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Influencer Marketing on a Tight Budget: Incentives to Offer Beyond a Big Payout

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influencer marketing on a tight budget incentives to offer beyond a big payout
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Many organizations want to work with influencers to gain attention and drive results, but few have the budget to make it happen.

When working with a non-existent or limited budget, you need to identify what your company can uniquely offer to influencers instead of always paying for their support. The goal here isn’t to take advantage of influencers, as I’m a big proponent of reasonably paying them for the value they’re able to provide. Instead, my advice is to find a mix of approaches for incentivizing influencers so that these partnerships don’t require a budget, or are less costly.

Recently, for example, the Clorox Company set up an advisory board comprised of influencers to help the brand learn what kinds of content people want to see and to guide them on co-producing more impactful campaigns.

A takeaway here is that Clorox identified a way to work with influencers on an ongoing basis where both sides benefit, beyond just exchanging payment for promotion – and that’s what you should do as well, whether you work at a non-profit, small mom-and-pop business, a mid-sized organization, or even a large brand.

To start, think critically about what your business uniquely offers that would directly benefit an influencer enough to collaborate with you. What you’ll offer to influencers depends on the products and services you provide, who your customer base is, the organization’s size, the industry you’re a part of, how long the influencer has been active, how engaged their audience is, and more.

In most cases, these non-monetary benefits to offer influencers fall under three categories: Exposure, Access, and Association.

1. Exposure – A key motivation for many influencers is to continue to grow an audience interested in the content they create about their passions and expertise. If you can provide them with exposure to more of the right people, then it’s a benefit worth offering. This requires that your organization has an audience on its website, social media, email list, or elsewhere that aligns with the influencer. Here are ways to provide exposure as a benefit of an influencer partnership:

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  • Interviewing them on a relevant topic based on their expertise and including the discussion within a social media series, article, or video.
  • Retweeting, sharing, or commenting on social media posts they create about your organization or relevant topics worth discussing.
  • Allow them to contribute an article, video, image, or another type of media on one of your organization’s most popular channels.

2. Access – The ability to access products, people, events, and experiences that aren’t widely available is another distinct benefit that can be offered to an influencer. Like most people, influencers like receiving free things, particularly relevant items and experiences that help them continue to create and curate interesting content for their audience. Here are a few ways your organization can offer access to an influencer as an incentive:

  • Send them free products to test, review, and create content about to inform them of your company’s offerings.
  • Invite them as guests or participants in your organization’s events, which can be anything from having them contribute to an in-store demo or be a panelist at a conference you’re hosting or attending.
  • Introduce them to relevant people in your network, whether that’s other business owners, marketers, or event planners that they might be able to partner with in the future.

3. Association – One partnership often leads to another for an influencer, which is why being aware of this, and helping them land their next project, can be beneficial. Whether your organization is known locally, within an industry, or due to its philanthropic work, create opportunities for influencers to benefit based on your reputation or brand equity. Here’s how to help influencers associate themselves with your organization to better position them for future collaborations:

  • Involve them in the production of an upcoming campaign by allowing them to provide creative input that they can showcase to other advertisers.
  • Create a program that allows influencers to be advisors or ambassadors for your organization, similar to the idea behind Clorox’s advisory board. The goal is for them to provide useful support to your organization in the form of advice, take part in company activities or offer promotional support. In return, they can list this role as part of their bio on social media, add this collaboration to their resume, meet other influencers in the industry, and reference this work to land new campaigns.
  • Facilitate volunteer opportunities that directly impact philanthropic causes, relate to your organization’s focus, and would benefit from the exposure participating influencers could offer. This provides influencers with an opportunity to see what it’s like to collaborate with an organization before committing to a paid campaign and its a volunteer experience organized for them to seamlessly participate in.

This isn’t an exhaustive list as there are many ways to drive results with influencers without spending the big bucks. Apply this advice by finding distinct ways of working with influencers on a regular basis which provide value, but don’t always require a budget. 

Maybe that’s offering a free meal to a mukbang star from YouTube or inviting a group of local influencers to be ambassadors for your non-profit. Recognize that earning results from influencers is a viable option for a wider range of organizations than it may appear at first glance.

A version of this post was first published on the Honigman Media blog.

Socialmediatoday.com

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Snapchat Explores New Messaging Retention Feature: A Game-Changer or Risky Move?

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Snapchat Explores New Messaging Retention Feature: A Game-Changer or Risky Move?

