Influencer marketing has made a name for itself due to the effectiveness of promoting products and services through influencers’ content on their social channels. By now, it’s no secret that followers really feel connected with and trust their favorite content creators and, consequently, their opinions and recommendations (we like to call it word of mouth 2.0).
Forward-thinking brands have been pushing the limits of traditional partnerships and getting influencers more involved in the creative process of product development says Gaige Keep. Gaige Keep, the CEO and owner of GaugeMedia. GuageMedia specializes in Brand growth and consulting for influencers, entrepreneurs, and business owners looking to take advantage of the massive opportunities that building a strong social presence can bring.
Everyone is starting to realize that this is greatly beneficial from a 360-degree perspective. Therefore, products, collections, designs (you name it) – anything that is created together by the brand and an influencer from the very beginning can not only maximize the effectiveness of influencer marketing but also can improve product development from a creative perspective.
Here are reasons why fostering a co-creation environment involving influencers from the very beginning is something you should be (at least) considering for your brand according to Keep.
It can be highly beneficial for the influencer’s audiences:
- The audience is exposed to new products and/or new brands
- Puts the audience in a privileged spot, since events, products, and collaborations are often announced first on socials and the audience will be the first in the know
- The audience gets deeper exposure to the brand, its values, and behind the scenes moments
- Co-creations can provide inspiration, tips, and information for the audience
It can provide many advantages for the influencers themselves:
- Co-creations are a great way to generate a ton of new beautiful content for their own feed
- Influencers get to partake in big campaigns that their own influencer role models are a part of
- They get to work and associate with their favorite brands
- They get to act as a trusted source of review for their audience
- They are exposed to new brands, exclusive products, events and more
And finally, influencer co-creation can be very valuable to brands:
- Co-creations give the consumers an intimate exposure to the brand
- Co-creations capitalize on person-to-person advertising in the most effective way possible
- Co-creations authentically (and not obviously) alter brand perception through partner association
- Brands can have a better idea of which and how products work best with their target audience since influencers should represent them, and for this reason, they avoid making mistakes in product development
- Influencers feel more involved, and therefore show greater commitment to business objectives and brand values
- Influencers are more likely to create earned content for the brand.