The old saying it’s not what you know but who you know, pretty much sums up influencer affiliate marketing.
Businesses have long understood the relationship between building trust and boosting their bottom line. Even way back in the 1950s brands aligned themselves with celebrities in order to leverage a relationship those celebrities had already established with their audience or fan base. In the 90s and early 2000s, sports people became the influencers of their time. Once social media began to take hold on our collective conscience in the mid-2010s, ordinary people began to build relationships with other ordinary people. The world of influencer affiliate marketing was born.
The effect that influencers and Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs) have had in a commercial setting is profound. This has been born from a relationship of familiarity, information sharing and the ability to engage with audiences in a way never before possible, due to the interactive nature of social media.
We now understand the ‘why’ but the next question is how to find influencers and make the relationship work for your brand.
How do Influencer Affiliate Programs work?
For businesses looking to target a specific marketplace or sector, the capacity to simply plug into an already long-standing relationship between an influencer and their audience is an invaluable marketing tool. Understanding how to connect with influencers is the key to building the bridge to your desired market. This is where a little thing called Influencer Affiliate Programs (IAP) have created a mutually beneficial two-way relationship between businesses and influencers.
The power of affiliate marketing is clear, with an impressive 92 percent of brands who used an IAP, citing it as effective.
The best influencer programs will have the following abilities:
- Have in place complex casting processes to ensure that you get the right influencer/s to represent your brand
- Offer advanced analytical and Influencer reporting tools that can clearly and concisely prove that you are getting maximum Return on Investment (ROI)
- Be able to demonstrate real results-driven statistics of how they have grown brands through their services.
- Hold a comprehensive database, giving you access to tens of millions of influencers across the globe, across all the major social networks worldwide including but limited to:
- TikTok
- YouTube
- Douyin
- Red
The best Influencer Affiliate Programs will act like a matchmaking agency with sophisticated analytics tailored to identify and target specific influencers that dovetail perfectly into your brand space.
The Process
Collaborating with an influencer is one of the single most powerful ways to build brand trust and credibility. Once you have identified the appropriate Influencer/s through an Influencer Affiliate Program, the next step is to decide on the optimal promotion strategy.
By building a relationship with the influencer you can work together to discuss expectations, and messaging and avoid any misunderstandings. The range of options for promotion is vast. Depending on your desired outcome, the influencer may promote your product through any number of methods, including:
- An ‘unboxing’
- Product review
- Brand ambassadorship
- Contest, giveaways and discount codes
- Direct advertising
- Organic content
Is Connecting With an Influencer Expensive?
The good news is there is a large number of influencers looking to connect with businesses. For most content creators this is their livelihood, so monetisation is the ideal way for them to continue creating content on their channel. Better still, you don’t need Usain Bolt, Taylor Swift or one of the Kardashians to get a good ROI.
In fact, research shows us that niche Influencers and Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs), with smaller subscriber numbers, often have an audience who are more connected, loyal and engaged. This means that you don’t have to be spending a fortune, you just have to have an Influencer who is right for you.
Still not convinced? Some of the biggest brands on the market today like Sephora, Haagen-Dazs and Coca Cola use content creators to promote their products – now that is impressive!
If you are looking to take your brand to the next level, it is well worth considering connecting with an Influencer Affiliate Program and watch your brand and sales skyrocket.
