Crowdtap Study Explores How Creators Vet Brand Partnerships & How to Navigate a Successful Influencer Marketing Program

New Report Identifies Creative Freedom as No. 1 Characteristic of Positive Brand-Content Creator Partnerships and Provides Best Practices for Marketers

New York, NY (November 4, 2015) — Crowdtap, the People-Powered Marketing Platform, released the results of a new study that explores the state of the influencer marketing landscape and how content creators are approaching their partnerships with brands.

Influencer marketing is increasingly becoming a part of almost every brand’s marketing strategy, with 84 percent of marketing and communications professionals worldwide expected to launch at least one campaign involving an influencer in the next 12 months, according to a study by Schlesinger Associates for Augure.

Crowdtap interviewed more than 50 content creators within its community to evaluate the current creator landscape and examine what works — and what doesn't — when it comes to partnering with today’s social media influencers. The study found that influencers want brands to view them as trusted subject matter experts and treat them with the same level of respect and professionalism as they would any other publisher.

Key Findings

• Content creators say their foremost method for vetting brand partnerships is by determining which opportunities are most relevant for their audiences. This reason was cited more frequently than compensation and brand affinity.
• Influencers are most likely to work with brands based on the following:
  • 76 percent said they will work with brands that grant editorial and creative freedom above competitive compensation, at 67 percent.
  • 54 percent said they will work with brands who respect them as they would any other publisher.
  • 49 percent said the brand must understand their interests and only approach them with relevant opportunities that are a fit for their audience.
  • 47 percent said they work with brands whose values align with their own.
• When asked about what they dislike about working with brands,
  • 47 percent said their editorial guidelines are oftentimes too limiting or strict.
  • 27 percent said brands sometimes fail to respect creators as publishers (e.g. by shifting timelines that affect editorial calendars in a negative way).
• 84 percent of creators say they surface content inspiration from their own audiences.

“The influencer marketing landscape has evolved significantly since the blogger boom of the early 2000s, and in accordance with trends toward micro-content and emerging platforms, brands must evolve their approaches to keep up,” said Claudia Page, VP, Head of Creator Partnerships at Crowdtap. “Our study was designed to help marketers better understand the mindset – and motivations – of today’s creators to help them establish more lasting, ongoing partnerships within their influencer marketing programs.”