The Ultimate Guide To eCommerce Influencer Marketing

There are different sets of FTC guides in advertising and marketing. But here, we're focusing on influencer marketing.

This will not only protect your brand but the influencers you're collaborating with as well.

Before we hop into these rules, you need to take note that you should communicate this with your influencers.

It's important that the two of you know, understand, and implement these rules.

So, here are a few social media influencer marketing guidelines from the Federal Trade Commission.

1. Disclose Paid Sponsorships

When you're working with influencers, you should remind them to disclose paid sponsorships.

In a statement by former Federal Trade Commissioner Rohit Chopra, he says it's an illegal payola if companies are paying influencers to fake their reviews and not disclose their financial ties.

This will prevent potential customers from falling into false claims.

Using social media tools where you need to disclose the sponsorship is okay.

But it's not yet "good enough," so make sure to disclose it even more. The tool is just a support.

If your influencers don't disclose your sponsorship, they would think that the reviews or endorsements are real, when they're not.

So, to disclose the sponsorship, they need to...

2. Use Uncomplicated Language

The exact words from the guidelines are "simple and clear."

As much as possible, don't use abbreviated words or slang... such as "spon" or "sp." Or open-ended terms like "thanks," "collaboration," or "ambassador" that prospective customers might misunderstand.

Be straightforward.

Say it's a paid ad, advertisement, sponsored, or sponsorship.

Again, be wary of the language you're using. It's also noted that the disclosure must be in the same language as your endorsement.

This will make your audience's understanding easier, especially for non-English speakers.

It's also important to take note that you should...

3. Place The Disclosure Properly

Don't hide it or place it somewhere not easily noticeable!

According to the FTC guidelines, the disclosure must be properly placed so the audience can see it without a problem.

For example, you and your influencer agreed to use stories to endorse your products. You need to clarify to them that they should place it where people can see it easily.

The guidelines say that influencers should "superimpose" it.

Another thing is when they're advertising through videos, they should disclose it in the video itself. Not just in the description.

And "Livestream" is a thing now on the internet, like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok Live.

So, if they're promoting a product through live videos... They need to repeat that the products are sponsored. Just in case there are viewers who missed it.

These guidelines should be clear with your influencers because you are an advertiser.

You need to protect your business and ensure the people representing your brand comply with these guidelines.

And that's not all...

4. Don't Talk About Products They Haven't Tried

You can't pay your influencers to talk about products they haven't even tried yet.

That's a no-no! And the social media influencer disclosure guidelines also say this.

The purpose of these guidelines is to fight "deceptive marketing."

So, influencers talking about products they haven't even tried yet are against the FTC guide.

This last one is also related to this...

5. Don't Make Claims With No Proof

When influencers promote your products, of course, they'd talk highly about your brand.

And that's part of their job. They need to encourage their customers to purchase from you.

But they can't make up claims that you can't prove.

For example, they can't say your products can cure a disease if they're not even medically tested or there's no clinical trial and case study to back up their claims.

Again, the guidelines are to prevent deceptive marketing. This might put your business in jeopardy if this happens.

I know these guidelines look frightening.

But don't worry!

Because you can totally be proactive and avoid being in difficult situations!

I'm sure you've heard about this before... many times, maybe.

But to ensure that your campaigns are customer-focused and will land into the right target audience, first, you must identify who they are.

1. Revisit Your Customer Base

If you're already an established eCommerce brand, it's time to revisit your customer base.

These are your existing customers, so they're still your target audience.

But if you do this, you'll have more clarity on your target customers for your upcoming campaigns.

You can analyze their profiles and purchasing behaviors to create a more cost-effective influencer marketing strategy.

You also need to...

2. Consider Your Products

Your existing customers may have purchased various products, but what if you're launching a new one with the help of influencers?

For example, you are running a beauty eCommerce brand. Your products are usually focused on products for oily-skinned people.

