Influencer marketing is one of the best ways to reach your target audiences in a way that attracts new customers and effectively represents your brand. Brands and influencers have many ways to collaborate with each other to share products with audiences. More than ever, people are looking to influencers as they showcase trending products and are relying on them to share their favorite brands. IZEA’s Trust in Influencer Marketing report even found that among 18- to 29-year-olds, 42% of survey respondents said they turn to TikTok before friends and family for product recommendations. We’re sharing the 10 most common types of influencer collaborations of 2023.
10 types of influencer collaborations to include in your marketing strategy
Follow along as we share the top examples of collaborations with influencers.
1. Sponsored social media posts
Sponsored posts are an easy way to team up with an influencer. In this type of collab, influencers create content about a brand’s product or service in exchange for a fee or a product. A typical post is tagged with “paid partnership,” #sponsored or #ad. Ideally, influencers would showcase brands they love while getting paid.
2. Brand ambassadors
According to Insiderintelligence.com, 80% of survey respondents showed that being a brand ambassador was their No. 1 choice of collaboration in 2023. If you are a brand looking to build a long-term relationship with influencers while gaining traffic and business, this one is for you. A brand ambassador is an influencer who represents a brand continuously through their content for an extended period of time. These ambassadors are people who share the same values as your brand and act as the faces of the company to your targeted audiences.
3. Product collaborations
Product collaborations are a way to team up with big-name influencers who love your products. If you are a brand working with an influencer who has successfully brought in a lot of business and increased traffic, you may consider naming a product or line after them. A product collaboration is when a brand teams up with a popular influencer to create and launch a new product, service or collection of products. This allows influencers to gain even more recognition and steady income and for brands to have their products represented by a social media icon who loves their business. Product collaborations appear to be more genuine because they are longer term.
4. Influencer gifting
If you are a brand with a smaller budget looking to increase awareness of your products, influencer gifting is a type of collaboration to try. Influencer gifting is when brands give their products to influencers for free in exchange for honest product reviews. This exchange allows brands to start working with a specific influencer and begin a business relationship with them while gauging the results. While they aren’t getting paid, this collaboration is easy for influencers, as they receive free products for content creation.
5. Affiliate marketing
Affiliate marketing collaborations are when brands provide influencers with tracking links or codes for their products and pay the creators a commission for each sale generated. Brands often gift influencers their products in exchange for the content, although they may also provide additional compensation or bonuses. Influencers join as an affiliate who will share links to the brands’ products and services.
6. Social media makeovers
Social media takeovers are an easy way for influencers to represent your brand in a way that shows their own personal voice and ultimately relates to your audiences differently. Social media takeovers are when influencers share with their followers that they will be taking over your account for a specific period of time. They then run your brand’s account and share your products for a specific period of time, usually a day. This allows the influencer to boost their name recognition and gives the brand an exciting form of advertising. These takeovers can be compensated via money or product.
7. Giveaways
Giveaways can be a win-win for brands and influencers. They help influencers boost their engagement and followers, and brands continue gaining recognition. Giveaways are when influencers prompt their followers to engage in a challenge or contest that results in them winning free products from a brand. Examples include having influencers prompt their followers to join an email list, tag a friend, use a brand-related hashtag, or follow a brand’s account. The brand provides the prize and may also provide compensation or products to the influencer.
8. Virtual events
If you are looking for a type of collaboration that increases brand exposure easily, virtual events are the way to go. Virtual events are where influencers can represent a brand on Instagram Live or Amazon Live, for example, where they showcase their products to a large audience. Live streams allow a wide audience to join at any time. Virtual events can also be hosted on the brand’s page by influencers as well. Followers and customers see the real-life reactions of influencers to products, and both the brands and influencers may gain more followers and engagement.
9. User-generated content
User-generated content is one of the most effective forms of social media and collaborations for brands. In this case, UGC collaborations are when social media users or customers create content for the brand that the brand will then use in marketing or on its own social media. In true UGC, the creator is not always paid, but the brand requests permission to use the content. Some creators require to be compensated for creating UGC for brands to use.
10. Sponsored blog posts
While people rely on social media platforms for their shopping and trending products, many also turn to blogs that provide greater insight into brands and their products. Sponsored blog posts can be compensated with affiliate income, compensation or free product. Blogs allow brands to increase their visibility online and boost their SEO via links from the sponsored blog.
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Marketers:
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