In a recent panel, CreatorIQ sat down with influencer marketing experts from Stitch Fix, CJ Affiliate and Shopstyle Collective, to discuss trends & best practices for driving e-commerce with influencer content in 2021. Here are 7 big takeaways from the virtual panel, and if you would like to view the full discussion, the video is available at the bottom of the page.
Panel Recording: Key Influencer Marketing Strategies in E-Commerce
If you would like to read or share the key takeaways, here is the plain text:
1. Affiliate sales in some industries saw exponential growth in 2020
December 2020 was a record breaking month for digital sales and direct-to-consumer retailers, not only during the holiday shopping season, but outside of it as well. Some industries saw a 70% year-over-year increase in affiliate sales, largely driven by influencer marketing strategies and content. This upward trend is expected to continue this year.
2. Paid boosting has become an essential tool
Pairing influencer content with a paid media budget consistently results in better reach and conversion rates. Boosting ensures longevity of the content in feeds, or stories, or whatever channel it’s running in, resulting in more views, which will ultimately result in better performance and drive more value. Content that appears in feed consistently helps both conversion and brand awareness.
3. Staggering campaign content weekly
For some marketers, content that was released across multiple platforms on a staggered schedule, depending on the length of the buying cycle resulted in 3x better performance year-over-year compared to a similar volume of content released all at once. Keeping in mind the buying cycle and the human attention span, along with algorithm challenges across channels and staggering content accordingly, can help increase the longevity of content in feeds and results in better performance.
4. TikTok is mostly a brand awareness tool (for now)
For now, TikTok remains a powerful tool for brand awareness, and while marketers are monitoring the development in its value for e-commerce, the platform is still in its infancy for conversion-focused strategies, due to absence of trackable links. So far in 2021, marketers use TikTok content and repurpose it on different channels, supported by link-tracking. Instagram and Facebook remain the most popular platforms, while video is the most important medium for conversion.
5. Campaign planning is essential
Using a centralized platform to run campaigns from research to execution is essential for marketers aiming to grow and sustain their influencer marketing strategies. Tracking and benchmarking past performance will help identify best-performing content, strategies, and creators and help set up future campaigns for success.
6. Develop relationships with creators
Using soft skills to build strong relationships with both influencers and talent managers helps marketers with future campaigns. Instead of starting from scratch each time and engaging new influencers and new partners for each campaign, marketers look to the relationships they’ve already built with creators they trust, and run successful campaigns faster and smoother.
7. Content authenticity is key
Prescriptive content briefs for influencers are a thing of the past. We are going to see influencers in the driver’s seat when it comes to creative campaigns. Influencers know their audiences best, and can create well-performing content that speaks to them directly based on past performance, which ultimately results in more successful campaigns.
For more information on how CreatorIQ can help optimize and streamline your influencer marketing efforts in the gaming industry, reach out to sales@creatoriq.com.