But now, you are launching new products for dry skin.

You need to identify your audience who might be facing this problem. Then you can find an influencer to help you find people with dry skin problems.

Oh, here's another way...

3. Analyze Your Competitors

You've probably heard of this multiple times, too.

In every digital marketing strategy, it's important to analyze your competitors.

And to identify your target audience, you can check on your competitors! 👀

You can go to their platforms and see who is supporting their campaigns. This is a great way to know who exactly you're targeting.

Once you identified your target audience for your campaign, here are some...

This is the exciting part... goal-setting!

Influencer marketing can help you achieve many goals, but if you have no idea which goals to set...

Let's start with five!

1. Reach New Audience

You may have existing customers and followers... but you still have a lot of people to reach.

And through influencer marketing, reaching new audiences will be more attainable.

That's why reaching new audiences should be one of your influencer marketing campaign goals.

Thousands of people can still be your customers who aren't aware of your brand yet.

Another goal you can set is to...

2. Generate Leads

Before you can convert them into sales, lead generation is also an important process.

Leads include basic information about a prospect that they choose to share with you.

When you get leads, you can use them to get closer to your potential customers.

And with the help of the right influencers, you can generate more leads for your business!

That makes it easier for you to...

3. Increase Conversions

Converting these prospects into actual customers is one of the reasons you're strategizing for your influencer marketing campaigns.

This will also expand your business and give you more budget to pull off superb campaigns in the future!

So, this should be one of your goals because you need to sustain your business.

The next influencer marketing goal is...

4. Boost Online Presence

More people can be aware of your brand when social media influencers promote your products and tag you.

And if you have a well-planned social media strategy for your eCommerce brand, you can attract more followers and engagements.

Because having a strong online presence is beneficial for your business in making your brand look more reliable.

So, you need to choose an influencer that can help you with this.

But these aren't the only goals you can set, because you can also...

5. Strengthen Brand Reputation

This is actually a great goal to set for your campaign.

You must establish a fantastic brand image and reputation in the digital world.

That's why you need to find the right influencers to collaborate with.

Setting this as a goal can make you be more meticulous in finding the right one.

They will be representing your brand, so you have to ensure they also have a good reputation. But we will talk about it later!

For now, you need to set your KPIs or Key Performance Indicators.

There are different types of influencers you can work with.

You can choose the ones that suit your goals and of course, your budget.

Before we talk about the number of followers, let's identify these influencers first. I will give you six examples.

1. Bloggers or Vloggers

Bloggers are website owners who publish "blogs" for their users. It can be personal or educational, depending on the blogger's niche.

While vloggers share content in the form of videos, usually, their main platform is YouTube.

Just like bloggers, vloggers also have their own niche.

When you're planning to collaborate with a blogger or vlogger, you need to pick them based on their niche. It can be:

• Lifestyle
• Fashion
• Beauty
• Food
• Technology
• Education
• Business
• Online diary

Here's an example of a lifestyle blogger:

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Wit & Delight is a lifestyle blog sharing food recipes, interior designs, fashion, horoscope, etc. Probably anything that encapsulates the interests of their audience or readers.

While here's an example of a vlogger.

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Zach Choi is a food and ASMR vlogger. There's a term called "mukbang," where a person broadcasts themselves eating.

You can see that these two examples have specific niches that can reach the right people who are interested in the content they're producing.

The next type of influencer is...

2. Instagram Influencers

The name says it all... Instagram influencers are people who have a following on Instagram.

And just like bloggers and vloggers, most have their niches, like beauty, fashion, and everything I mentioned above.

An example of an Instagram influencer is...

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Camila Coelho is also a blogger, Youtuber, entrepreneur, and more. But she's among the most influential people on Instagram because of her massive following and credentials in the beauty and fashion sector.

Well, the number of followers speaks for itself!

Another influencer type is...

3. Writers or Journalists

Yep, writers or journalists can be your influencers, too!

