While the term "social media influencer" may elicit different responses depending on your generation, the numbers don't lie – this is a massive market that's growing every year, and the potential for incorporating promotional products is endless. Whether you're looking to market products with influencers or want to break into the field yourself, here are some tips for getting started.

The Future is Now

Promotional products are no longer only given at festivals, runs, and schools/offices. Promotional Products are the driving reason influencer marketing exists. Over the past decade, and especially during the pandemic, the influencer industry exploded on social media. Platforms like Instagram, Tumblr, and Twitter first started the wave of influencers, but these content creators were often brushed to the side and not seen as legitimate investments outside of fashion and general cultural/societal norms. Platforms like TikTok skyrocketed in the industry, though. Gifting influencers with an abundance of products in hopes that they post about it, or specifically making contracts for them to post about a product in exchange for a payment or stipend is the new-age marketing style – and it’s been extremely effective. 

 

“Influencers? Don’t they make silly posts?” No. 

Before TikTok, becoming an influencer was a niche market that was extremely hard to break into. In the past three to five years not only has the fast-moving industry made it possible for anyone to move to the top of the industry in a matter of seconds, but it has created a new sector of influencers as well, called micro-influencers. This form of content creator is great for building lasting brand relationships. When content creators have hundreds of thousands of followers, they are sent products all day, every day. This makes the chances for smaller or uncontracted gifts/products to be seen much lower due to the oversaturation. Often, micro-influencers will post about most or all their gifted products. And this will also help cultivate a lasting relationship so that as their platform grows, specific brands can grow with them. 

 

Purchasing Power ‒ Renovated

Even those with massive followers have made it much easier to access promotional products through places such as Amazon Storefronts, direct price and website linking on individual Instagram posts (live shopping), as well as Pinterest and Facebook posts with links to direct buying. Often if a brand is working with influencers, they will have deals where the influencer is encouraged to promote a product or line of products and is given an “influencer code" that can be used by end-buyers and provides a small discount. It also provides a commission to the influencer for every product bought through their link or code. This encourages influencers to push out as much content with that brand as possible, showcasing the products with hopes of ROI. 

 

Promotional products are going further than just brands working with influencers, but individual influencers are creating their own merch, working directly with distributors to help put out promotional products and apparel showcasing their brand. This merch often has slogans, words or logos that are affiliated with that influencer's channel, feed, or posts. This is extremely similar to artists who sell their merch on tour. Podcasts such as “Gals on the Go” have sweatshirts, stickers, tote bags, and mugs with their branding on them. Influencers like Emma Chamberlain used to have apparel, and now she sells a coffee line with branded coffee cups, mugs and glasses. TikTokers, YouTubers, and Instagrammers across the world have sweatshirts, T-shirts, skateboards, and more with their branding on them.

 

First-Step Jitters

As a distributor, reaching out to brands to start new relationships can sometimes be hard. Social media is not just for brands and end-buyers, however. Having a social media presence could be the thing that sets you apart from competitors. Making sure that there are fresh, aesthetic, quality and consistent posts of your products on social media is extremely important. Social media is all about a visual presence, so having cluttered or “boring” interactions will not push you into the algorithm to help find potential new buyers. Reaching out via DM on Instagram especially can help start the conversation of working with brands in a more casual and open setting. 

 

No-Pressure Posting

Most importantly, social media is supposed to be fun. Although the algorithm rewards certain activities, posting does not always have to be elaborate. With the enhancement of phone cameras, there is no need to spend extra money on super expensive cameras. With the right lighting, a clean lens and some optional photo editing, the picture quality can be just as good. Having a schedule for posts also helps keep posting consistent. Users also love themed “segments.” This could be “Friday Q&As” about new product trends or going “Live” every Tuesday to showcase one product. It is something consistent and can be used as something for brands to look forward to. Further places like LinkedIn Learning and Google Certificates offer quick online courses to help further direct how to get started in the industry.