping with Shari, product seeding is the easiest way to get in entrance of a creator and it’s probably the most cost-effective kind of activation in comparison with paid campaigns and occasions, thus making it a big a part of L’Oréal’s influencer technique.
Shari factors out that there are three key methods that assist L’Oréal’s product seeding effort.
Product Seeding Technique #1: Scale To The Proper Creators
To create the sensation that everyone is speaking about your model on the similar second in time, you have to seed at scale. Nonetheless, this doesn’t imply that you simply ship your product to each influencer you see on TikTok.
In keeping with Traackr’s State of Product Seeding report, 38% of entrepreneurs say they ship lower than 100 complete packages to influencers per 12 months.
You can begin with creators who’re mentioning your model or utilizing influencer marketing platforms to zone in on creators by curiosity. Then you can begin to construct your record over time and scale to a higher variety of engaged creators.
“I have to at the very least have some commonality with the model for the partnership to achieve success. Sure, it’s about authenticity nevertheless it’s additionally about create and produce the content material. For instance, I’m horrible at cooking, so if a cooking firm asks me to do a paid partnership, it’s not going to end up properly as a result of I’m not going to make a superb video utilizing their merchandise and my viewers will see proper via it.” – Tara Sighari, content material creator @tarasigari
Product Seeding Technique #2: Ceaselessly Reward Your Potential and New Creator Companions
Mega creators, like Tara, obtain dozens of PR bins a day, so that you need to guarantee you might be being on the highest of a creator’s thoughts by incessantly sending them merchandise. Shari mentions that it’s finest to have a touchpoint at the very least as soon as 1 / 4 – 2-3 instances in case you can.
Now, each ship doesn’t must be a lavish present. It could possibly typically be a product that you already know the creator is utilizing and can seemingly run out. Tara shared that she loves getting merchandise that:
- She makes use of day by day. This manner she will skip the journey to the shop, and it prevents her from utilizing a opponents product as soon as she’s run out.
- Are new or at the moment trending. For a creator like Tara who creates and capitalizes on magnificence traits, she must be armed with the newest and best magnificence merchandise. Seeding is a relationship-building tactic but additionally an consciousness play. If you happen to’re offering your creators new product launches or saving viral merchandise, they’ll be extra inclined to share it to get the views on their content material.
Timing is the whole lot relating to product seeding campaigns, so put your self within the influencer’s sneakers and take into consideration when it might be the proper time to get your product. Do you could have sure merchandise which might be nice for particular seasons? Or do you could have merchandise that might align properly with one thing you already know is occurring within the creator’s life (e.g. a marriage, birthday, vacation journey, and so forth)? This sort of consideration to element is de facto what is going to flip heads and seize consideration.
Product Seeding Technique #3: Be Aware of Waste
Whereas product seeding is cost-effective, it will possibly shortly turn out to be wasteful. In reality, Traackr’s State of Product Seeding report additionally discovered that 65% of entrepreneurs reported that their model will maintain sending merchandise to influencers, even when they didn’t submit after receiving a earlier present. This means that there might be numerous time and assets wasted if product seeding isn’t approached fastidiously.
Right here are some things to think about to be much less wasteful:
- Minimal packaging: Can you chop areas of your packaging to make it nonetheless match the identical quantity of merchandise and be much less cumbersome? Tara says that she prefers smaller packaging but nonetheless accommodates the merchandise she wants.
- Centralize as a lot as potential: There are a number of transferring elements relating to product seeding. From getting your merchandise to your warehouse, to producing your field to having one other shipper ship the entire bundle, it’s necessary to suppose although if there are methods to centralize the method.
- Determine who really desires your present: Once more, it’s higher to ship merchandise to 50 influencers who genuinely align along with your model and product versus 500 packages to any creator on social. With Traackr’s Creator Hub you’ll be able to permit creators to decide into your product seeding campaigns and assist handle inbound requests, making certain that the influencers you’re working with are really all for your product.
Measuring the Success of New Creator Companions
Tapping into natural advocates and seeding/gifting product are nice methods to construct consciousness and discover new creator companions. Nonetheless, no two manufacturers are the identical, which signifies that what works for one, could not work for an additional.
So how will you guarantee that you’re using the correct techniques for your model?
You want a system to trace their mentions and measure the ends in one central and visual place.
For all seeding campaigns, Shari appears to be like via their “grasp record” on Traackr to trace the next metrics:
- Activated influencers – what number of influencers point out your model
- # of mentions – what number of posts did the creators make about your model
- # of engagements – what number of engagements did each bit of content material obtain
- # of video views – in the event that they created a video, what number of eyeballs did that video obtain
Shari’s staff does this on a quarterly foundation to grasp which creators are incessantly participating with the model. If a creator is posting about their model month over month, then there’s the next chance they’ll contemplate a paid partnership with the creator (if key efficiency metrics like engagements and video views are additionally excessive). On the flip facet, if a creator has not talked about your model after 22 seeding campaigns, it’s time to search for one other creator to ship product to.
With Traackr’s new Creator Lifecycle feature, now you can monitor all of this knowledge in a single place. You’ll be able to simply determine which creators you “purchase” (or point out your model for the primary time) month over month and which creators are “engaged” (or point out your model month over month).
You may as well see which creators are price retaining or buying on your natural and paid methods with in-depth efficiency metrics like engagement fee, video view, Brand Vitality Score (VIT) and extra.
Be taught extra about Traackr’s new Creator Lifecycle Feature here.
