As the Creator Economy grows exponentially, advertisers worldwide have worked to set a standard for partnership rates and negotiation terms.
How much do you pay an influencer with 200k followers vs. 2M?
Do you pair a flat rate with a sales percentage?
While a system has been loosely set in place, we at Tubular question its validity and effectiveness. When it comes to influencer identification, you need to look beyond surface-level metrics such as likes & followers. Accessing in-depth measurements, such as consumer behaviors and content preferences, helps you negotiate better contracts – especially in times of economic uncertainty.
Looking beyond likes & followers helps you avoid overpaying for ineffective partnerships and create a larger influencer portfolio that aligns with business goals.
Below you’ll find Tubular’s top 3 tips for optimizing your influencer portfolio sourced from our Influencer ID Guide:
1. Measure quality rather than quantity
Only looking at subscribers could land an advertiser in a partnership that reaches fewer people and drives far fewer conversions than if they looked at deeper measurements. Take these gaming influencers for example.
The most subscribed influencer on YouTube, PewDiPie, has 111M subscribers while influencer Preston has 20M.
However, looking at Unique Reach and Minutes Watched tells a very different story. Even though Preston has fewer total subscribers, they are fully present for his content with a whopping 94% actively engaging.
2. Understand an audience’s consumer behaviors
Many marketers agree that influencers with the broadest reach don’t necessarily drive the highest conversion rates. ‘Micro-influencers’ have increased in popularity because they have more loyal and engaged followers who are more likely to make a purchase when they recommend a product.
In this graph, you can see that Larry Wheels, who has the highest reach, has an audience with the lowest shopping affinity for exercise & fitness products. Larry Wheels would be a great option if advertisers are looking for upper-level brand penetration. However, for mid or low-level marketing where you want to drive conversions and nurture relationships, Layne Norton and The Kneesovertoesguy would be premier partnerships.
3. Tap into creators from adjacent categories to drive growth
Just because an influencer creates content within your vertical doesn’t mean they’re the best option for your influencer portfolios. Not only can creators from adjacent categories drive conversions, they can also expose you to wider audiences who have the potential to convert into loyal audiences and consumers.
In this example, beauty advertisers could partner with food & drink or home & DIY creators who have a large share of beauty consumers within their respective audiences. With Tubular measurements, you can see that 27.5% of Bobby Parrish’s audience shops for beauty products. Comparing this number to Unique Viewers, you can justify a number for addressable customers which helps persuade decision makers to approve out-of-the-box partnership choices.
Choosing influencers with qualities that are aligned with your business goals means you increase brand penetration and drive conversions like never before. Unlock deeper insights, better strategies, and exciting opportunities in our latest report, The Influencer ID Guide: Going beyond likes & views to secure quality partnerships.
If you’re interested in gaining insights — click here to request a free demo with Tubular.