I attended Simply LA this weekend. It was a very informative experience.  I thank Simply for tickets for me and my guest at this fantastic influencer marketing conference. Each panel shared useful and valuable information on influencer marketing tools. I can’t wait to share with you some of the highlights from the panels.

“The SIMPLY Conference has one main goal: to connect individuals and give them the tools they need to succeed in the fashion & beauty industry.”

Here are some of the highlights from the panels that I attended.

Useful Influencer Marketing Tools

Grow Your Engagement: Increasing Your Visibility on Social Media

Panelists: Alisha Marie (Content Creator), Ale La Chula (Influencer), Sazan Hendrix (Influencer & Bless Box Founder); Moderator: Sara Snyder (Manager, YouTube Creator & Artist Development)

• Share the PERSONAL moments
• The recipe is to be CONSISTENT & AUTHENTIC. Three types of influencers: 1. Skilled & active influencer but not authentic, 2. Super real but not consistent, & 3. Skilled & Authentic ⭐️ 
• It’s not an overnight sensation. Focus on passion and not the numbers!
• In a sea of noise, to get noticed as an influencer, 1. be REAL! More personal! 2. Collaborate with other influencers. 
• When starting out to grow your brand, reach out to smaller businesses like the ones on Etsy.  Be patient, and the brands that you love will come your way! Make sure to have the brand’s vibe. Tag your favorite brands. DM your favorite brands & let them know how much you love their products. 

More on how to grow your Instagram engagement, check out my previous blog post. 

Monetize Your Influence: Turn Your Blogging Hobby Into A Career

Be The Expert of Your Brand 

• Research 
• USP: Unique Selling Point  – What is unique about you? What sets you apart? 
• Content – plan out to be consistent but be authentic 
• Data – engagement metrics can be faulty – did the post resonate with the audience? – Matrix don’t always measure the quality of the post vs. how many likes
• Audience – Know your audience 
• Network – make relationships, go to events to make connections
• Engage – Instagram is no longer just a visual platform – Use the visual to spark a conversation 
• Goals / KPIs – make a list of goals: this many brand partnerships I will sign and events I will attend by EOY. 

Tools for Influencer Marketing

• Self-Service Influencer Platforms: FameBit by YouTube, Reelio, Niche, Influential, Peg, Activate 
• Advertising: Google AdSense, BlogHer; Infolinks
• Affiliate Shopping Programs: rewardStyle, ShopStyle, MagicLinks

Don’t Be Afraid to Pitch Yourself

• Create Media Kits with hyperlinks – Best to create two-media kits: 1. a one-pager and 2. a longer one including analytical 

Know Your Value 

• SOW – Scope of Work – know exactly what is involved with the campaign: how much creative control, license to use content somewhere else, 
• CPV/CPM
• Profile – Celebrities will have an existing profile (known face) vs. influencers
• Production value/quality of content – how much traffic and sales?! 
• Potency/engagement – will your audience like the product?! 
• Demand (how many partnerships you’ve already signed for that month)

What do I really need?! 

• Managers or Agents?! An agent is a sale person – agents get you brand deals. A manager works with you on a daily basis on your brand’s longterm vision & works with the agent to make sure the deals/partnerships are in alignment with that vision.  Agents and managers work on commission. Agents can earn 10% in California. 
• Lawyer – read through contracts. Good to know what you’re signing. 

Do’s & Dont’s of Influencer Marketing

• Be Professional 
• Be responsive 
• Stay consistent 
• Read contracts & consult lawyers when necessary 
• Don’t be tricked into thinking it’s easy
• Be selective 
• Don’t believe the hype
• Negotiate 
• Collaborate & embrace PR
• Don’t compare yourself 
• Don’t pigeonhole yourself 
• Take all feedback with a pinch of salt 
• Don’t lose your creativity 
• Don’t stay quiet on important issues 

SEO: What It Means & Why It’s Valuable

Usability & Experience

• Navigation & Readability- 3rd-grade reading level, minimum 300 and best around 600-700
• Mobile-First Index – actual size and font to be friendly 
• Click through rate – if a visitor clicks on your site and exits, that’s a bad sign to Google. Make sure to use the correct keywords 
• Bounce rate – how many pages visitors are looking at
• Time on page – how long visitors stay on your site: 1-2 minutes is great 

Links, links, links 

• backlinks – other sites linking to your site via influencer collaboration or guest blogging or pitching creating creative content 
• internal links 
• outbound links: high authority sites (sites with high DA)

Toolbox

1. Google Analytics 
2. Screaming Frog – check the health of your site 
3. SEMrush – same as above
4. Moz – keyword score and DA
5. Ahrefs- which organic keyword driving traffic 
6. Yoast Plug-in – sitemap
7. META Inspector Plug-in
8. Google Search Console – the health of your site
9. BuzzSumo – topic search and what Qs people were asking about that topic!!

Squad Up: Knowing When To Grow & Scale Your Business 

Panelist: Lilit Caradanian (Influencer and Elcie Cosmetics Founder), Lauren Bushnell (Influencer and Entrepreneur), Marcel Floruss (Influencer and Entrepreneur), Beca Alexander (Founder & President of Socialyte); Moderator: Nina Ojeda (Founder & CEO of PRÊTE)

• Plan & research before starting your business 
• You can’t do everything alone! Don’t even try! You don’t need a manager or agency but you definitely need a good lawyer & accountant. 
• It is ok to fail even frequently but never feel like a failure. 
• Raise capital or self-fund! Most of the panelists started self-funded and when things took off, they raised capital. If you drive purchases via your influence then easier to get capital.
• Your business will heavily depend on the future of Instagram and influencer marketing. You’re going to be the biggest influence on your brand. 
• Don’t look at your competitors since that’s going to distract you. Just stay focused. “Winner focus on winning & losers focus on the winner!” Focus on yourself and do what you love.
• A thousand true fans! What you need to be able to make it.
• Difference between ego and confidence. So push your products/services with confidence. Passionately speak about your product and wouldn’t sound pushy! 
• Brands care about your story, who you are; who your audience is and how engaged they are with you. Invest in a media kit, website and brand pitch (creative brief) – show your value! 

Useful Influencer Marketing Tools – Conclusion

My biggest takeaways from the Useful Influencer Marketing Tools were to BE REAL and CONSISTENT. This was repeated throughout each of the panels. What resonated with you the most? Comment below and let me know what you found to be the most useful and what you would like to learn more about from the above.

With gratitude,

Liz