What do influencers look for when working with brands?

Influencer marketing has become a common across consumer and tech sectors. In the 2018 State of Influencer Marketing report by Launchmetrics, in 2016 two out of three professionals claimed to have worked on influencer campaigns, rising to three out of four (78 percent) in 2017. 

Online bathroom retailers Showerstoyou polled over 600 professionals in the US and UK on their views on influencer marketing. Nine out of ten professionals say influencer marketing campaigns are most effective for generating brand awareness, while almost seven our of ten say influencers are most effective for boosting sales. 

The survey showed that over a quarter (27 percent) of fashion, luxury and cosmetic industry experts say 'Monetary Rewards' is the main incentive for influencers.

Money may be the main driving force behind collaborations, but there are other incentives to consider. Early access to new products, opportunities for influencers to get together or exclusive events are of great value to an influencer.  

The survey highlights what brands should consider before implementing an influencer marketing plan. Nine out of ten brands say influencer marketing is most effective for generating brand awareness.

One in five brands say influencers are motivated by the exposure an effective campaign could offer them.

Almost one in five (18.08 percent) of professionals reckon that getting free merchandise is a big motivational factor. Other motivational factors include early access to product and other exclusive offers.  

When considering brand to work with influencers say that they want to progress their career and meet other influencers.

Networking with their peers encourages  almost one in ten (8.30 percent) of influencers to collaborate with brands.

Over one in ten influencers want to participate in new experiences, and almost half of brands (46 percent) say they prefer working with micro-influencers – those who have between 10,000 and 100,000 followers.

As the number of micro-influencers increases, brands have a great opportunity to bring more influencers on board.

Product launches are the main reason that over two out of five (42 percent) of professionals start influencer campaigns.

Curating valuable content and information for their communities is a driving factor for one in six influencers (15.70 percent.)