Influencer marketing in its truest form has been around for quite some time. In fact, one of the earliest acknowledged influencer collaborations was in the 1760s, when Wedgewood made a tea set for the wife of King George III (royalty were the OG influencers).
Now, influencer marketing is a staple in the marketing mix, and budgets are soaring. According to Traackr’s 2022 Influencer Marketing Impact Report, 51% of marketers say that they spend between $50k-$500k per year, and 15% reported they spend $1M+.
With expanding budgets, teams, and expectations, the role of influencer marketers can be unclear. So, we’re here to answer the question “what are the top responsibilities of an influencer marketer?”
Short answer: quite a lot
Long answer: keep reading
5 Core Influencer Marketer Responsibilities
As mentioned above, the influencer marketing job description has grown substantially.
Here are the“hats” you’ll need to wear:
- Strategic Mastermind: You’ll be responsible for creating and executing an influencer marketing strategy. This includes laying out the goals, workflows, and metrics while also aligning with larger business goals. You’ll need to work cross-functionally to amplify content with other marketing teams including PR and social — depending on the size of your team, those cross-functional roles may even be in your job description.
- Project Manager: Running each campaign from start to finish requires a high level of organization and diligence. You’ll first need to find, vet, and partner with influencers to source relevant influencers. Next, you’ll need to handle everything that comes after the contract is signed: seeding product, reviewing content, reporting on results, optimizing for future campaigns, and beyond. Unless you have an influencer marketing software, be prepared to juggle lots of spreadsheets!
- Relationship Builder: A big aspect of your role will be in nurturing influencer relationships. Building and maintaining healthy relationships with influencers can set you up for long-term success. So, you’ll need to find ways to actively communicate and foster relationships in order to get them on board for future campaigns. Having a sharp memory and attention to detail certainly doesn’t hurt here — influencers love a personal touch!
- Data Scientist: From finding high-performing influencers to reporting on campaign results, you’ll need to be data-savvy. Be prepared to use data to find relevant, top-performing influencers, track performance, and make informed decisions about future partnerships and campaigns.
- Social Trend Spotter: Being “tapped” into the social media culture is going to make your job a whole lot easier. Having in-depth knowledge of content trends and platform uses will allow you to get the best possible content from any influencer you plan to work with. Yes, it’s important to understand what’s trending or “going viral,” but it’s just as important to have your finger on the pulse of the subtle trends that are organically growing that you can hop on. Example: partnering with multi-generational TikTokers!
How can you stand out in influencer marketing?
Building on the responsibilities mentioned above, here are a few more skills that can set you apart:
- Keep up with influencer marketing trends: Due to the constant change of algorithms and creator content, staying on top of trends can be difficult. You need to have a regular research process set up! Brands will be intrigued if you can illustrate your methods for identifying trends — hot tip, in addition to social research you can learn from previous campaigns, and even benchmark success against others.
- Have a method of experimentation: Experimenting with trends or new ideas can often feel like you’re shooting in the dark. Once you identify something new and trendy, what do you do next? Marketers who have figured out how to experiment in ways that are deliberate, data-driven, and replicable have the most potential to unlock the power of new platforms, content types, and influencer partners. If you have a go-to structure for testing and proving the success of new things, you’ll stand out from your competition.
- Solidifying a measurement framework: Eliminate any guesswork with your influencer marketing programs by using data to make decisions. Having standardized metrics makes it possible to understand the performance of influencer marketing efforts, from a micro and macro view. A solid measurement framework will also enable your team to validate current strategies, see how your program is stacking up against competitors in the industry, and identify key areas for improvement. Added bonus: you’ll also be better equipped to explain the value of influencer marketing!
Looking to advance your career in influencer marketing? Browse through 100+ open positions on Traackr’s Influencer Marketing Job Board!