Yuliya Gorenko

I've been lucky enough to see the influencer marketing scene grow from its early days. Way back in 2013, I was already diving into the world of influencers. I've always been curious and noticed the rise of social media personalities and their impact on consumers. As I was leading PR for a large consumer goods company, I thought, "Why not send PR kits to these Instagram and YouTube folks? Turns out, it was a smart move. More and more brands have started to realize the potential of influencer marketing in engaging consumers. Since then, I've orchestrated thousands of brand-influencer partnerships for B2C and B2B brands in various industries.

Over time, influencer marketing has gone through some significant changes. First off, it's gotten a lot more regulated, especially with the FTC laying down stricter guidelines. Now, influencers have to be super transparent about sponsored content. Furthermore, the industry has evolved into a colossal economy sector, with influencer deals reaching staggering figures, sometimes even hitting the seven-figure mark for macro-creators. This growth has attracted many stakeholders, including creative agencies, talent management firms, and influencer marketing platforms. It's become a whole ecosystem. And let's not forget about AI. That's the new buzzword. Brands use AI tools to sift through tons of data, find the right influencers, and even create content. It's changing the game, making campaigns smarter and more efficient. So yeah, influencer marketing has come a long way, and it's not slowing down anytime soon.

We heavily rely on a number of KPIs to select the influencers we work with – engagement rate, comment rate, comment sentiment, consistency of views, ratio of viewers to followers, etc. When assessing campaign effectiveness, brands usually use reach, engagement, and conversion metrics. If the main objective of the influencer campaign is to generate awareness, we focus on Impressions and Engagement as primary KPIs. For performance-first brands, we use CPA and ROAS as primary success metrics. We measure clicks and conversions by giving unique URLs and/or coupon codes to the influencers.

Our agency employs software tools for influencer discovery to streamline the process of finding the right influencers for our client campaigns. With these tools, we sift through a vast database of influencers, narrowing down our search based on specific criteria such as keywords, location, and engagement metrics. This targeted approach ensures that we connect with influencers who align perfectly with our client's brand and objectives. Additionally, influencer automation platforms provide us with valuable insights into the demographics of an influencer's audience. However, these metrics provided by third-party software platforms are often estimates, and we always verify them directly with the influencer. After all, they have access to the most accurate data through their account, ensuring that we base our decisions on reliable information.

My personal pain point lies in navigating the landscape of influencer talent agencies. While influencers bring immense value to brand marketing, the intermediary role played by talent agencies often presents challenges. Talent agencies, unfortunately, can sometimes fall short of providing genuine value. Instead, they frequently act as mere middlemen, driving up costs with substantial markups. This dynamic can be frustrating for brands seeking authentic partnerships and positive ROAS.

The future of influencer marketing is all about embracing the constant changes and the never-ending stream of new faces popping up online. Every day, fresh personalities are hitting the digital scene, creating buzz, and bringing new creative ideas to the table. These influencers aren't just making content; they're setting trends. For brands, it's crucial to stay on top of these trends and be ready to jump in and join the conversation. Whether it's a viral dance, a meme, or a lifestyle trend, brands need to be quick on their feet and ready to adapt their strategies to keep up with the fast-paced world of social media.