Diversity, representation and inclusivity have significantly improved in the influencer marketing space over the past few years. If brands want to succeed in today’s crowded marketing landscape, working with the same type of influencers over and over again is no longer an option.
While making a deliberate effort to be more inclusive and work with diverse creators is a step in the right direction, that is now the absolute bare minimum. It’s time for brands and marketers to start asking: How can we set up diverse creators for success?
Firstly, some stats from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. As of 2021, this space was largely dominated by white women:
- Public relations specialists: 83% white, 59% women
- Marketing managers: 73% white, 61% women
- Market research analysts and marketing specialists: 83% white, 63% women
There is a lot of work to do before influencer marketing is an equitable landscape for all, especially for Black creators who are making on average 35% less than their white counterparts.
Shifting how we view partnerships
It’s more than bringing one influencer of color onto your roster for a one-off project. Frequency, repetition and familiarity have an impact on consumers.
What does that mean? If you’ve been marketing to the same audience for years, they’re going to feel seen and represented in your marketing, even if that happens subconsciously. They’re going to click on the ads, download the app, buy items from the site and try the products.
That engagement translates into business results. The years spent investing in the same type of creator and building rapport with their audiences impact your overall results and, ultimately, KPIs.
So when working with diverse creators for the first time, marketers need to add this context into their projections and benchmarks. Before a campaign begins, reassess your KPIs for these influencers and acknowledge that these results may look different.
The potential upside of reaching new audiences with massive buying power is obvious. It is imperative to learn what works with diverse consumers and give these creators the freedom to prove themselves.
There is untapped potential within this community. And creators of color are willing and eager to prove they deserve a seat at the table (and a check just as big as other influencers).
The cheat sheet
As marketers, we all like to have clear next steps, so here are some recommendations for brands that plan to invest in diverse creators this year.
Benchmarks: Create KPIs based on industry averages and be less reliant on past campaign performance. Use working with diverse creators for the first time as an opportunity to learn more about their audiences and how they perform. Avoid comparing communities you’ve overinvested in and prioritized to communities that have been overlooked and underpaid.
Creativity: Allow diverse creators the freedom to communicate with their audience in the way that works best for them. We all have brand voice and tone guidelines, and they are important. But if we want to reach a new audience effectively, we need to let the representatives of those communities speak to their audiences authentically. Trust them.
Building relationships: Use working with new diverse creators as an opportunity to learn and build genuine relationships. Give them the space to share the more nuanced insights about their audiences and what they respond to because that will ultimately make your campaigns more successful.
Commitment: Invest in diverse communities outside of one-off influencer partnerships. As a person of color, imagine seeing your favorite influencer work with a brand you’ve never heard of for the first time. You want to support, you click the link, head to their site—and you don’t see yourself represented at all. No more surface-level inclusivity. If you are going to invest, do it at all levels of your marketing.
Failing to adjust KPIs puts new diverse creators in a tough position when brands or marketers say things like “we’ve worked with XYZ creator for previous campaigns and have seen these type of results.” Or “we typically see XYZ ROI when working with influencers in this category.” When past creators don’t look like (and have a completely different audience) to those you are comparing for a current campaign, chances are that isn’t a fair comparison.
Shift your approach. Identify the KPIs and ask the creators for their insights into how to communicate with their audiences to help achieve these results. Ensure you are putting them in a position to succeed. After all, this is what a partnership is supposed to be.