How to Use Influencers to Supercharge Your Performance Marketing

It’s no secret that young consumers are losing faith in traditional advertising models - and that rings just as true in affiliate marketing. Instead, Gen Z are seeking authentic connections and recommendations from their peers online. Influencer marketing has rocketed over the past few years, and 2023 is set to be no different. Proven to generate 11 times the ROI of traditional advertising, influencer marketing offers the personal, trustworthy and reactive experiences young consumers love.

But how can performance marketers leverage influencer marketing to drive conversions and basket spend? Today, we’ll be sharing what makes influencer marketing so popular amongst Gen Z consumers, as well as highlighting the opportunities for performance marketers to supercharge their performance.

Influencer marketing and consumer confidence

So what makes influencer marketing so popular amongst young consumers? Influencers and creators have the ability to engage with their audiences in a way that faceless brands cannot, bringing their unique and personal qualities to the marketing space. 

Often, it takes serious time, effort and cost to create a community of shoppers who are ready to engage with a brand and fill their virtual shopping baskets. But influencers already possess engaged audiences who are ready and willing to interact with content. And this curated relationship instills, naturally, confidence in consumers, with 30% citing a long-term partnership between a creator and brand as the most significant purchase driver.

As well as growing in popularity, the influencer marketing space has advanced when it comes to tracking metrics and measuring output - whether it’s understanding your audiences or partnership attribution, this is quickly becoming a valuable tool for performance marketers. Ultimately, influencers coax their viewers through the typical sales funnel, from driving awareness to making a purchase - something that performance marketers cannot afford to ignore!

4 ways to use influencers to supercharge your performance marketing

1. Choose your creator carefully. Don’t make the mistake of rushing into partnering with an influencer just because they’re available - this has the potential to undermine the product they’ll be endorsing. Run through this checklist first:

• Does the creator have credibility within your industry?

• Is the audience receptive?

• Is the creator seeing high engagement?

• Does the creator align with the values of your brand?

2. Compensate your creators/influencers. Creators are real people who have spent time, effort and energy building their online communities. It’s important to be clear with your brand objectives and compensate them appropriately.

Student Beans recently led an award-winning campaign with Weekday and Rakuten, working with a number of young creators to maximise Weekday’s online presence through gifting students with products to showcase online. The campaign was designed to drive inspiration to purchase, and was successful because it utilised authenticity and trust.

3. Let the creators do their thing. It’s imperative that you give your influencers the chance to create something special - try not to be restrictive! Remember, the entire purpose of a creator campaign is to leverage their unique point of view. As Ruby Soave, Head of Influencer Marketing at Student Beans, says: “Creators can quickly earn influence, as their community trusts that they won’t compromise their content over money - quality, creativity and integrity will always reign supreme.”

4. Check out our Student Beans Creators programme. Our community of youth marketing experts are a group of genuine, original content creators who deliver real campaigns through peer-to-peer marketing… They also hold a 104% better click-through rate than other influencers! Get in touch with our team today to find out more.

Leveraging influencers and creators as part of your affiliate marketing strategy is effective at engaging Gen Z audiences. By working alongside the right creator(s) and taking the time to understand the opportunities and metrics available to you within the space, you can just sit back and watch those conversions (and basket spends!) soar.

Discover more about how you can enhance your marketing strategies using creator marketing, featuring actionable takeaways and ideas, in our new report, How to Grow Your Ecommerce With Creator Marketing. Available now.