Key Takeaways:
- Definition and Control in Influencer Marketing
- Influencer marketing today is about partnering authentically. Brands should set goals and provide guidelines, but let influencers drive the creative process to maintain authenticity and engagement.
- Misconceptions and Clarifications
- Influencer marketing isn’t always about direct conversions; impressions and engagement are often equally valuable goals, especially in B2B contexts.
- Influencers vs. creators: influencers amplify content on their own channels, while creators may produce content for a brand’s channels. Each has unique strengths depending on campaign objectives.
- Nano and Micro Influencers in Niche Industries
- Smaller influencers (Nano and Micro) are often ideal in “boring” or niche B2B spaces because they have high engagement and strong connections with a targeted audience. These influencers offer impact beyond their follower count.
- Finding and Vetting Influencers
- The process of finding influencers is both art and science. For new campaigns, start by researching influencers manually to understand who genuinely aligns with the brand and target audience. Checking engagement levels and past performance of their content is key.
- Brand Guidelines vs. Authenticity
- It’s crucial to allow influencers the freedom to create authentic content that doesn’t look overly branded. Brand guidelines should be clear but non-restrictive. Successful influencer content often appears “off-brand” in a way that fits the influencer’s style.
- Budgeting and Setting Campaign Goals
- Before setting a budget, reach out to multiple influencers and collect pricing benchmarks based on actual quotes. This provides realistic expectations for what’s achievable within a set budget and reach goal.
- Role of Gifting
- Gifting still works, especially when influencers are already users or fans of a brand’s product. It should be paired with long-term planning and follow-up to track results effectively.
- Primary KPIs: Impressions, Brand Awareness, and Traffic
- Impressions and traffic are often primary KPIs in influencer campaigns, especially in B2B settings. Success should be measured over time through month-over-month growth rather than one-off metrics.
- Trends and Predictions for 2025
- Influencers will increasingly become business owners, and brands will develop thought leadership through influencer channels. Video content on LinkedIn is an emerging trend, especially for B2B brands looking to engage audiences more dynamically.
- Community Building and Long-Term Relationships
- Building long-term partnerships with influencers helps foster loyalty and keeps the brand top-of-mind for their audience, which in turn drives consistent brand visibility and trust over time.
Transcript (AI generated so might contain errors)
0:00-1:05
Joe welcomes attendees:
“Hello lovely humans! It’s so lovely to see you here today, so thank you so much for taking the time. If you haven’t already, do pop in the chat feature where you’re watching from today, so everyone can see that. I’ve already seen one person tuning in from Montenegro, which is unreal. Closer to home, we’ve got Lex in Kent, Hannah in Cambridge, James in Birmingham, and Nicola in Sheffield. If you haven’t already, do pop in the chat feature and make sure that toggle, as ever, is switched from ‘host & panelists’ to ‘everyone’ so everyone can see your messages today, and we can keep that chat going on throughout the session.”
1:05-3:06
Joe introduces the speakers and the session topic:
“Today we have two absolute legends, Nicole Pont from Semrush and Sarah Adam from Wix, here to talk about influencer marketing. Influencer marketing can sometimes feel a bit mysterious, so I’m looking forward to learning from both Nicole and Sarah today. I’m coming in as a layman, so I’ll be asking all the ‘stupid questions,’ and hopefully, we can all learn a lot today!”
Sponsor shout-out for Exclaimer:
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3:06-6:01
Question from Joe:
“Sarah, how do you define influencer marketing in 2024? I feel like it’s evolved.”
Sarah’s response:
“It’s a great question. The beauty of influencer marketing is its dynamic nature; it changes from niche to niche. At Wix, I’d say the basic way to describe it is we partner with influencers who have a following and create compelling content for the audience we want to reach. We give them a brief, but they handle the content creation from A to Z. They’re the creators and distributors of content about us in ways that are more authentic and impactful than we could achieve alone. If you imagine you’re in a car with the influencer, they’re driving, and we’re in the back seat, guiding them with a destination (the brief) but not controlling how they get there.”
6:01-7:05
Joe’s takeaway:
“Thank you, Sarah. I’m not surprised ‘authenticity’ came up so early! That control given to the influencer is significant.”
Question from Joe:
“Nicole, do you have a similar definition, or would you like to cover misconceptions about influencer marketing?”
