Influencer marketing is showing no signs of slowing and, for most businesses looking to profit from it, gifting free products to influencers and social media personalities is a pretty easy way in. The hope is that the influencers will then share the product and brand with their followers – but, of course, there’s no guarantee that this will happen or, even if it does, that it’ll lead to an increase in product sales. That’s why it’s important for businesses – particularly small ones – to be intentional and strategic about who they send free products to and, by extension, which audiences they’re targeting. After all, you don’t want to put yourself out of inventory.
Here’s how
01: Outline what you want to achieve.
Be clear in what you want to get out of this. Is it to coincide with a product launch or a new season? Increase brand awareness with your target market? Drive more traffic to your website? Make more sales?
02: Clarify how you’ll measure success.
Metrics to look into include unique site visitors, brand mentions online, direct sales or new followers. But keep in mind that gifting can take a long time to show any significant return on investment.
03: Confirm you have the resources to run it.
This isn’t about simply sending out a few freebies – it’ll require a significant chunk of someone’s time. Plan ahead from a financial and inventory perspective to make sure that your gifting strategy doesn’t end up running the company dry.
04: Draw up a long list of potential micro influencers.
Start with any loyal, engaged customers you already have who have an appropriate-sized following (if applicable), before embarking on a more outward-looking search for micro influencers to gift your products to.
05: Vet them.
The vetting process is ultimately about making sure that the person in question aligns with your brand and has the right audience in terms of who you want to reach. But it’s also worth seeing if they’ve done a similar style of post in the past.
06: Outline why they should care.
Why should they open your product? What’s special about it? Why is your brand unique? Can you offer them exposure on your social channels? Can you combine your gifts with events or experiences? Be creative in making it an attractive proposition.
07: Be intentional with your outreach.
It’s important to not just surprise people with a package – get in contact first. Keep your messaging informal, friendly, succinct and personal. It can be helpful to be clear in what you’re hoping for them to do – but keep in mind that you can’t set any obligations.
08: Decide what you’ll send out.
This is the product or service that’ll hopefully be put in front of a whole new audience who’ve never come across your brand before. It needs to be something you’re eager to highlight or want to drive sales to.
09: Make it memorable.
There’s plenty you can do in this regard: personalizing the product with a name, including a handwritten note, using custom packaging or adding other brand materials or extras in the box. Create something as distinct and reflective of your brand as possible.
