What is influencer gifting?
Influencer gifting is all about sending your products or branded merchandise to influencers to:
- Start a partnership via UGC and brand collaborations
- Launch a buzz-worthy social media campaign by flooding the feed with your brand or product
- Inspire influencers to share their genuine experiences with your brand through reviews
- Direct your consumers on their path to purchase through in-store UGC content
If your brand offers products and/or services, why not invite influencers to give them a try? Discover how influencer gifting can transform your brand’s marketing strategy into a vibrant success story. Let's dive in!
Why is influencer gifting important for brands?
The essence of influencer gifting lies in offering influencers an authentic interaction with your brand. This authenticity encourages them to create compelling user-generated content (UGC) that resonates with your target audience. Consumers find UGC more authentic than branded content, which helps drive sales, boost brand awareness, and generate leads.
Influencer gifting is also cost-effective. You can engage influencers in exchange for gifts, free products, or even monetary compensation. Micro-influencers, with smaller followings (usually between 5k to 20k followers), often accept gifts as payment, which helps them build their portfolio while providing your brand with genuine publicity.
That’s where RISER comes in. RISER can help you effortlessly sample products to hundreds of micro-influencers within your target categories and simultaneously, clip and repurpose their content for your social media, and even tag your retailers for maximum exposure.
Getting started: Why gifting?
Influencer gifting is more than just sending out free products. It's about choosing, packaging, and shipping items that inspire influencers to create engaging content on platforms like TikTok and Instagram. By personalising your gifts with branded packaging, postcards, and unique products, you ensure the content created is both captivating and relevant.
When curating gifts, aim for those that fit popular content formats like:
- GRWM (Get-Ready-With-Me) posts
- Shopping hauls and in-store shopping content
- Behind-the-scenes glimpses
- How-to reels
- Cooking and recipe videos and content
- A day-in-the-life snippets
Gifting is a fantastic way to gain valuable exposure, but remember, unlike paid collaborations, there's no guarantee influencers will post about the products they receive unless you’re using a platform like RISER, which guarantees results for brands.
When influencers choose to share their experiences, the rewards can be substantial. Brands not only benefit from immediate exposure but also have the opportunity to build long-term relationships with influencers through these thoughtful gifting experiences.
Finding influencers who truly connect with your brand
At RISER, we know the key to successful influencer gifting lies in engagement and relevance, not just follower count. Micro-influencers often deliver higher engagement rates than their macro counterparts.
To find the perfect influencers, use a social media and influencer marketing platform like RISER to identify those whose followers truly resonate with your brand. Remember, a massive follower count doesn’t always mean more sales. If an influencer’s followers are in the wrong location, speak a different language, or aren’t genuinely engaged, your gifting efforts might not pay off.
The biggest perk of collaborating with influencers? They help you reach your ideal audience.
For instance, if you run a cosy seafood restaurant in the Sydney CBD, partnering with a local food vlogger on Instagram can bring your culinary delights to food enthusiasts in the area.
Besides reaching your target audience, the right influencers can:
- Boost Credibility: When a trusted influencer endorses your brand, it signals to their followers that you’re credible and trustworthy.
- Enhance Brand Awareness: Working with influencers helps you tap into new customer bases and spread the word about your business.
- Increase Sales: The right influencer’s endorsement can lead to a noticeable uptick in sales post-campaign.
However, not all influencers are a perfect fit. For example, partnering with an outdoor enthusiast might not make sense for a large beauty brand.
Here’s what to watch out for when selecting influencers:
- Fake Followers and Bots: Some influencers use bots to inflate their follower count, making them seem more appealing to brands.
- Excessive Sponsored Content: Influencers who constantly post sponsored content can become less engaging to their followers, reducing their influence.
Choosing untrustworthy influencers can harm your brand’s reputation and hurt sales. So, take the time to find influencers who genuinely align with your brand’s values and audience. At RISER, we're here to help you navigate these waters and make influencer gifting a breeze.
Crafting the perfect influencer package
We believe in making every impression count. Customise your gifts to resonate with influencers’ interests while staying true to your brand’s identity.
Beyond the product itself, the key to influencer engagement lies in the creativity and shareability of your packaging.
In a crowded space where many brands are vying for attention, it’s crucial to think outside the box—literally.
Innovative influencer packaging isn’t just a nice-to-have; it’s essential. It not only reinforces brand recognition but also positions your brand as the top choice for consumers.
Consider including personalised touches like branded postcards to each influencer. Even a small gesture can leave a lasting impression and align with current industry trends.
Cultivating meaningful influencer connections
We believe in nurturing relationships that truly matter.
When it comes to influencer gifting, prioritise quality. Building on existing relationships is the key to success—continuously reinforce your connection with influencers who resonate with your brand. Show them how valued they are through thoughtful and consistent gifting efforts. RISER often works with brands on multiple campaigns to build key influencer relationships and keep their products top of mind.
Successful influencer gifting isn’t just about a single transaction; it’s the start of a relationship. Beyond sending gifts, engage with influencers by liking and commenting on their posts, sharing their content, or offering them exclusive access to new products. These actions foster genuine connections and strengthen partnerships over time.
For seamless collaborations, RISER provides influencers with clear guidelines and expectations. We detail your campaign goals, desired deliverables, and deadlines in a comprehensive brief. Specify the type of content you’re seeking, key messages or hashtags to incorporate, and guidelines for brand representation. Clear communication sets the stage for fruitful partnerships that benefit both your brand and influencers alike.
Executing the gifting process
Once you’ve identified the perfect influencers and crafted personalised gift packages, it’s time to ensure seamless execution.
How do you deliver your gift effectively?
You can use influencer marketing platforms like RISER to effortlessly sample your products to hundreds of micro influencers in a snap. RISER connects brands with content creators to deliver hundreds, if not thousands, of pieces of UGC tailored to your brief. We'll handle the gifting to our targeted community and clip the content as it goes live. You just sit back, relax, and enjoy the results-driven content from our network of micro-influencers.
Maximising campaign impact
At RISER, we believe in amplifying the buzz around your brand. Here’s how to maximise the impact of influencer content:
Amplify influencer content
Once influencers create captivating content featuring your products, amplify its visibility by sharing it across your brand’s social channels. Repost their posts on Instagram, Facebook, Tiktok, and more to extend its reach. Tag influencers to acknowledge their contribution and strengthen your brand’s relationship with them.
Showcase on your social channels
Highlight influencer content prominently on your social media profiles to showcase authentic testimonials and promotions. Integrate these posts into your content schedule strategically to maintain a cohesive brand identity and engage your audience consistently.
Feature on your website or blog
Create a dedicated space on your website or blog to showcase influencer collaborations. Curate a collection of influencer testimonials and reviews to demonstrate real-life experiences with your products. Incorporate influencer quotes, photos, and videos to enhance your brand’s credibility and connect with your audience on a personal level.
Engage with the influencer’s community
Interact actively with the influencer’s followers by responding to comments, addressing inquiries, and fostering discussions about your offerings. Express gratitude for their support and encourage them to share their own stories about using your products.
By leveraging influencer content effectively, you not only enhance your brand’s visibility but also build lasting connections with your audience through genuine, user-generated content.
Ready to get started with influencer collaborations? Don't overthink it. Sign up with RISER and elevate your brand through strategic influencer collaborations.
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