The swift rise of influencer marketing initially focused mainly on content creation – to be shared first and foremost on the influencer’s social media platform in question (most commonly Instagram) for their followers to see and for brands to repurpose. Yes, marketers like you and I should be pleased with the boost of buzz and awareness this can provide, but it was only a matter of time before we wanted more – more value and more of a concrete return on investment. How will influencer marketing trends continue to evolve cross-functionally? What more can we garner from influencers themselves? Though there are many answers to these questions, today’s post will focus solely on one influencer marketing value add: Reviews.

Though it’s actually a quite quick, easy and turn-key value add for both marketers and influencers alike, especially with Mavrck’s platform capabilities, some marketers may be skeptical of the review process and fear the thought of adding more work to their already overflowing plate. We’re here to squash that fear using key insights garnered from influences themselves, as well as reiterating the Mavrck platform’s ability to allow influencers to submit ratings and reviews with ease.

To ensure marketers of the willingness of influencers to complete reviews in conjunction with their content creation asks, we decided to go straight to the source: the influencers themselves. We surveyed over 200 active micro-influencers in our database about their thoughts and insights on this additional campaign ask.

Takeaway 1: 85% of Influencers would leave a rating and/or review after creating content.

The most resounding insight we received from influencers was that they are comfortable leaving ratings and reviews after creating content (see exact stat above). Though some influencers provided additional stipulations (more detail below), these stipulations largely depend on the brand or product in question, as well as the amount of detail the influencer expected to put into the review.

By including a review ask alongside the content creation piece within a campaign brief, influencers can easily submit authentic reviews through the Mavrck platform once their content is posted. This two-piece influencer ask easily combines two important facets of marketing, effectively streamlining workloads for marketers everywhere.

Takeaway 2: Only 30% of influencers would charge more for a rating or review after creating content.

One-third of the influencers who responded to the survey felt that they should be compensated extra for completing the rating/review. Though historically marketers may have expected a review ask to always mean more compensation for the influencer,  this sentiment is clearly within the minority of influencers surveyed.

Takeaway 3: Of the influencers who would charge more for a rating/review after creating content, 42% would charge $10-$50

It’s no secret that marketers have a strict budget to stay within, and any extra or unexpected large expense outside of this budget can be a catastrophe. Though important to note that a small portion of influencers may require extra incentive to complete their review after content creation, the data reveals that most of these influencers would only charge an additional $10-50. With a potential added cost as small as this, marketers can keep their budget intact while securing some fantastic reviews.  

Takeaway 4: 28% of influencers would base price for rating/review on the brand, product and type of review

Some influencers cited the length of the review, how in-depth it may be, and where the review is expected to be left (on a brand or partner site) as contributors to their monetary incentive ask.

If the influencer authentically enjoys the brand and the product, they are more likely to complete the review phase of the campaign brief. This data stresses the importance of selecting the appropriate influencers when completing the acquisition phase of your campaign workflow.

Should You Be Asking Influencers For Reviews Too?

Of course! Though some influencers may require a miniscule amount of additional incentive to complete, most are more than happy to submit reviews/ratings. By asking influencers to create content AND submit a review, we are increasing value and streamlining workflow across multiple functions within our brand(s). The addition of a review ask makes marketers’ jobs (and lives!) much easier. Who wouldn’t want that?

For more insights, access our 2018 Influencer Perspective report and survey here.