Nicole’s response:
“Sure. We see a lot of terms like ‘Creator economy,’ ‘affiliate,’ ‘brand ambassador.’ There’s a difference when you work with a ‘Creator’ to create content for your channels versus an ‘Influencer,’ where you’re activating their channel. One misconception is that influencer marketing is all about conversions; sometimes, it’s about impressions or engagement.”
7:05-9:10
Joe’s follow-up question:
“Do you have a preference between working with Influencers versus Creators, based on your campaign goals?”
Nicole’s response:
“It depends on the campaign. If our goal is engagement, I prefer working with influencers in our niche. But sometimes, working with creators outside our niche can help educate a new audience. It’s always a balance based on the campaign’s objectives.”
9:10-10:00
Audience question from Robert:
“Does influencer marketing have a place in B2B? How do you find influencers in sectors that feel boring or niche?”
Sarah’s response:
“Absolutely, it has a place in B2B. At Wix, everything we do is B2B. For example, we launched Wix Studio for agencies and freelancers, and we had a brand perception gap in the B2B space. Influencer marketing helped close that gap by finding thought leaders in web design—a niche. These Nano or Micro influencers may not even think of themselves as ‘influencers,’ but they’re respected in their community.”
Joe reflects on the answer:
“This Nano and Micro influencer trend seems to be a solution for ‘boring’ industries. I’m curious how you both find them.”
16:04-18:23
Question from Joe:
“How do you even begin to start finding influencers to work with and getting in touch with them?”
Sarah’s response:
“If it’s your first time, try Google or ChatGPT to find top thought leaders in your niche, then build a list of around 20 people. Check their platforms and see who’s following and engaging with them. And don’t overlook your competitors’ posts and followers.”
Nicole adds:
“Totally agree! Nothing beats the manual process of digging into their content. Tools can help, but the deeper you go, the more you’ll find authentic connections that make campaigns impactful.”
18:23-21:00
Joe’s follow-up comment on relationships:
“It sounds like you’re both focused on building long-term relationships with influencers.”
Nicole on relationship-building:
“I prefer working with influencers long-term, so their community sees them consistently mentioning us. It takes time, but by the third or fourth post, people are genuinely curious.”
21:00-25:10
Audience question from Olli:
“How do you ensure the content that influencers produce complies with brand guidelines without sacrificing authenticity?”
Sarah’s response:
“First, guidelines are in the brief, and we require an approval process to catch any critical errors. But the goal isn’t to make it look like a brand video. We want it to reflect the influencer’s style and tone. I’d say the more off-brand it looks, the better!”
Nicole concurs:
“Yes! It should feel like just another piece of content from the influencer, not a forced brand message. Long-term relationships help here too—over time, their audience trusts that they genuinely use and support our product.”
25:10-32:12
Audience question from Rashen:
“Is gifting product and hoping they share it a thing of the past?”
Nicole’s response:
“Product gifting still works if done thoughtfully. If someone’s already a Semrush user, gifting upgraded access can enhance their experience. It’s all about following up to measure impact.”
32:12-39:22
Audience question from Ben:
“What minimum budget would you suggest for an entry-level influencer campaign? For example, if you want to reach 100,000 people, what would you expect to pay?”
Sarah’s response:
“Instead of defining a budget first, reach out to a list of potential influencers and get their rates. Look at past campaigns they’ve done to see engagement levels. Once you’ve gathered around 20 quotes, you’ll have a benchmark to understand the cost of reaching 100,000 people.”
Nicole adds:
“We do similar research by analyzing recent engagement on influencers’ content and calculating projections.”
52:45-59:02
Joe’s question on KPIs:
“Do you both consider impressions and brand awareness as your primary KPIs in influencer marketing?”
Sarah focuses on brand awareness:
“For us, Impressions are key because we’re driving brand awareness. We’re one part of the bigger puzzle for brand perception at Wix, and we track this by looking at metrics like the growth in search traffic for ‘Wix Studio.'”
Nicole on Semrush’s approach:
“Our main KPI is traffic, ideally converting to leads, but impressions are also essential for awareness. It depends on the campaign.”
59:02-1:01:05
Joe’s final question:
“What are you thinking about for 2025 in influencer marketing?”
Nicole’s predictions:
“I think we’ll see more influencers becoming business owners and brands becoming influencers. Community building will be huge, and brands will need to focus on thought leadership and long-term impact.”
Sarah agrees and adds:
“Yes, scale is going to be big, and continuing to test new approaches is essential. We’ll focus on what’s working and drop what isn’t. Video content, especially on LinkedIn, is growing rapidly and will be crucial to leverage.”