They are from reputable publications or digital platforms that can help you achieve your campaign goals.

Remember, press mentions or articles about your business from reputable companies are social proof, too! You need to take advantage of them.

For example, if a famous journalist from a lifestyle magazine posts about your products on their social media, you can be more discoverable by potential customers who aren't aware of your brand yet.

Also, they are trusted in their niche because they're writers.

That's not all!

4. Business Owners or Thought-Leaders

These inspiring, successful people with followers want to achieve the same thing.

Many people follow them because they want to learn from these thought leaders.

An example of a thought leader is Gary Vee.

(Source)

He's a thought leader in the business and marketing industry. He also posts about ways to achieve one's goals and motivating videos.

If you're targeting customers who are career-oriented or aspiring business owners, thought-leaders and well-known business owners might be the perfect influencer for you.

We're down to our last two!

5. Celebrities

Celebrities can also be your influencers. But if you have the means, they can be your brand ambassadors, too.

They are high-value in promoting products because of their massive number of followers and the power to increase your sales.

For example:

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Jennie is a member of a famous Korean girl group BLACKPINK.

She is an ambassador for prestigious brands as well as collaborates and endorses well-known brands, like Calvin Klein, Adidas, Gentle Monster, Hera Beauty, and Chanel.

In fact, all of the products from Gentle Monster's collaboration with Jennie are sold out!

This proves the purchasing influence of celebrities!

And lastly...

6. TikTok Influencers

TikTok is one of the most popular social media apps these days.

And a lot of content creators are joining the platform, too.

That's why brands also invest in TikTok marketing and influencers to reach their target market.

An example of a popular TikTok influencer is Addison Rae.

(Source)

She has 87.8 million followers and 5.7 billion likes on her TikTok account...

And that's pretty huge! Imagine getting your brand in front of 87.8 million TikTok users' fresh eyes. 🤭

Speaking of millions of followers...

Let's get to the numbers because there are different influencer categories through numbers!

To write an email they can't help but notice, you need to...

1. Get Straight To The Point

This applies not just to writing emails, but every time you write content anywhere.

Nobody wants to read 1,000-word email that are full of waffles.

Getting straight to the point can save time and their attention can focus on the most important things in the email.

If you want to collaborate with them, tell them or take advantage of the subject part of the email.

Tell them exactly the purpose of your email, and don't forget to...

2. Include The Most Important Details

To help speed up their decision process whether or not they'd want to collaborate with you, it's best to include the most important details in your emails.

These are...

• Campaign brief. You need to explain the details of your influencer campaign. What's the purpose? When is this launching? This is to let them decide if your campaigns and goals align with their preferences.
• Benefits. Are you going to pay them money? Give them a referral link? Or send some of your products? This will help set the influencer's expectations.
• Output. What do you expect them to do? Make sure to state if you need photos, videos, stories, etc. Also, which are the platforms you need them to promote your products to?
• Budget. Influencers have different rates. It depends on how well their social media accounts are performing. And again, this will help manage their expectations.
• Deadline. Setting a deadline will also help your business. If your campaign is following a certain timeline, you need to tell them when do you need their replies and content to make sure everything runs smoothly.

By including these details in your email, the influencers decide easily because they have everything they need to know.

But aside from this, you can also...

3. Make It Relatable

When writing an influencer outreach email, you can make it relatable by acknowledging a situation they're also experiencing.

This doesn't mean you'll imply they have a personal problem or something similar to that.

You have to make them relate to your email and show how you can solve it or make it better.

The point here is you have to make them nod when reading your emails, even if not literally. 😉

These are some examples.

You can talk about the weather.

"It's been raining the past few days..." You can proceed by how your products can improve it.

For example, you can say that to make their day brighter, you want to send them a product that will make them feel cozy at home.

Or, you can also say something relatable within your niche that they'll understand.

For example, they're influencers advocating for self-care.

