How Influencer subnetworks can help your brand tap into a $16.4bn industry
Written by Yana Bogina on 5 minute read
It’s never been easier for brands to leverage the power of influencers. Through subnetworks on Awin, brands can test, measure and optimise for ROI.
It’s no secret that influencer marketing has exploded in the last decade, fuelled by the rise in social media apps and an unquenching thirst for authentic and entertaining content by online audiences. As consumers continue to spend an increasing amount of time on social media and mobile, influencers and content creators in turn have become product evangelists, garnering more power to influence what we purchase. Consumers respect and trust their favoured influencers, and in most cases, an influencer’s product recommendation is taken as gospel.
Naturally, brands have flocked to influencers to help them reach new and highly engaged audiences, attract new customers and build brand affinity with influencer followers. With experts saying that influencer collaborations give your brand eleven times more return on investment than traditional marketing, it’s time to consider if your brand should dip its toes into the billion-dollar industry and create meaningful influencer partnerships.
TikTok alone is projected to grow to 755 million monthly users this year, and its meteoric rise is in large part responsible for the growing trend of short-form video content which brands now can leverage by running campaigns with creators, or partnering with official TikTok marketing partners, such as Sellers Alley on Awin.
Blending influencer and affiliate marketing
Proving ROI from influencer marketing remains a primary challenge for brand marketers. As companies look to successfully track influencer engagement and maximise ROI, we’ve seen a recent shift in brand strategy, bringing affiliate and influencer marketing closer together.
Affiliate tracking links and coupon cookieless tracking are particularly effective for engaging with creators, measuring performance and controlling influencer spend. Robust tracking and attribution used in some marketing technology platforms can further support this by effectively assessing the value of a creator in complex multi-touch and multi-channel consumer journeys.
With social media platforms pushing for in-app shopping experiences for users, creators now have the potential to own the majority of the customer journey, and brands will be able to leverage them to support awareness and discovery, as well as to drive sales.
How do I get started?
It can be difficult to know where to start if your brand is testing an influencer marketing campaign for the first time. Just as brands vary in size, available budget, vertical and identity, influencers too each have their own unique personality, taste and following. From macro-influencers with global reach, to niche micro-influencers with highly engaged, yet smaller, audiences, it can be a minefield to navigate.
Influencer subnetworks enable brands to easily tap into the influencer marketing space to test and streamline influencer activity, with the added bonus of being fully integrated within Awin’s platform to help brands measure performance.
What is an Influencer subnetwork?
Simply put, an influencer subnetwork is a partner platform with connections to a large spectrum of influencers and content creators. Brands can tap into a vetted creator marketplace via Awin’s platform, and seamlessly reward influencers via commission and/or tenancy packages. Brands can also implement managed influencer marketing campaigns, including gifting, via the subnetwork and monitor results, performance and activity in a relationship that is much like a typical brand-publisher relationship on the Awin platform. All and any influencer activity that a brand trials and manages through a subnetwork can run alongside its regular affiliate activity, allowing brands to diversify their partner base and tap into influencer marketing at the same time.
Subnetworks aim to simplify communication, integration and optimisation for advertisers and influencers.
Awin works with multiple subnetworks across all regions that can cater to any brand size, budget and campaign goal. Some of the most popular subnetworks on our platform include LTK, Orpiva, Metapic, MagicLinks, ShopLooks and Stylink.
What are the benefits of working with an Influencer subnetwork?
Besides easy integration, bespoke real-time dashboards and campaign creation, there are a host of benefits for Awin advertisers who incorporate influencer subnetworks into their affiliate partner mix:
- Subnetworks provide access to thousands of influencers with various followings and niches. From fashion, beauty, home and lifestyle, to technology, telco and sustainability, subnetworks make it easier for Awin advertisers to find and connect with relevant and brand-aligned influencers.
- Subnetworks are a great way to get started with influencer marketing, as it requires low initial investment from the brand. It can be difficult to find the right influencers and allocate budget when you are new to influencer marketing.
- Subnetworks provide influencers with ways to promote products they are passionate about, which is essential given that authenticity is key to a successful influencer collaboration. Audiences place trust in an influencer’s recommendation. As affinity with a brand or product build over time, audiences are then increasingly likely to purchase.
- Brands can receive a steady stream of organic, evergreen content via subnetworks, as guaranteed commissions via affiliate links and vouchers incentivise influencers to promote on a regular basis. This can easily be repurposed for other channels, such as social, email, or website, if an agreement is in place with the influencer.
- Blending influencer and affiliate marketing allows both influencer and brand to measure the impact across the entire marketing funnel – everything from brand awareness to purchases. This helps to drive a strong ROI for brands.
What do I need to do to launch a campaign?
How a campaign is created:
An influencer campaign is dependent on the selected influencer subnetwork and brand budget. It's best to have as much information as possible about how you'd like to move forward with layering influencers into your marketing mix. Whether it’s for a product launch, to acquire new business or to promote a seasonal campaign, Awin’s subnetwork partners can work on a case by case basis, and setting up a campaign can be as easy as filling in a questionnaire or providing a brief.
How commission is set:
Subnetworks can offer different payment options; some can run on a commission increase (CPAi basis) including Metapic and Shoplooks, and some partners run on tenancy such as Orpiva. Advertisers can set an initial budget with influencer subnetworks and work from that to set the right commission, and all activity can easily run alongside your normal publisher mix.
How performance is monitored:
Awin advertisers can provide Awin links to influencers through the subnetwork platform and track activity as you would a normal publisher via the subnetwork’s publisher account.
