In a previous article, we discussed about the challenges for influencers to find and select the most relevant revenue opportunities for them. There isn’t yet today a true and broad “influencer market” where you can see and choose the services you want to provide and select their buyers. But there’s still a lot you can do to sell yourself better, be more visible and find more revenues. The key being getting access to data.
SALES BY INFLUENCERS ARE STILL A DISORGANIZED, MANUAL MESS
The problem is that on the influencer services market, data is still missing, even though influencers themselves are generating tons of data on social platforms. And no data means no standard metrics for services whatever they are (branded content videos, merchandise, content licensing), and no pricing information for buyers and sellers.
Compared to other online markets for goods (Amazon, Google Shopping...), transportation (Skyscanner, citymapper…), there is no such thing as a platform for creators connecting influencer sellers (creators, …) and buyers (brands, creators, Content licensing organisms, merchandising live platforms…) which would allow a full overview of what the market offers. In other words, general state of influencer sales is still in the Stone Age.
To be a smart seller, the influencer needs to be able to deliver data on what he provides to platforms and buyers, and get from those the data he needs to understand whether he wants to deal with them.
STEP 1: USE YOUR OWN DATA
The data that platforms or brands need, to qualify an influencer, is audience data (who is the influencer’s community) and content data ( how powerful is the creator’s content vs. his community). Most of that data is generated by the social platforms on which he has an account: YouTube, Facebook, Instagram... and owned by these platforms. A part - but, by far, not all- that data is available to influencers generally through Analytics interfaces. Even if you may not have access to all the data those platforms owned, there are still multiple ways of using it:
- Know your content, the metadata around your content, and how it is being accessed: comments, category or topics data, sources of traffics, positioning of your content on search, homepages, suggestions
- Understand your audience : demography, geography, volumes and reach, and even details on your subscribers and fans..
Beyond those platforms, you have a lot of information about your track record: which services you have provided, how satisfied were your customers... And since a lot of influencers services come in the form of content, be it videos or images, your record is really easy to show because it’s on the web: any influencer can make his own playlist of the videos he’s most proud of, even though they may not be his most popular, or a playlist of his best branded content videos, to show to prospective clients.
Another example is your audience data: brands generally need your audience data before entering in a contract with you (and also after the operation, on the video itself), so why not systematically put your most relevant data through screenshots of csv exports online, accessible to your customers? Or show them on a video through a private link? There are very simple ways to give your customers the visibility they need to quantify better what you can bring to them.
STEP 2: POOL DATA WITH OTHERS
On the influencer market, exchanging data with others is even better value than just using your own: sharing data with other creators means you have benchmarks on what is the value of your services, and can learn from their experience in delivering those services.
This of course can also be done by sharing within a network or working with an agent who has experience with other creators.
On a different level, asking your brand customers to share their data with you on the brand operations you do with them will give you valuable feedback on customers satisfaction, which you can eventually use in the public profile you want to communicate to prospective partners. It will also allow you to better control who you do business with, rather than letting brands decide on their own whether you are a match to their needs.
STEP 3: SHARE DATA ON INFLUENCER MARKETPLACES
Partial influencer marketplaces have emerged in the past few years, enabling creators to have visibility on multiple brand opportunities on a single interface. Famebit, Octoly, Influence4you, are examples of platforms on which multiple brands have accepted to post detailed business opportunities for influencers, and where influencers post their own data by allowing the platforms to access their social data. They provide visibility and match influencers with brands on the big segment of influencer marketing, comprising both affiliations and branded content videos, which is a significant chunk of dollars available for influencers.
In merchandising, big marketplaces such as Amazon have been increasing their efforts to give influencers access to retail buyers, with the ability to view data on buyers of branded merchandise, and to match and prioritize opportunities.
Those platforms have two drawbacks: they only cover part of the opportunities, and they provide limited capabilities in terms of sharing experiences between creators themselves, which means overall and comparative pricing and service performance are known by the platforms, but not shared with their influencer users.
At Wizdeo, starting from a ten-year experience with influencers, and a unique database on influencers, we are building for creators a full 360° platform to provide visibilities on all revenue opportunities. This is cross-segment, from merchandising to content distribution to branded content opportunities, and would allow full visibility, matching, and prioritising for influencers. We believe this will be a major step in helping influencers better control and develop their businesses!
At Wizdeo, it’s our goal to help you reach your goals and find more revenues to live your passion, don’t hesitate to contact us if you want know more.