An influencer economy

The secrets of sensory marketing

As early as there was the internet, there was the Influencer. Nowadays, you can’t scroll far without coming across one, whether they are showcasing a new outfit, using a new product, or trying a new place to eat. One moment you’re watching their content, the next you’re tempted to buy, try, or book it for yourself. It’s powerful, it’s plentiful, and it’s an opportunity for brands to grow their reach and relevance. To wield it wisely is both an art and a science – and just for you, we’re ready to divulge our secret to making the most out of your influencer engagement.

The Influencer Effect

According to Meltwater’s 2025 Global Digital Report, 23.3% of internet users watch influencer videos weekly – that’s a lot of eyeballs, and chances are high of that video being a branded collaboration or paid advertisement. It’s a new era of community-driven journalism, where the reigns of authority have shifted from traditional media into the trusted phone-bearing hands of key opinion leaders (KOL).  For brands, the power of these influential figures fall somewhere between traditional advertising and journalism – they’re trusted by their audiences, operate independently in their approach, and are hungrier for engagement.

The Reality

Aside from basic disclosure laws such as paid content disclaimers, the world of influencers is largely unregulated. There is no one size fits all, and it is up to the brands to do their homework, choose collaborations wisely, and navigate a path that best protects and promotes their reputation.

Things to consider:

1.      Newness

It’s shiny. It’s attractive. But it’s messy. The newness of influencer engagement is both its strength and its weakness. There are few established rules, and often it’s up to the influencers themselves to set the terms. This leaves you to navigate fair costs, content agreements, and what a reasonable ROI looks like.

2.      Breadth

Got a phone and a social media account? Congratulations, you’ve got the basics to call yourself an influencer.  From accounts with 1,000 followers to those with millions, influencers are a dime a dozen. But numbers alone don’t always mean it’s the right fit for your brand.

3.      Platforms

LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok - the list keeps growing. Your audience isn’t everywhere, and neither is your influencer. It’s important to know where your audience spends their time and choose influencers who are prominent on those platforms.  

4.      Performance

Just because one video goes viral doesn’t mean they all will. Algorithms decide reach, and results can be unpredictable.

5.      Conversion

Influencer content is great for building awareness, but it won’t always lead directly to sales. That’s why it’s vital to ensure your goals for engagement match the reality of how influencer marketing works.

The Ways of Working

Influencer partnerships can take many forms, including:

• User generated content (UGC)

• Reviews

• Affiliate links and codes

• Brand ambassadorship

• Sponsored ads

• Contests and giveaways

Reaching the Right Ones

What’s the formula for picking the right influencer to do the job? Sprout Social suggests focusing on the three ‘R’s:

RELEVANCE

Start by identifying the influencers whose niche fits yours  – hospitality, lifestyle, fashion, travel, sports, family, etc. Ask yourself:

• Does the content align with your brand values?

• Could they realistically be your target customer?

• Have they worked with brands like yours?

• Is their audience the same as yours?

REACH

There are tiers to influence, from a nano, micro, macro to the mega influencer, based on the number of followers. However, reach is a metric that should be measured beyond surface-value numbers. When determining reach, ask yourself:

• Silly, we know – are the followers real people? (sadly, too many bots and bought accounts are counted in a following)

• What is the follower ratio? Is it mostly men, women, or a mixture? Who are you looking for? It’s about knowing your audience as much as it is knowing theirs.

• Even more essential than the follower count – what is the engagement rate? How many of the followers are actively interacting with the content?
  

RESONANCE

Beyond the numbers, think about how the influencer connects with their audience.  Ask yourself:

• How are followers interacting? Is it likes, reshares, comments, or views?

• Is the engagement consistent?

• What is the sentiment? Positive, negative, or neutral? A comment is important, but the message it portrays even more so.

A Recipe For ROI

Depending on factors like size, past experience, expectations, and the brief, every influencer partnership will look a little different. Some influencers prioritise brand prominence and exposure, while others focus purely on paid opportunities - but in the end, all are looking for a partnership that benefits both sides.

Here’s the general rule of thumb to safeguard your engagement, and make sure it’s worth your while.

1.      Finding Alignment

Any influencer you partner with becomes an extension of your brand. You are aligning your name with theirs, representing your product by acting as a brand ambassador. Vetting is crucial - you need to mitigate risk by leaving no stone unturned: research their content, values, and style to make sure they’re a genuine match for your brand’s look, voice and audience.

2.      Clear Goals

Without clear goals, you’ll have nothing to measure success against. How will you know if the partnership delivered value?  If your goal is to “gain awareness”, what does success look like for you - new followers, more website traffic or simply getting your brand name out there? Set goals that are realistic, measurable, and meaningful.

3.      Set Tracking

So you’ve set clear, defined KPIs and objectives – yay! Now, how do we assess if they happened? When initiating any influencer campaign, it’s integral to do a complete health check. Record your current followers, your website visits, your EDM subscribers etc, as they stand before engagement. Next, put in place methods of tracking that match your KPIs. This may be click throughs, putting in unique tracking codes and links as appropriate, measuring growth in engagement, followers, reach, and implementing regular reporting.

4.      Agree on Expectations

ROI isn’t just about numbers and KPIs; it’s also about the content itself. If there’s anything to know about influencers, it’s that their expectations are vastly different for each. One may post multiple times across platforms for the return of a free product, another may post a story at a price. To avoid disappointment or misalignment between parties, it’s vital to establish what the agreed output will be with each engagement, whether it’s a reel, a static post, a tag, a collaborative piece, or anything in between.

5.      Don’t be Afraid to be Different

Influencers are creatives, after all. You cannot put them in a box – any influencer engagement must come with the inherent understanding that to a degree, you are handing over control of the output. But, this is a good thing. You don’t always want videos to be marketing-coded, just as much as the influencer doesn’t want to feel like a sell-out. The best kind of collaborations are ones that find a way to share a message differently, that aligns with the influencers style and content that their audience is familiar with, and that brings some spark to your brand, showing that you are bold, modern, and not afraid to be out there.

6.      Nurture Longevity

The real power of influencer marketing comes from long-term relationships. You’ve seen it before – an influencer posts with a drink once, or films using a lipstick in a singular ad, never to be seen in their content again. This breaks the illusion, and builds distrust – you just know the influencer isn’t actually a fan of the brand, and won’t use it outside of their obligation. The ultimate goal is to associate the brand in an enduring way with the influencer, making them a true believer of the brand that will willingly advocate it beyond the engagement. This is where the greatest ROI exists – when an influencer truly believes in a product, so will their audience.

These are the building blocks of effective influencer engagement, but success also depends on judgement, experimenting, on-going monitoring, and adjusting as you go.

The good news? You don’t have to navigate the ever-changing world of influencers alone.

If you’re ready to dive into your next influencer campaign, reach out to the team at We Are Brooklyn to uncover the path to social media success for you.