Influencer Law Firm, a division of Heitner Legal, is your one-stop shop for all legal services related to social media influencers, including but not limited to trademarking, copyrighting, contract drafting and negotiation, and compliance with advertising laws. Contact us with any questions.
Influencer marketing is going through a major change. The traditional influencer-brand funnel is giving way to a cycle, where brands are encouraged to limit their spread of resources in focusing on a select few influencers to associate with for long-term growth.
What is the traditional influencer-brand funnel?
Traditionally, a brand was concerned with awareness and discovery as opposed to figuring out how to create meaningful relationships between influencer/brand and target audience. These engagements by and between influencers and brands were commonly one-off campaigns where it was quite clear that the influencers had little loyalty to the brand. It was a transaction; the influencer was being paid for performance.
There is nothing wrong with a one-off deal, and they will absolutely remain an option for brands in the future. But there can be more meaningful engagements, which has led to an adoption of the cycle.
What is the influencer-brand cycle?
The newer influencer-brand cycle is about providing brands with additional knowledge concerning the influencer-brand relationship as well as better connection between influencer and consumer. This model is much more focused on long-term relationships between influencer and brand, as opposed to the one-off as explained in the older influencer-brand funnel.
Not only does the cycle model display additional loyalty by and between influencer and brand, but it also causes influencers to inherently become ambassadors for the brand. This results in a more meaningful connection between influencer and consumer, and also turns the influencer into a recruiter for additional influencers to join the fold. Furthermore, it likely allows a brand to minimize its spend, but use it more wisely. The influencers who are selected will earn more money, but the brand, as a whole, will spend less.
Why a good lawyer is needed.
With enhancced business relationships comes the requirement that they be buttoned up by strong contracts. That is where we can come in hand. We have the experience to ensure that the contracts are beneficial for the parties we represent and that all intellectual property is properly maintained and protected by our clients.