6 ways to collaborate with influencer: 93 y.o. influencer case

Today, the internet does not just store information but entertains us too. Following other people out of curiosity seems extremely absorbing. Plus, we get to decide on the content based on our preferences. So, one reads travelers’ notes, another saves culinary recipes, while others simply fish for the latest news. As the number of subscribers grew, bloggers noticed that they could quickly capitalize on this on Instagram. Mass followers in sync with a blogger’s lifestyle make a ready-made target audience for advertising.

An average person considers an influencer’s advice reliable and comparable to conventional ads. Given this, it works better and outperforms other types. According to InfluencerMarketingHub, 91% of millennials trust online reviews as much as recommendations from friends and family members.

Authenticity makes a difference in influencer marketing as ads do not suffer from banner blindness or ad blockers, which are already installed on 763 million devices worldwide. If the ad integrates well into the blogger’s content, the audience may not even realize they have already fallen under its spell.

After all, comments, likes or reposts provide valuable feedback to analyze product performance and how it satisfies customers’ needs.

On its face, blogging seems easy with little risk or not such a big deal. Just drop a line in a couple of minutes, throw in a catchy shot or short video, and that’s it! Today’s to-do list is done. Since that’s settled, why not round it off with a cup of coffee at a fancy joint or set yourself up for the serious studying of the great art of doing absolutely nothing. Some people get ticked off at these freeloaders, while others stick to the idea they are living on easy street or dream of taking their place.

But don’t rush to judge. The sphere is highly competitive, and it is no longer enough to take the crown, but holding on to it is still a pretty big thing. The way it stands now, crafting quality content with engaging posts, eye-pleasing photos or funny videos is still lacking.

One should customize a strategy for submitting content and promoting the blog in advance. Typically, a novice acts restless and edgy, saddled with a scheduled monthly and weekly content plan, and has an eternal lack of ideas and a ghostly hope of making something out of a long shot in the long run.

Therefore, the survivors who did not fall on the battlefield in the merciless massacre of the most creative can count on moral (and material) reparation.

Since we have touched on creativity, hardly anybody can beat this lovely lady.

Helen Ruth Elam (baddiewinkle)

Honore de Balzac once said, “Everything comes to him who waits.” In our case, it came to her—the popularity of our today’s heroine in the best possible way.

Baddie Winkle (Ruth Elam van Winkle), a 93-year-old from Kentucky, is an Instagram star who has no equal. Her bright personality, off-the-wall lifestyle and spicy photos won over her celebs like Rihanna, Miley Cyrus and Nicole Richie.

A turning point that dramatically changed this blogger’s life was not all roses. Shortly before their 35th wedding anniversary, her husband died in a car accident. And about 18 years ago, her only son was diagnosed with cancer. Yet, despite all her grief and sorrow, she did not yield to depression and decided to live a full life.

Instagram’s ‘Bad Grandma’ proved that age is only a number and that it is never too late to make your dreams come true. At 93, she now enjoys life wearing whatever she wants, attending parties and ceremonies, maintaining an account, hanging out with celebrities, and embracing her social media tagline, “Stealing Your Man Since 1928,” the most quoted among teens.

The more than 3.3 million Instagram followers and advertisers cherish the eccentric and audacious grandmother.

The analysis of the blogger’s target audience shows that 69.7% of baddiewinkle’s followers are female and 30.3% are men 18 to 24, primarily located in the United States, Australia, Brazil, United Kingdom and France with 32.4%, 11.9% and 11.9% respectively. The main topics Baddiewinkle loves posting about are fashion, design and celebrities.

So, let’s check out how a juicy contract can push it.

Native ads

We can’t help speaking about an age-old promotional strategy still in demand among influencers. It outperforms other types because of its simplicity, and production does not require much time and effort from the blogger or advertiser. This approach usually gains the audience’s ear because the post is more likely regarded not as a paid advertisement but as a recommendation from someone who has deeply understands what they are writing about.

Covid times paused our life and the romanticism of it all. But Baddiewinkle sees the value of time like no one else and is not ready to sacrifice a single second of it. So, she feels free to recommend the @Bumble dating app.

The Bumble crew notes an increase in application downloads from the partnership with Baddiewinkle. By the end of April, users sent 16% more messages than before quarantine. The number of video calls surged by 70%, proving some data definitely comes from a Bad Grandma share.

Storytelling

This type shares similarities to the previous one, with the caveat: the text must contain a story or a personal experience related to the product or service mentioned at the end of the post and blends in with the “organic” content. This makes the ad less promotional and builds brand credibility.

We do not have an example for you guys with Granny because she prefers a long party, not talk.

Brand Ambassador

Big businesses can afford ambassadors, especially those who share the company’s mission, philosophy and values or embody the target audience in some way. The purpose of such cooperation is to create the impression the product or service is a part of a blogger’s daily life. And the effect compounds with continuous and regular impressions in posts and stories.

One-time advertising does not have such gimmicks, so this method is in demand. If you do not have many subscribers, it is unlikely you will become an ambassador. But this format works well for a medium-sized influencer with a 100,000-strong audience.

There is always room to improve!

I hope you find inspiration in Helen and her enduring dedication to the FashionNova (FN) brand.

In 2017, FN topped Google searches, overtaking Dior and Off-White to become the most well-liked Instagram brand, according to the InfluencerDB report.

Fashion Nova’s recipe for success runs on an actual celebration of diversity. The brand welcomes all possible appearance types and shows that a woman can be hot in any size, skin color or age. The brand’s values also radiate on the blogger’s page, where she presents wacky outfits made up of the brand’s line, affirming once again that people of any age or wealth deserve good looks.

Events

One-time events cost less than a brand ambassadorship. Here, we work with a one-time activity that does not require a long-term commitment. Like in the case when Baddie attended the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards as Miley Cyrus’ guest, MTV highlighted the appearance for the target audience in posts and stories.

Bloggers refresh their page with new content, while brands or companies boost sales by winning over potential customers.

Giveaways and contests

Strange as it may seem, giveaways still work. Here you pick bloggers with a relevant audience and provide them with the funds to purchase freebees and promote the product. The influencer’s followers stream (leak) to marketplaces or commercial accounts lured by catchy posts and colorful gift boxes. It is that simple.

Merch sales

Merchandise, or merch, are clothes, accessories, souvenirs and other things with the brand’s symbol. Before the social media boom, merch was typically used by corporations and music bands. Today big personalities and bloggers sell branded products.

The moment of truth

Do you need ads on Instagram? For us, the answer is yes. More than 60% of users, 16 to 34, view Stories daily, and over 80% of social network searchers subscribe to at least one business account. Instagram ads are 8.3 times more effective than in-game and 5.4 times more than desktop ones.

The influencer is in a good position if the product fully aligns with the blog’s topic. And if the product is high quality, the cooperation will be a one hundred percent shoo-in.