The new e-commerce marketing playbook
The playbook for influencer/creator marketing is in constant evolution. Every influencer receives messages from countless brands soliciting them to promote their products.
But what if there's a different approach? How do you align incentives with a creator to craft a compelling narrative that genuinely engages their audience?
We experimented with this strategy alongside Dainty Diamond and one of our favorite new influencers, and the outcomes have been astonishing.
The Idea:
Similar to any business, a creator functions as an entrepreneur, using their platform to shape the future they envision. This implies that they must resonate with and feel enthusiastic about the brand they collaborate with, but crucially, they need to feel a sense of ownership.
This doesn’t necessarily entail giving up a percentage of your business. However, it does require aligning incentives that a) hold significance for the creator and b) offer lucrative prospects.
How do you break through the noise and form a truly meaningful partnership with an influencer?
Firstly, identify an influencer whose brand aligns with yours and whose audience matches your ideal customer profile.
Case Study: Serena Thompson x Dainty Diamond
Serena Thompson, a fashion and lifestyle influencer based in Toronto, and Dainty Diamond, a women’s luxury jewelry brand, were a natural fit.
Approaching Serena after she showcased her jewelry collection in a post, we noticed her emphasis on the value of investing in authentic gold jewelry—similar to our brand ethos. What set Serena apart was her knack for storytelling, infusing sentimentality and history into her unique pieces of charms, necklaces, and earrings.
Instead of simply requesting Serena to showcase our standard jewelry, we proposed a narrative that intertwined our expertise in jewelry manufacturing and ecommerce operations with Serena's exceptional storytelling abilities.
What did we devise? A bespoke jewelry collection co-branded with Serena's creator identity, forging a new line in collaboration with her.
This initiative wasn’t just about Serena endorsing products to her audience; it was about something deeply personal to her, something she helped create.
This alignment of incentives perfectly bridged the brand and creator, yielding a product offering to our audiences that's authentic, personal, innovative, and sentimental.
The deal's specifics were straightforward: Dainty provided all e-commerce and jewelry infrastructure, encompassing manufacturing, fulfillment, and customer service. Serena contributed marketing, promotion, storytelling, and licensed her creator brand.
And there you have it—a brand and creator deal tailored for 2023.