You can say "We know how important self-care is, especially in times like this..." then present your campaign brief and how you want to help other people through your products.

Then you can include the details of your proposal.

Just think of it as an "ice breaker" or "small talk" to set the tone and style of your email.

But another option you have is to...

4. Personalize The Email

Influencers can easily spot if the email is copy-pasted and probably sent to dozens of others.

But personalizing the email is more than just talking about the weather or anything under the sun.

This is to show them you know what they're up to and how much you're fond of their work.

You can complement their recent posts and tell them exactly what you loved about them.

Or, to make it more personalized... you can say how much you loved one of the products or food they ate in one of their videos or images.

This is one way to establish a more genuine connection and conversation instead of a generic one.

And lastly...

5. Be Polite In Your Emails

Your email should express how much you want to work with them.

But don't be too pushy!

Being polite includes using pleasant words to persuade them.

You can also use polite English words and phrases, like "Could you..." "Please" "Thank you!" or "Can you spare me a minute?"

And oh, don't forget to address them properly! Make sure you're using the right names.

To help you more, here are some...

One way to work with them is through...

1. Product Sponsorships

As the name implies, you will sponsor the influencers with your products.

You're giving your products for free in exchange for their free advertisement, depending on the distribution channel and the type of content.

And sometimes, brands or advertisers still need to pay the influencers for product placement or sponsorships on their platforms.

Also, there are times when the point of product sponsorships is to support an influencer with their endeavors.

For example, you can sponsor an influencer with clothes if they attend an event.

Or, you can send them food on their birthdays or events. It really depends on what you agreed upon.

Let's see an example.

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Stephanie Soo is a popular Youtuber in the United States.

She mentioned this app in the first part of her video and made sure to have a disclaimer that it's sponsored and that she doesn't take any commission.

She utilized the paid promotion tool of Youtube, too.

One of the purposes of product sponsorships is to feature your products and let people know your brand exists.

Again, it's up to you and the influencer if promoting your products on their platform is entirely free.

But remember Step 1: Understand The Rules.

The influencers need to disclose the sponsorship so your target audience will have an idea if they really paid for your products voluntarily or not. Just like what Stephanie did in hers.

Another way to work with them is through...

2. Paid Partnership

In paid partnerships, the influencer directly states that the product is an ad.

Sometimes, they're also using the "Paid Partnership" or "Paid Promotion" labels by social media platforms.

This way, your target audience, and their followers would know that you paid them to advertise their products.

Here's an example:

(Source)

You can see in this post that this is a paid partnership with Polo Ralph Lauren and an #ad hashtag.

And Chriselle Lim, the influencer, is encouraging her followers to download the app. She talked about a few interesting features of the app.

That's probably one of the goals of this campaign.

So, if you have the budget to pay influencers to promote your products or services, go for it!

Or, you can also try...

3. Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate marketing is probably not new to you.

But if yes, let me explain further.

Affiliate marketing means you are paying an influencer a commission every time someone purchases from your eCommerce store using their referral links or codes.

This is a great way to work with influencers because sometimes, you don't need to pay them upfront.

This would still depend on your agreement, but affiliate marketing is performance-based.

So, you only have to pay them the agreed commission rate.

Again, the influencer must disclose that they earn commission through their links or codes.

Just like what The Stripe is doing on their blog/website!

Giant eCommerce players have their affiliate programs, like Amazon. This allows bloggers or any influencers to link their favorite Amazon products and earn a commission.

They make sure to have a proper disclosure to let their readers know about the commissions.

Want another option?

4. Brand Ambassadors

Brand ambassadors usually have long-term relationships with influencers or celebrities.

These are influencers who can promote your brand across their social media channels. Just like affiliate marketing, they also get their own codes or link.

But here's what makes them more special...

They get extra perks and they're not just a one-and-done deal.

It's not a simple linking or posting of products. They are representing and are part of your company.

