PI Live Recap: A Balanced Approach to the Rapidly Evolving World of Influencer Marketing

At the PI Live in early April, how to leverage Influencers in an increasingly complex space was front and center. There was a lot of talk about how to balance talent, creative, measurement, and of course, sales. A big topic of conversation was remaining authentic and tapping into influencers in a way that is still true to the overall brand voice while reaching a new audience.  At the same time, we have my players entering the space with more enhanced technology that allows brands to be even more strategic in how they approach. All told, this space is more important now than ever to cut through the noise and remain a relevant part of the conversation.

Authenticity is key in order to be relevant.

While influencers are a great way to speak to both new and existing audiences for a brand, it is important to remain authentic to the overall brand’s voice. To do this, there are a few topics that came up during this conference. It is important to build trust with both the Influencers as well as the audience that will be most receptive to the content. This can be done by bringing influencers into the creative process overall. It is highly recommended to not give the talent a prescriptive brief, but rather to strategically bring the influencer(s) to the table so that they can best determine how to craft the message and content for their audience.

The spaces where influencers create is shifting evolving rapidly.

Social platforms are evolving to meet a rapidly shifting marketplace. We hear it in the news every day. What will happen between TikTok and Congress? Will Live Shopping catch on in the US the way it has overseas? Will social commerce have its watershed moment that truly bring it into the mainstream? These are questions on minds of many brands as they look at ways to speak to both new and prospective customers in more inspired ways. Staying on top of these important issues will be key in order to find success in this area.

Finding success at the convergence of content and commerce is key.

Creator Commerce was a big topic throughout the conference. In 2023, there will be $56 billion in social commerce sales as well as 100M+ Social platforms continue to expand their offerings in this space with live shopping, integrated storefronts, and ad units that focus on driving lower funnel activity. Tapping into the Influencer community to drive social commerce will be integral for a brand’s success. This will require scale across multiple influencers and optimal supporting marketing budget to drive both awareness of the programs as well as sales. 

The more data to inform Influencer approach, the better

It will need to be acknowledged that the shopping journey has become increasingly non-linear. One example given by Influential during the conference was someone that saw a TikTok Paid Ad, went to the retailer website and dropped, then saw an IG Paid Ad, then Paid Search, and then ultimately converted. Main point here is that customers can enter, abandon, revisit, and shift consideration at any time. Having insight into this nuanced data, and even providing it (where possible) to partners and content creators will yield a better understanding of the audience and the paths they take to conversion.