Marion Balinoff

I paid $25,000 for an influencer collaboration... but they brought in only $96.89.... and that was 11 months ago. Did that mean we stopped working with Influencers altogether? Absolutely not. The results of singular collaborations are NEVER an accurate sign of the potential of influencer marketing as a whole. In fact, you will have campaigns where 70% of your influencer collaborations may be unprofitable.But there’s 2 key things to remember with that Once you’ve got your ideal set up, even if only 30% of the collaborations are profitable, the returns will usually be enough to meet your overall goals.The unsuccessful collaborations are as important as the successful ones to collect data and flash out your strategic understanding.It is SO important to treat every influencer collaboration and campaign as a learning and data collection opportunity. With each campaign, you need to […]

📣 You don’t need a list of ‘final talent’ to vet an Influencer Marketing agency. Something I’ve seen many brands do: ask for a final list of influencers to see if the agency (or even influencer marketing itself) is worth considering. Quite frankly, that’s a waste of time. For the brand, for the marketing agency, AND for talent managers. A list of ‘final talent’ isn’t something you should be asking for if you’re in an exploratory or discovery phase. Which influencers could be a good fit for your campaign depend on SO many factors- Your Objectives- Your Target Audience- Your Budget - Your Timelines Unless you have these confirmed, it’s impossible to have a FINAL list. You can ask for a sample, or examples of influencers who have worked for close competitors.But take these with a pinch of salt too. […]

When did being in favour of make-goods become a controversial Influencer Marketing take? Look, it’s not about assigning blame for how a collaboration performed. It’s about understanding the stakes. Agreed, it’s slightly different depending on the post type, we know sponsored content on Instagram and TikTok usually tends to underperform compared to regular content. But for an integration on YouTube? I think it’s fair game. To put things into perspective: I’ve paid for a 30-60 second spot in your video. If your video itself draws in 50% lower views compared to your regular content, there needs to be some accountability.Agreed, the brand has its own part to play in making sure the integration itself performs well- Clear but flexible briefs - Feedback communicated on drafts itself And if the wider video performs well, but a sponsored integration itself underperforms, there’s some introspection to be done. But […]

5 brutal truths every influencer marketing agency, consultant, & freelancer needs to hear... 1. Your expertise doesn’t sell itselfHow much you know doesn't matter if you don’t position yourself well, so find your niche, communicate & deliver on a clear USP.2. Many still don’t understand influencer marketingExpect scepticism and questions on Performance vs. branding, ROI, instant measurable impact, scalability.Ensure you're prepared to educate, not just execute campaigns.3. Hard work isn’t enoughEven great campaigns won’t get you rehired unless they’re tied to measurable performance.4. Clients might ignore your advice (and hold you accountable later)You can lead your clients to the best strategy, but you can’t make them follow it.Be prepared to deal with situations diplomatically.5. Reputation is everythingInvest in growing your network and reputation.Attend conferences, actively network, and add value to industry conversations.These will open more doors than any cold outreach ever will.

The 3-step framework I’ve used to scale 100+ Influencer Campaigns profitably 🧩 Phase 1: Gather Knowledge 🛠️ Phase 2: Optimise 🚀 Phase 3: ScaleIt’s a simple yet highly effective approach to making calculated decisions on targeting, creatives, incentives, etc. Start by working with nano and micro influencers, then when you have enough confidence, scale to mid-sized, and eventually, mega-influencers.Each Phase spans a few months (and campaigns), so naturally, each can be broken down into more detailed steps (which I’ve covered in previous posts)But this is a broad overview of the framework I use - and a tried and tested approach to scaling Influencer Campaigns profitably!

🔻 Ever heard of the Influencer Management funnel? ➡ Only about 60% of the influencers you reach out to will respond to your outreach. ➡ Of those, only 42% will be interested. ➡ Of the ones that are, only 63% will be affordable or available. ➡ And ultimately, only 63% of those will go live. This means that only about 10% of all the influencers you initially consider will end up going live. This is usually how the influencer booking process goes. And it's one of the main reasons why I’m always advocating for teams to put aside their preferences and just trust the data. You cannot afford to be picky right from the outset. Availability, affordability, responsiveness - these factors will whittle down your options well before subjective preferences need to come into play.So just ensure the data aligns […]

'Go big or go home' is the WORST advice... At least when it comes to influencer marketing 😉You DO NOT have to work with big influencers to see impact. You don’t need someone ‘famous’ for your campaigns to be profitable. It’s true: mega-influencers can be very effective for amplifying reach.But when it comes to driving performance impact, you often need additional tactics like custom assets to see positive ROI.And they’re expensive- we're talking six or seven-figure budgets.The reality is that mega-influencer collaborations are often driven by brand-awareness goals and evaluated based on posterity and vanity outcomes rather than ROI. When you have tighter budgets and performance targets, micro-influencers are your best bet, particularly when you start. They provide quality outcomes for smaller investments. Micro-influencers may not carry as much clout as mega-influencers, but in no way does that diminish their […]

Most brands guess their influencer marketing budget. And that’s why they either overspend or don’t spend enough. 🤷‍♀️ If you want to set a budget that actually drives results, you need to start with the right data:- Your game/app’s daily organic installs- Your daily install goals- Your chosen platform (YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, etc.)- Your target audience- Your target geos- Your audience’s profile (interests, habits, lifestyle)If you’re working with an agency or consultant, they’ll help you define:- The best content verticals to reach your audience- Typical conversion rates (CVR) based on platform and demographicsWith all these data points, you can calculate:- How many installs you need to drive an organic uplift- How many views you need to reach those install goals- And ultimately, how much budget you need to generate those views

What deliverables CAN you get with YouTube Influencer Marketing? For performance Influencer marketing, as a basis I always recommend - ✅ 30-60 second integrations✅ In the first 25% of the video ✅ With a clear CTA ✅ A QR code with the tracking link onscreen ✅ Tracking link in description (top line) & pinned commentDepending on your product, campaign objectives, target audience, wider marketing mix, and so on, you could also explore - 🔍 Dedicated videos Great for displaying not just detailed features but the entire experience around using your product/service. But you need to be wary of making it authentic and not salesy. These typically see fewer views than integrations embedded into regular content.✂️ Shorts Typically part of package deals with cross-platform short-form content or highlights from integrations or dedicated content 🔴 LivestreamsA good way to reach engaged and loyal viewers with the opportunity to gamify interactions […]

🤫 Here's an Influencer Marketing secret no one's ever told you - Performance Influencer Marketing is an iterative process. If you want to drive performance results at scale, you need to gather data and aggregate your learnings over time.So invest in a knowledge-gathering phase. Spend your initial campaigns gathering data on - - What type of content your audiences like to watch - What content style & formats resonate with them- How they make their purchase decisions- What types of incentives work for them- How they like to discover new brands- Who they consider ‘influential’Aggregate your learnings, iterate your approach to test and refine them further. Then adapt your strategy to establish the perfect formula, and finally, scale.