Social Media

Why Influencers Need To Be In Your Licensing Marketing Mix...

...Says Greg Holtzman, Director, Partnership Marketing & Communications at Brainbase

Social media influencers seem to be everywhere. Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, on billboards, in magazines and even on our televisions. One viral video can result in a fully fleshed out brand, even in just the short time span of a year! The pandemic has sped up this process, and even more traditional industries when it comes to marketing like fast food chains and restaurants are catching on to the power of influencers, naming certain dishes after them or giving them their own branded drink. But what is one way influencers don’t seem to be used enough? To promote all licensed products through their social media platforms. Yes, influencers have become their own brands and license out their IP for product collaborations, but what I am referring to is influencers being used to promote licensed collaborations that don’t involve their IP. Influencers have been proven to drive sales and generate awareness for all different types of products; the right influencer can cause a product to sell out with just one post. I know I’ve purchased several items – everything from food items and iPhone apps to clothing – because I saw one of my favorite influencers post about it. When retailers, licensors, licensees and agents look to their “marketing mix” for promoting their licensed collaborations, social media influencers should always be considered. They are a unique form of advertising that is usually way more trusted by consumers

than any press, OOH ads or commercials. They have built-in loyal fan bases and can generate enticing content that most in-house content teams just cannot replicate. Not only can influencers promote products to their own followers, but through paid boosting on platforms like Instagram and Facebook, their posts can reach an even bigger audience outside of their own. With TikTok, boosting isn’t even needed thanks to the “For You” page if a post goes viral. Licensed products are too special to just sit on shelves without the proper promotion. Licensing and marketing teams need to put the time in to find the right influencer partners who can make the difference between average and fantastic sales results. Use platforms like Tagger that can recommend influencers via location, interests, follower size and even engagement, and build relationships with talent managers with highly vetted influencers that are proven to develop great content and give you high return on your investment. As a Millennial who has worked in influencer marketing and is also a major consumer of influencer content, I know the power a post can possess. And as we enter an ever-increasing digital landscape, promoting licensed products through trusted channels on social media should be a norm that cannot go ignored any longer. As someone who now works in the licensing industry, I’d love to see the worlds of licensing and influencer marketing more intertwined, and I’m happy to help whoever needs any advice to make this more of a reality!

Greg Holtzman is the Director of Partnership Marketing & Communications for Brainbase, a modern technology platform for all your intellectual property needs.

He can be reached at Greg@brainbase.com.

“As a Millennial who has worked in influencer marketing and is also a major consumer of influencer content, I know the power a post can possess...”