Influencers Are Becoming Entrepreneurs, and Marketers Should Take Notes

Mélanie Masarin’s mission is to take the word drinking back from booze. Since launching her own line of non-alcoholic aperitifs and spritzes, the founder and CEO uses her platform to destigmatize a sober lifestyle in a world where people think reaching for a soft drink means opting out of enjoyment. “I get so many messages from people who relate to the story and want to have that extra connection with the human behind the brand,” said Masarin, who launched Ghia in June 2020. “It’s a really beautiful thing and helps us extend our reach.” https://twitter.com/itsjackcohen/status/1446577362175397891?s=20&t=vRRwV_whcc6GHxthKIDWjw Before introducing her brand, Masarin was already developing an audience on social media, where she’d share recipes, travel highlights and professional successes as head of retail and offline experiences at Glossier. Since launching Ghia, she has leaned into these platforms to engage with her audience and help the sober-curious abstain from alcohol with comfort and confidence. The growth of her company is a testament to the charm of influencer-led brands, which are backed by built-in audiences, niche online communities and constant social listening. “Can you imagine if Procter & Gamble had an audience of moms baked into their strategy and released products specifically catered to them?” said Joe Gagliese, co-founder and co-CEO of global digital and social agency Viral Nation. “It’s like the holy grail.” The most successful influencer-led brand story comes from Emily Weiss, who built up an online community as an intern at Teen Vogue and through her beauty blog Into the Gloss before launching Glossier in 2014. Now other startups are giving Weiss a run for her money. Addison Rae, one of the most followed creators on TikTok, launched her own beauty line in 2020, Emma Chamberlain introduced Chamberlain Coffee in 2019 and fashion influencer Arielle Charnas dropped her first clothing collection for her brand Something Navy in 2018. While not every influencer will double as an effective entrepreneur, the triumphs of their beauty products, clothing lines and energy drinks offer a universal marketing lesson: selling stuff works when you internalize your audience. Influencers are looking to diversify their revenue streams and create influence that exists outside of unreliable and ever-changing social platforms, and in an industry where creators call the shots, agencies and brands should work to mimic their paths to success. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Mélanie Masarin (@melaniemasarin) “It’s that combination of expertise and passion for a niche product, a built-in community of people who really trust their recommendations and an incredible feedback loop,” said Julianne Fraser, CEO of agency Dialogue NYC, which works with Ghia along with clients like Adidas, Brooklinen and Daily Harvest. “In Mélanie’s case, it was obvious for her to incorporate her inspiration and her background into the product.” Owning your audience The most strategic creators are carving out income streams that don’t exist at the discretion of obscure algorithms. As TikTok works to stack up more revenue by pushing paid ads over organic content, creators and brands face a similar challenge—finding creative ways to maintain candid communication with their audiences. A study from influencer marketing platform Mavrck found that 57% percent of creators use platforms outside of social media to engage with their audiences, and more than 80% have felt the need to seek alternative income opportunities outside of brand deals. According to Gagliese, helping a client cultivate a loyal consumer base that is separate from social platforms is one of the best ways to do business. It also helps creators foster a stronger personal brand and name for themselves, and even before thinking about how to monetize these business ventures, they are inclined to build out new products to drive deeper community. Kat Wellington, a TikTok creator who is known for her sarcastic sense of humor and casual approach to influencer marketing, just launched a podcast alongside her longtime best friend Emily Proctor. The show is a space for the creators to lean into their personalities in a way that TikTok’s short-form content format doesn’t allow. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Impossible To Say (@impossibletosaypod) “As an agency, we foster the crap out of it,” he said. “It’s an amazing way to make a really life-changing difference in an influencer's career.” Not only can these brands help an influencer more deeply engage with an audience that already exists, but it also allows them to expand their outreach. When making an appearance at a retail store that carries his beauty line One/Size, creator Patrick Starrr was approached by a 30-year-old millennial who didn’t recognize him, but wanted to share her love for the product. “Tapping into your audience is one small facet of maximizing,” he said. “For me to lean into who I already know and what I already do is OK, but when someone doesn’t already know me, that’s when I get excited.” https://twitter.com/OneSizeBeauty/status/1509204288333139968?s=20&t=LaYp73aJDb-y3JkzNdOX-w Letting your followers take the lead Just as Masarin wants to de-stigmatize sober-free or sober-curious lifestyles, Patrick Starrr is contributing to a new culture of beauty products that represent every makeup user and skin tone. If there is one group of consumers that can sniff out disingenuous brand endorsements, it’s Gen Z, and the success of influencer-backed brands is a lesson in leading with purpose while pushing personality and purpose over product. Gen Z accounts for 60% of TikTok's users, and a study from agency Adolescent Content found 78% of Gen Zers are skeptical of brands’ commitments to issues like equity, diversity and sustainability. “At a time when consumers, especially younger ones, want to buy from individuals rather than entities, it makes a lot of sense for influencers to launch brands,” said Lindsey Gamble, associate director of influencer innovation at Mavrck. Matt Scanlan, CEO and co-founder of sustainable clothing company Naadam, says the consumer feedback loop that influencers can tap into creates a two-way conversation that should be used to “improve product and quickly position a brand.” The premise of social listening is the backbone of Wellington and Proctor’s show, as they are leaving the podcast open for creative direction from its audience. “Our podcast is called ‘Impossible To Say’ because we don’t know where it’s going, and we would love for our audience to be involved in figuring that out,” she said. 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