AJ Eckstein 🧩’s Post

Don't let creators have complete freedom with sponsorships. In many instances, I have participated in campaigns where the brief was too vague, expecting creators to work their magic. Unfortunately, they often fall short, and it's not entirely their fault. For instance, a campaign I managed for a VPN service failed to generate a positive ROI for this very reason. Creators were provided with the product and a lengthy list of potential uses. They were then given full creative control to highlight the features they found relevant. The problem was these creators didn't actually use the product. Consequently, the ads lacked focus and authenticity, which could have been avoided. Creators should have the freedom to creatively incorporate sponsorships into their content, aligning with their personality and audience. However, successful influencer marketing requires a partnership between creators who understand themselves well and marketers who understand the brand. By offering precise talking points, calls to action, successful sponsorship examples, and quality assets, influencer marketing can be your single best channel! Establishing clear standards will typically be met or even exceeded by most influencers, but leaving the sponsorship to chance is a risky move.

Stretching Your Budget: Influencer Marketing for Indie Games Did you know influencer marketing doesn’t have to break the bank? By leveraging micro-influencers and user-generated content, you can create buzz without overspending. Here's how: - Find Micro-Influencers: Look for content creators with 1,000–10,000 engaged followers who genuinely love indie games. They’re cost-effective, and their niche audiences are perfect for targeted marketing. - Offer Value, Not Money: Send free game keys, early access, or exclusive content. Build partnerships where they feel like collaborators, not just advertisers. - Use existing UGC: Encourage fans to share their gameplay experiences on social media. Highlight their posts to amplify excitement and credibility. - Be Creative: Host contests, share behind-the-scenes looks, or collaborate on custom content like Twitch streams or YouTube reviews. Micro-influencers + creative strategies = BIG impact for small budgets. Would love to hear from anyone that's ever used micro-influencers for your game. Did it work? Why or why not?

Last week, I said 'No' to an influencer marketing deal. Sponsored creator posts are increasing with more brands realizing how valuable some people's audiences are. However, it only works if: 1) Both the company's and the creator's ROIs are aligned. 2) It's high-quality and authentic content. - $300 for 3 posts is not worth the effort for me. - Paying more per impression was not worth it to them. Even though I use the product I was going to advertise, I value my audience too much to use a templated post. I would instead create something about how I run my business with that product so other founders could understand how it could help them run theirs too. To me, influencer marketing should be high quality and authentic vs high quantity and templated. If I'm going to be influenced, I want to be influenced honestly and with something valuable to me.

Elevate Your Brand with Unity Online. Unlock the secret to digital success through tailored content marketing and strategic social media. At Unity Online, we: 💥 Create content that connects on Facebook, X, Instagram, LinkedIn. 💥 Address customer pain points for trust and credibility. 💥 Utilise customer personas and editorial plans for targeted impact. 💥 Sync social media campaigns with content calendars for traffic boosts. Discover how outreach, influencer marketing, and a detailed social profile audit can skyrocket your brand's online presence and engagement. Read more here https://ow.ly/QPCY50R144c

Bye Bye 👋 Influencer Marketing 😉 User-generated content (UGC) marketing is a strategy that involves using content created by customers, employees, social media followers, or advocates instead of the brand itself. UGC can be a powerful tool for building brand awareness, increasing brand loyalty, and attracting new customers. Here are some benefits of UGC marketing: Authenticity UGC is real and authentic, which can help build credibility and trust with customers. Word-of-mouth UGC can be seen as a form of word-of-mouth promotion, which can be more effective than traditional marketing. Engagement UGC can help build genuine relationships with customers and foster a sense of community. Sales Research shows that UGC is more likely to lead to sales than brand-generated content. Some examples of UGC include: Reviews and testimonials Photos and videos Social media posts Blog posts Q&A forum discussions Case studies Surveys To integrate UGC into your marketing strategy, you can: Audit your current use of UGC Develop a strategy for encouraging, collecting, and integrating UGC Run UGC contests to ask customers to create content in exchange for a prize #onlinemarketing #branding #influencers #usergeneratedcontent #users #customers #battery #mibattri #ibattri

