A couple of weeks ago, I asked my LinkedIn community if there was anything they were wondering about that I could answer for them. I didn’t get a ton of comments (please, go add questions if you have them! It’s so helpful to know what the readers of this newsletter want to know), BUT my former colleague Jennie Averbook Kaylie asked a great question there earlier this week. I gave her a brief answer in the comments, but I wanted to dive a bit deeper here.
Jennie’s question:
I am curious about emerging brands with lower budgets breaking into influencer marketing. What are some creative incentive models that work while maintaining content quality?
My response:
I think the key is to not rely on commission-only when doing an influencer program. We usually suggest nano programs with limited (but not non-existing) approvals for emerging brands. This gets them a lot of content for their dollars while also giving them the peace of mind that the influencers will be of a certain quality level, and that any mistakes/omissions will be corrected. We have also been recommending a new UGC program for brands who want an even better bang for their buck!
The deeper dive:
It’s hard to do a program that is incentive-only. Here are the drawbacks:
- No guaranteed posts
- No recourse if you don’t like the post or if it is wrong (brand name mispronounced, missing disclosure, incorrect product info)
- No paid usage, so if a post starts to convert well, you aren’t able to boost it or use it in your paid social or programmatic ads
Successful affiliates make money by posting about a product over and over (and over). This is a ton of work, but they know that it’s a product their audience likes and they know they are going to make money. When approached by a new brand with a product that they aren’t familiar with, none of that certainty exists, so the influencers who are the most skilled at affiliate posting are not going to agree to do it (and the ones who DO agree to do it are likely not going to be very successful).
As I mentioned in my reply to Jennie, we usually recommend an inexpensive nano influencer program or a UGC program for newer brands without a lot of budget. This gives them a lot of guaranteed content and a level of control over that content that feels comfortable. It also gives them paid usage rights so the content be maximized for the brand.
I hope this is helpful!
Danielle