In the ever-evolving landscape of influencer marketing, one strategy that continues to gain traction is influencer gifting or seeding programs. This approach involves sending products or services to influencers, hoping they’ll share their experience with their audience. In this blog post, we’ll dive deep into what an influencer gifting program entails, the benefits it brings to the table, potential drawbacks to consider, and how to make it a successful part of your marketing strategy.

What is an Influencer Gifting Program? 

An influencer gifting program is about offering your products or services to influencers in exchange for their honest reviews, endorsements, or features on their social media platforms. This approach aims to leverage the influencer’s credibility and reach to introduce your brand to their audience, while also creating authentic, unscripted content that can drive engagement and conversions.

The Pros of Influencer Gifting:

  • Cost-Effective Exposure: Gifting products can be more budget-friendly than cash payments, making it an appealing option for brands with limited resources.
  • Authenticity: When done right, influencer gifting can lead to genuine, unbiased reviews that resonate well with audiences.
  • Content Creation: Influencers often generate high-quality content featuring your products, which can be repurposed across your marketing channels.
  • Audience Trust: Influencers’ recommendations are often perceived as more trustworthy by their followers, boosting your brand’s credibility.
  • Expanding Reach: Through influencers’ posts, your brand can access new audiences and demographics you may not have reached otherwise.
  • Building Relationships: Gifting can initiate long-term relationships with influencers, resulting in continued brand exposure over time.

The Cons of Influencer Gifting:

  • Lack of Control: Influencers have creative freedom over their content, and there’s a chance it might not align perfectly with your brand’s vision.
  • Inconsistent Results: Not all influencers will post or create content after receiving your product, leading to unpredictable outcomes and costs.
  • Engagement Variability: Engagement rates can vary widely among influencers, affecting the impact of their content.
  • ROI Uncertainty: It can be challenging to measure the direct ROI of influencer gifting, as it’s primarily tied to upper-funnel KPIs like impressions and engagements.

How to Make Influencer Gifting Work:

  • Targeted Selection: Choose influencers whose audience aligns with your brand’s target demographics and values. If internal bandwidth is limited, hiring an agency or leveraging a platform can help you work with pre-vetted creators at scale. 
  • Clear Expectations: Communicate your expectations clearly, including the type of content, post frequency, and any specific messaging.
  • Follow-Up: Stay engaged with influencers after gifting, providing support and addressing any questions they might have.
  • Use Data: Leverage analytics to measure the success of each campaign and refine your strategy based on insights.
  • Consistency is Key: Regularly refresh your influencer list, nurturing relationships with new and existing influencers to maintain an ongoing stream of content.
  • Scale: Identify which creators are strong performers and offer to compensate them for future content. This will help level-up your content strategy while also generating strong Brand Ambassador relationships with your influencers.

Conclusion:

Influencer gifting programs can be a valuable addition to your influencer marketing toolkit, allowing you to tap into the power of authentic reviews and endorsements. While it comes with some risk, influencer gifting can lead to compelling content when executing strategically, resulting in expanded reach, and enhanced brand credibility. By understanding the pros, cons, and best practices, you can make influencer gifting an effective component of your marketing strategy, connecting your brand with engaged audiences and driving meaningful results.

If you’re interested in bringing your influencer program to the next level, contact the AdParlor team to schedule a discovery call today.

About AdParlor

AdParlor, an agency established in 2008 and now a division of Fluent (NASDAQ: FLNT), is a leading provider of data-driven digital media strategy and execution that unlocks explosive growth for world-class and disruptive brands.  Through our GrowthFuel framework we offer proprietary performance marketing solutions that have scaled our clients’ programs profitably, with our clients’ success being our sole agenda.  Our custom technology solves problems related to creative insights, creative production, real time cross-platform reporting and more.  Brands choose AdParlor because our unmatched expertise in ecommerce digital media delivers impactful full-funnel performance campaigns for profitable growth.