3 reasons why you need to develop an in-house Influencer Marketing expertise

What does it mean to internalise Influencer Marketing?

Aware of the benefits and performance of Influencer Marketing, brands have sought out for a long time qualified experts to manage their campaigns from A to Z. From identifying the most relevant profiles to measuring the results of their Influence projects, marketers opted in particular for collaborations with influencer agencies to guarantee optimisation, mastery of the sector’s codes and customs, and therefore the success of a KOL Marketing campaign. Today, the codes have changed, just like the maturity of brands in this strategic lever.

To increase their sales (remember that 8 out of 10 consumers have already bought something following a recommendation by an influencer, according to a Rakuten Marketing study), they need to be able to use their influence to gain visibility and notoriety and to surf on the power of this powerful channel that Influence Marketing has become, the budgets of professionals continue to increase considerably each year, as do the stakes and the positioning of the brands that are dedicated to it. It must be said that Influence extends far beyond marketing and communication within all types of organisations and all sectors of activity. The sales, human resources or even finance departments are now just as concerned and users of KOL Marketing to achieve their strategic objectives.

But what does it mean to “internalise Influencer Marketing”? Wishing to control all aspects of their campaigns, without intermediaries, the most mature brands decided to manage their Influence projects themselves. In fact, 77% of them internalise influencer marketing, as opposed to 23% using agencies in 2020 according to Influencer Marketing Hub. A way of doing things 100% in-house, which has become widely democratised thanks to the numerous technological solutions for Influence Marketing, such as Kolsquare.

Organisations are now creating dedicated Influencer Marketing departments and accelerating this transition by increasing the number of dedicated, expert employees in-house. New strategic functions are also appearing within companies, reinforcing the affirmation of Influence Marketing as a domain in its own right, transversal and sustainable to the different functions of the company.

And this dynamic does not stop there. From now on, specialised diplomas in Influencer Marketing are being created in higher education institutions or even directly within specialised platforms thanks to certification courses.

In the same way that the Community Manager has become established in all teams over the years to create and over the years to create and animate the digital communities of brands, the Influencer Marketing Manager (or CIO -Chief Influence Officer) will naturally take on the role of designing, managing and analysing the performance of Influencer Marketing campaigns. The train of increased Influencer Marketing expertise within companies is definitely on the move.

3 reasons to internalise KOL Marketing: a winning strategy for your brand

There are many advantages to internalizing KOL marketing within your brand: greater control of the Influence strategy, time saving in daily actions or even a ROI approach… But if we were to mention only three main ones that are essential for your business, we would say that this strategic decision allows you to :

Increase your efficiency, your performance and therefore your results

• By internalising KOL Marketing, you can have direct contact with KOLs (Key Opinion Leaders), who are generally more interested in close relationships with brands, and the likelihood that they will respond to your proposals for collaboration.

• By limiting intermediaries, such as influencer agencies, you will improve the speed and transmission of information (between all parties involved) and therefore gain efficiency in the implementation and management of your Influence project.

Differentiating your brand in your industry

• The cons of working with Influencer Marketing agencies lie in the strategy they could use: most of the time, they are experienced in Influencer Marketing strategies for companies existing in the same industries, and thus they can apply similar strategies for different clients in the same industry.
• By choosing to develop your own Influencer Marketing strategy with your own dedicated in-house teams, you not only retain control but also, and more importantly, you allow your brand to really stand out in the market. All the more so if your competitors and other organisations active in your industry regularly use KOL marketing.

Reducing risk and building lasting relationships

• Internalising influencer marketing also means controlling all aspects of your campaigns. By developing your in-house expertise on this powerful branding and acquisition, you take control of your strategy and gain greater freedom in your actions.
• In the absence of a specialised agency that could act as a short-term partner you also manage to create a genuine and long-term relationship with the KOLs (Key Opinion Leaders) you activate. They know you and have worked with you before, you are familiar with their respective worlds and interests, the relationship is created and can last.

Kolsquare's solution for launching and developing your Influence expertise In-house marketing

Please note that internalizing Influencer Marketing does not mean “jumping into the deep end”. And for good reason: by having trusted experts at your side, you gain expertise and take full control of your strategy and actions. It is in this dynamic that the Kolsquare team supports you throughout the year by:

• Audit & Training: Analysing your existing processes, your previous Influence Marketing campaigns, but also your competitors and your positioning on the market and training your team on KOL marketing best practices.
• Definition & Configuration: Defining the most appropriate KOL Marketing strategy for your brand, its key performance indicators (KPIs) and the methodologies to aggregate your data, identifying your data, identifying the most coherent KOL profiles for your organisation and building your campaign roadmap for the next 12 months.

• Action & Support: Helping you launch your first campaign(s) by identifying the most effective actions, activating the right KOL profiles and monitoring and analysing the results of your first actions.
• Follow-up: Carrying out a detailed analysis of your various actions each month and an in-depth analysis of your strategy each quarter in order to suggest the necessary adjustments for your next campaigns and to allow you to communicate the results to your entire team (thanks to a follow-up document sent by the dedicated Influence Marketing experts at Kolsquare).

Many of Kolsquare’s clients have found in the internalization of Influence Marketing, a powerful strategic axis allowing them to increase the performance and ROI of their campaigns throughout the year.

This is notably the case of Cheerz, the famous photo printing specialist, whose CEO specialist, Antoine Le Conte recently spoke to Quentin Bordage, CEO & Founder of Kolsquare. The objective of this interview? To understand the organisation of Influence Marketing at Cheerz since this marketing pivot has allowed them to develop a real in-house expertise.