In a recent announcement, Snapchat revealed a groundbreaking update that challenges its traditional design ethos. The platform is experimenting with an option that allows users to defy the 24-hour auto-delete rule, a feature synonymous with Snapchat’s ephemeral messaging model.

The proposed change aims to introduce a “Never delete” option in messaging retention settings, aligning Snapchat more closely with conventional messaging apps. While this move may blur Snapchat’s distinctive selling point, Snap appears convinced of its necessity.

According to Snap, the decision stems from user feedback and a commitment to innovation based on user needs. The company aims to provide greater flexibility and control over conversations, catering to the preferences of its community.

Currently undergoing trials in select markets, the new feature empowers users to adjust retention settings on a conversation-by-conversation basis. Flexibility remains paramount, with participants able to modify settings within chats and receive in-chat notifications to ensure transparency.

Snapchat underscores that the default auto-delete feature will persist, reinforcing its design philosophy centered on ephemerality. However, with the app gaining traction as a primary messaging platform, the option offers users a means to preserve longer chat histories.

The update marks a pivotal moment for Snapchat, renowned for its disappearing message premise, especially popular among younger demographics. Retaining this focus has been pivotal to Snapchat’s identity, but the shift suggests a broader strategy aimed at diversifying its user base.

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This strategy may appeal particularly to older demographics, potentially extending Snapchat’s relevance as users age. By emulating features of conventional messaging platforms, Snapchat seeks to enhance its appeal and broaden its reach.

Yet, the introduction of message retention poses questions about Snapchat’s uniqueness. While addressing user demands, the risk of diluting Snapchat’s distinctiveness looms large.

As Snapchat ventures into uncharted territory, the outcome of this experiment remains uncertain. Will message retention propel Snapchat to new heights, or will it compromise the platform’s uniqueness?

Only time will tell.

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Catering to specific audience boosts your business, says accountant turned coach

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Catering to specific audience boosts your business, says accountant turned coach

While it is tempting to try to appeal to a broad audience, the founder of alcohol-free coaching service Just the Tonic, Sandra Parker, believes the best thing you can do for your business is focus on your niche. Here’s how she did just that.

When running a business, reaching out to as many clients as possible can be tempting. But it also risks making your marketing “too generic,” warns Sandra Parker, the founder of Just The Tonic Coaching.

“From the very start of my business, I knew exactly who I could help and who I couldn’t,” Parker told My Biggest Lessons.

Parker struggled with alcohol dependence as a young professional. Today, her business targets high-achieving individuals who face challenges similar to those she had early in her career.

“I understand their frustrations, I understand their fears, and I understand their coping mechanisms and the stories they’re telling themselves,” Parker said. “Because of that, I’m able to market very effectively, to speak in a language that they understand, and am able to reach them.” 

“I believe that it’s really important that you know exactly who your customer or your client is, and you target them, and you resist the temptation to make your marketing too generic to try and reach everyone,” she explained.

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“If you speak specifically to your target clients, you will reach them, and I believe that’s the way that you’re going to be more successful.

Watch the video for more of Sandra Parker’s biggest lessons.

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Instagram Tests Live-Stream Games to Enhance Engagement

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Instagram Tests Live-Stream Games to Enhance Engagement

Instagram’s testing out some new options to help spice up your live-streams in the app, with some live broadcasters now able to select a game that they can play with viewers in-stream.

As you can see in these example screens, posted by Ahmed Ghanem, some creators now have the option to play either “This or That”, a question and answer prompt that you can share with your viewers, or “Trivia”, to generate more engagement within your IG live-streams.

That could be a simple way to spark more conversation and interaction, which could then lead into further engagement opportunities from your live audience.

Meta’s been exploring more ways to make live-streaming a bigger consideration for IG creators, with a view to live-streams potentially catching on with more users.

That includes the gradual expansion of its “Stars” live-stream donation program, giving more creators in more regions a means to accept donations from live-stream viewers, while back in December, Instagram also added some new options to make it easier to go live using third-party tools via desktop PCs.

Live streaming has been a major shift in China, where shopping live-streams, in particular, have led to massive opportunities for streaming platforms. They haven’t caught on in the same way in Western regions, but as TikTok and YouTube look to push live-stream adoption, there is still a chance that they will become a much bigger element in future.

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Which is why IG is also trying to stay in touch, and add more ways for its creators to engage via streams. Live-stream games is another element within this, which could make this a better community-building, and potentially sales-driving option.

We’ve asked Instagram for more information on this test, and we’ll update this post if/when we hear back.

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