Sway Group

This week's episode is all about B2B influencer marketing on LinkedIn. A campaign ran last week with very mixed results. Some thought it was brilliant. Others (like Casey and I) thought it was poorly done. No matter where you stand on this campaign in particular, B2B influencer marketing on LinkedIn is a juicy topic, and we get into it here. I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Have you procrastinated your holiday shopping? Scrambling to find the perfect gifts for your loved ones? We've created a guide of our favorite gifts we've found this year. From practical kitchen tools, to crafts for kids, and even heartfelt gag presents, we're here to give you ideas for unique and thoughtful things to share with the ones you love (or just need to buy for)! 

So much to say on this topic!! Casey and I had a great conversation about some of the shady practices out there when it comes to influencer marketing agency fee structures. I hope you'll check out the full episode (link in comments).

With the new year just around the corner, we're noticing a lot of fresh and exciting trends in our 2025 client proposals. From increased flexibility to a push for collaboration to a shift away from exclusivity, we're bringing you five key themes in influencer marketing that are jumping out to us as we plan for 2025.

I'm thinking about what Casey and I should discuss in our next podcast episode, and one of the topics that keeps bubbling to the top of my mind is agency fee discrepancies. There are a few issues at play: - There are no guidelines anywhere that dictate what influencer agency margins should be. - There are a lot of bad actors out there. I have heard numerous stories of agencies who double dip (charge an agency fee AND take a commission from the influencers) or who outright lie about what their fees are. - There is (among some clients) a lack of understanding of what agency fees cover. I once had a client tell me that our margin/fee should be FOUR PERCENT. I am curious as to how anyone could recruit, negotiate, project manage, QA, and generate reports for four percent. And, oh yeah, we also have to be profitable. - The math is weird. Agency margins should adjust based on the length of engagement and the cost of the influencer(s). A 12 month program requires more fee than a two-week program. $200,000 spent on one influencer requires less fee than $200,000 spent on 200 influencers. What am I missing?

Casey Benedict and I had a very fun and lively conversation about engagement rates (what are they good for?!) in this week's episode of The Art of Sway. I hope you will tune in and let us know what you think. Here is a quick snippet to pique your interest.

It's been a whirlwind few weeks of press buzz over here! In case you missed the latest headlines, I've put together a highlight reel of our recent media features. Catch up on all things Sway Group and influencer marketing with this quick roundup.

This topic has come up a couple of times just in the past week, so I was curious to see what others think. Where do you find your best employees? AND what previous (non-professional) job do you think is the best indicator of success in a professional career? Some of my best employees/favorite colleagues were former babysitters or camp counselors! If someone is a great babysitter or counselor, I know that they are good at time management, they can successfully triage when in a stressful situation, they can deal with tough personalities (just ask Mr. Matthew Clay about that one), and they bring creativity to their work. When I see nanny, babysitter, or camp counselor on someone's resume, I take that as a VERY good sign. (including a very 80s picture of me at sleepaway camp just for fun)

Another week, another episode of The Art of Sway with me and Casey Benedict! (which is a good time to let you know that we are taking a break next week to accomodate some travel on both of our plates, but we will be back with a new episode on November 25th.) This week, we went back and forth on the value of influencer marketing. Should we be analyzing it based on reach or based on performance? Curious as to what we had to say? Check out the episode today (link in comments).

The holiday season is fast approaching, and we've teamed up with Forbes to bring you the ultimate guide on how brands can advance their influencer marketing strategy this year. In this must-read article, we explore whether it's essential to request exclusivity from influencers during their busiest time of year and dive deep into the power of authenticity in holiday campaigns. Get ready to take your brand's holiday marketing to the next level—read on for expert insights and actionable strategies that will make this season your brand’s best one yet.