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If you’re into digital marketing, you’ve probably heard all about how influencer marketing is the thing right now. Everyone’s doing it – you probably are, too.
That’s because it’s arguably the best way to engage audiences in a more natural and trusted way without giving them a sales pitch they’re likely to scroll away from anyway.
But now, there’s an even smarter approach: influencer whitelisting.
Wait – what makes whitelisting such a big deal?
Well, it’s a very useful tool that lets brands use an influencer’s social media presence to run ads directly from their account. This builds trust with audiences and helps brands fine-tune their targeting and maximize engagement.
Are you sold on the idea yet? No?
Then, let us break it down further. This guide will get into how whitelisting influencers works, why it’s effective, and how you can use it to boost your brand, too.
In simple terms, whitelisting is when a brand gets permission from an influencer to run paid social media campaigns under their name.
Instead of the brand running ads from their own page, they appear as if they’re coming from the influencer’s account. This lets brands tap into the influencer’s credibility while having more control over the content, targeting, and ad spend.
https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/60c334e72012f37063378d4b/6775529303beffa5a4d56643_65d8817b7ccb7efbc51bb09b_influencer-whitelisting-example.png source: https://www.leadsie.com/blog/what-is-influencer-whitelisting-and-how-do-you-use-it
It’s a win-win situation; the influencer gets more exposure and possibly new followers, while the brand benefits from the influencer’s established audience and trust factor.
But there’s more to it than just getting access to an influencer’s account. Brands can also:
If you weren’t fully convinced at the beginning, we sure hope you are now. We’ve covered all the benefits already, so it’s time to bring the action.
But to do that, you’ll need a solid game plan, and we’ve got you covered! In this section, we’ll break down the 5 steps you need to take to get started.
Here’s what they are:
The facts are the facts, and they are simple: if your content isn’t engaging, no amount of money thrown at ads will save it.
Just like you would with an ad posted from your own account, you need to make sure your whitelisted ads reflect your brand’s personality and resonate with your target audience.
To get it right, you’ll want to…
Not all influencers are a good fit for your brand. If you’re running a campaign focusing on sustainable apparel, that fast fashion influencer won’t work simply because your audiences don’t overlap.
You need to find someone whose audience matches your target market. For example, if you sell fitness gear, partnering with a fitness influencer makes way more sense than working with a beauty blogger.
Also, ensure that the influencer has a business or creator account that lets them grant you the necessary permissions to run ads.
Some things to check before signing a deal:
https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/60c334e72012f37063378d4b/6775529303beffa5a4d5663d_662f75ed33d2e55d18aaf9b9_dark-posting-on-Instagram-example.png source: https://www.leadsie.com/blog/what-is-influencer-whitelisting-and-how-do-you-use-it
No matter how much you like your influencer partner or how well you’ve clicked, at the end of the day, this is a business transaction. And, much like with any other business relationship (or any other relationship, for that matter), communication is key.
Before the campaign starts, you’ll want to schedule a meeting where you can discuss things like:
Lay everything out in a contract to avoid confusion or even legal issues. If this isn’t something you’re a pro at, don’t be afraid to go to your legal team for help.
Or, if you don’t have one, your friend who went to law school works just as fine.
Running summer-themed ads in the middle of fall isn’t going to do you any favors, and neither will putting out a giftable box set if it’s not around Christmas or Valentine’s Day.
Make use of any major holiday seasons like the ones we just mentioned, or lean into the quirkiness of a smaller holiday, like National Dog Day or World Lazy Day or something to that effect.
If this doesn’t work with your brand, keep in mind that every season has its problems that your products might just be able to solve. For example, you can promote your linen curtains in July when everyone is waging war against mosquitoes.
Another thing to plan ahead for is the ad duration. For standard ads, the optimal duration is usually around 15 days to get the best results.
So far, we’ve talked a lot about what a big benefit whitelisting offers in terms of using the influencer’s organic reach. But that’s not all – whitelisting lets you get important insights about what the audience likes.
Remember – if their audience likes it, yours likely will, too – this overlap is exactly why you chose this specific influencer in the first place,
You can:
source: https://lp.insense.pro/hubfs/Influencer%20Whitelisting%20Guide%20%E2%80%93%20Insense.pdf
We’ve spent more than half of this guide talking about whitelisting campaigns like they’re some magical solution to all your problems. Sure, it does all the things we talked about (like boosting engagement and reach), but it’s not all sunshine and rainbows.
Whitelisting on social media still takes work, and it comes with its own set of challenges.
Here are a few things you should keep in mind:
Granting advertizing access isn’t always straightforward.
The process can vary depending on whether the influencer has a Business Manager account, the type of account they use, and platform-specific rules.
Many brands hold live training sessions, use software solutions, or work with agencies to make the setup process easier for everyone involved.
Pro Tip: Work with them rather than expecting them to work for you. Communicate all your expectations and listen carefully when they communicate theirs.
Influencers aren’t just lending you their name; they’re giving you access to their audience, credibility, and time.
That’s why compensation needs to be fair. Factors like the level of access, duration of the campaign, and audience size all come into play when determining pricing.
A good place to start is by researching the industry standard, but this will also depend on the factors we just mentioned.
Pro Tip: Again – communication is everything! If both parties know what to expect in advance, compensation will also be outlined before any efforts are made on either side.
Just like any other paid media campaign, measuring success is crucial both for understanding how effective the campaign was and for learning more to make the next one even better.
You can use third-party analytics tools to track impressions, engagement, and conversions. But most SM platforms already have these built-in, so it’s up to you to decide which route you want to take.
https://p16-va.tiktokcdn.com/obj/musically-maliva-obj/3b8e41d17b920a6cb501c275d6270e67 source: https://newsroom.tiktok.com/en-us/product-tutorial-tiktok-analytics
Pro Tip: Have your analytics account set up before the initial meeting with the influencer so you can let them know exactly which metrics you’ll be tracking and how.
Influencer marketing can work on any platform, but so far, the most effective ones for whitelisting have proven to be:
These platforms made it to the top because they have built-in tools that simplify the process and allow precise targeting.
To whitelist an influencer on Facebook, the influencer must have a Facebook Business Manager account linked to their social media.
The brand then requests permission to run ads through the influencer’s account, and once access is granted, the brand can manage the campaign via Ads Manager.
TikTok’s whitelisting process is similar to other platforms. Brands can:
Dark posts are paid ads that don’t show up on an influencer’s public feed but are displayed only to specific target audiences.
This lets brands run multiple versions of an ad without cluttering the influencer’s timeline or appearing as too invasive. An added bonus is that you get to see what works better in a short amount of time.
You can learn more about dark posts by clicking here!
Influencer whitelisting is a great way to amplify your marketing efforts. By using influencers like trusted voices from their niche, you can run targeted ads and boost brand awareness, which will, in turn, drive more conversions.
The steps to getting started are simple:
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