This is an example of ambassador program for Pura Vida.

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Here are the perks of joining their ambassador program. There are rewards, community channels, access to exclusive content and VIP giveaways, cash commission, and sneak peeks.

Under the perks, they also stated how to join the program.

So, if you want to have ambassadors, too... you need to streamline your process and define the perks.

If you're not yet ready to invest in ambassador programs, you can also have...

5. Giveaways

By partnering with the right influencer, giveaways can be a great way to reach your target audience.

This will help increase your brand awareness because you are tapping into the right people who haven't heard of your brand yet.

For example...

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This is a fashion website that sells luxury products. So, they partnered with an influencer that specializes in fashion, beauty, and lifestyle.

Why? Because her audience would take an interest in their company because they're into these things, too, just like her.

But giveaways can be a little knotty and you need to be meticulous with your mechanics.

You need to get something in return, so your resources won't go to waste.

First, you need to revisit your goals. Is it to gain followers? If yes, make sure to include it in your mechanics.

Next, make sure that the influencer is also benefitting from it. You can ask the participants to follow both you and the influencer.

And lastly, pay attention to other practical details of the giveaway... like the location, who are eligible to join, when is the deadline, how you will contact, and how are you choosing the winner.

If this doesn't work for you, you can also try...

6. Social Media Takeover

A social media takeover means influencers are taking over your social media accounts. It can be through stories or live.

There are different ways to pull this off.

You can ask an influencer to take over during events or shoots, or you can ask them to create content for you and post them on your stories to make it seem like they're the ones using your account.

Here's an example...

(Source)

Sephora asked an NYC-based influencer and part of the Sephora squad, Anna Page, to talk about her favorite products under $25.

You can buy these products from Sephora.

So, this can still count as a social media takeover because the influencer talked about Sephora products using the official Instagram account.

The purpose of a takeover is to showcase your products or current happenings through an influencer's perspective.

And again, make sure to find the right influencers so you can bring in the right audience to your page!

The next way is through...

7. Product Reviews

The purpose of this is for the influencers to review your products. Not just promote it like in other types of paid advertisements.

You need to send your products to trusted influencers within their niche.

It can be an educational vlogger because it can highlight the product features.

For example...

(Source)

This video from Youtuber Mrwhosetheboss is sponsored by Casetify. He's a tech reviewer and created a drop test video to showcase how extraordinary the protection is.

And again, the Youtuber had a disclosure that it's sponsored by Casetify but the reviews are his own thoughts.

You see, product reviews can be your social proof, especially if it comes from well-known and credible people.

So, here's another way to work with influencers...

8. Send PR Package

Sending a PR package doesn't guarantee social media exposure.

Some really big influencers want every product promotion to be paid, especially if they make thousands of dollars from it.

But don't worry!

There are still a lot of influencers who create content to show the PR packages they get! It can be an unboxing video, or photo of your products with a "thank you" caption on their stories.

It varies because every influencer is different.

But sending influencers PR packages is also one way to increase your brand awareness. Who knows, right?

Maybe their followers aren't aware of your eCommerce brand yet.

This is an example from TikTok.

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Kate Bartlett unboxes the PR packages she got for the week to share with her followers!

And lastly...

9. Co-Branded Products

Co-branded products mean you're naming the products after an influencer or any public figure.

This is also an amazing way to work with influencers or celebrities because their fans can help increase your sales. And again, make your eCommerce brand known.

But here's the thing...

This might cause you a sum because you're literally coming up with a new product and name it after them, which is a different deal.

Here's an example of a product named after celebrities.

(Source)

Have you ever tried the BTS meal? It was a limited edition McDonald's meal named after a famous Korean boy band, BTS.

This meal increased McDonald's sale by up to 41% in the second quarter of 2021!

That's how co-branding can help you increase your sales as long as you do it with the right people.

Before we talk about a few campaign examples, let me discuss...