Have you ever thought about how much influencers charge? A lot of creators, especially beginners, find it very difficult to set the right price for their content. Unlike traditional industries, influencer marketing lacks standardized guidelines, leaving creators to rely on trial and error. But it doesn’t have to be this way. This is how you can set it for yourself so that you get what you deserve for your worth and expertise. → While follower count remains a visible metric, it’s not the ultimate measure. A micro-influencer with 10k highly engaged followers can often deliver better ROI than someone with 100k passive followers. Engagement matters more than raw numbers.  → The storytelling, visuals and production quality of your content play is important in determining rates. If your content aligns well with a brand’s aesthetic, you’re already a step ahead in commanding a premium.  → Show metrics from previous brand partnerships. Case studies and performance data like clicks and conversions are proof of your ability to deliver value.  → If a brand plans to repurpose your content for ads or other marketing channels, this justifies a fee beyond your base rate. Similarly, exclusivity agreements (not promoting competitors) often warrant a higher rate.  → Brands want creators who are responsive and reliable. Quick turnarounds and professionalism can often translate into higher rates and repeat partnerships.  The creator economy depends on authenticity and connection. By understanding your value and negotiating strategically, you can set fair rates and also push the industry toward greater transparency and equity.  Have you ever thought about the right way to set rates for your content? #influencer #content

If you've been following our page for a while, you know that we are big believers in the power of creator marketing. Our team doesn't just talk the talk; they walk the walk, too - as seen in the article below by Ad Age. It works! Did you know that paying creators on time often leads to improved output and better results for the campaigns they're working on? Find out how our payment automation solutions can help facilitate stronger relationships with the creators you work with and, therefore, drive better content and results in our latest ebook: https://lnkd.in/g5Xkwx2H

Is trying influencer whitelisting in 2024 worth it? Influencer whitelisting, or you could call it creator licensing, is when a brand chips in some ad cash to boost a creator's post. So, when folks on social media spot the ad, it'll seem like it's straight from the creator, not the big brand, which can make it come off as way more legit. That’s the fundamental behind it. Why is this an exciting tactic? Advertisers like us want to get viewer’s attention and trust. Influencer marketing used to be huge. It still is, if you do it right. But most people scroll their feeds and want to avoid ads. You give an ad 3 seconds of attention, and it feels like some friend has posted this content, so viewers lean more into that post. You do it to: - Become the scroll-stopper - Get authority, credibility, and trust - Get higher engagement than traditional ads - Improve CTR, hook rate, and all that nice stuff - It’s more measurable than a standard organic post - Because the reach of organic gets more challenging day by day How much should you pay for an influencer whitelisting? The rates vary, but 20-30% of the fee is a rule of thumb. However, I’ve seen creators getting paid $200-$500 extra for whitelisting. And if the ad works out longer than 60 days, keep renegotiating with similar pricing. But here’s my take: Don’t pay anything, and just tell the creator (influencers might be harder to convince) that we’ll run the ad from your account, and if the CPA is down, we’d be happy to pay a certain fee that’s reasonable to you. Plus, there are many benefits to influencers for running whitelisting: - Free followers - Free link in bio traffic - Follow-up opportunities if the ad does well Thoughts?

Creator subscriber/follower numbers don't matter anymore. Regardless of platform! The true indicator of somebody's performance is now a trailing ten video view to following %. The higher the percentage, the more the creator is making engaging content that reaches an audience outside the normal range, due to viewers being interested, therefore triggering an increased push in the "For You" algorithm. Influencer marketing is still largely stuck staring at the follower number, meaning that niche creators represent both fantastic value and quality, genuine user generated content. Finding niche creators by yourself is hard, but you can just use MicroInfluencer instead - get in touch with me to find out more!

Just watched a video by Andy Crestodina on influencer marketing, and this quote hit different: “How many people are waiting for your content to go live? Make sure it’s not zero. An ally in creation = an ally in promotion.” Basically, your content is only as strong as the connections behind it. Collaboration isn’t just a buzzword - it’s how you get people excited and ready to share what you’re putting out there. Build those relationships early, and they’ll have your back when it’s time to hit “post.” He also mentioned to always say you are open to collaborating with others, so here is me shooting my shot: I’m open to collaborating 🤪 #contentmarketing #hubspot #influencermarketing