Influencer Marketing Resources: A Complete Guide of Tools, Case Studies, & Examples
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
What stage is your influencer program in?
Influencer marketing courses & self-paced instruction
- 1. 1–100: Getting Started with Influencer Marketing
- 2. Influencer Marketing Hub’s Influencer Marketing 101
- 3. Hubspot & Sprout Social’s Ultimate Guide to Influencer Marketing (ebook)
- 4. Jessica Williamson’s Influencer Marketing Course on Udemy
- 5. Brands Working Remote Talking Influencers Webinar
Creator economy and social commerce research
- 1. GRIN Report: Power of Influencer Marketing in Numbers
- 2. The State of Influencer Marketing 2021: Benchmark Report (Influencer Marketing Hub)
- 3. Influencer Monetization 2021: The Creator Economy Is Expanding. What Does that Mean for Brand Sponsorships? (eMarketer’s Insider Intelligence)
- 4. Takumi’s Into the Mainstream: Influencer Marketing in Society
Influencer marketing forums & groups
- 1. LinkedIn: Influencer Marketing 2021
- 2. Reddit: Influencer Marketing (r/influencermarketing)
- 3. LinkedIn: Influencer Marketing Association
Influencer marketing charts & infographics
- 1. GRIN’s influencer marketing funnel
- 2. Influencer Marketing Hub’s The Remarkable Rise of Influencer Marketing
- 3. GRIN’s 4 KPIs that Measure Influencer Marketing Success
- 4. eMarketer’s Influencer Marketing Spend
- 5. GRIN’s Affiliate Marketing vs Influencer Marketing
Influencer marketing case studies & brand examples
Perfecting one’s influencer marketing strategy takes time. And keeping up with the ever changing trend of social media platforms can oftentimes feel like a daunting task. If you’re eager to learn more about how to launch, scale, and optimize your program, here is a list of the top influencer marketing resources for 2021.
What stage is your influencer program in?
Beginner
“In your early stage, you’re beginning to reach out to influencers and may have only run a few campaigns… So far, you’re just figuring it out. This is a great place to be, because you have the ability to put some healthy habits into place.” — GRIN, Stages of an influencer marketing program
Starting from scratch can feel intimidating. When establishing a new influencer program, you’re going to need resources that are simple and straightforward. It’s too early to get lost in the details that more advanced programs face.
Your best tools will be those that simplify the creator collaboration process to help you overcome the initial learning curve and get your first set of campaigns off the ground.
What resources you’ll need move to establish your program
- Courses designed to get you started
- Beginner-focused eguides
- Interviews/panels with experienced influencer marketers
- Forums and groups where you can pose beginner questions
Intermediate
“By mid-stage, you’ve run several successful influencer campaigns, and you have a handful of top performers that you intend to use again. The main problem you’re having in this stage is figuring out how to keep track of all the details.” — GRIN, Stages of an influencer marketing program
Once your program is up and running, you can look for ways to streamline. When gathering resources, you’ll want to target those tools that address specific problems related to growing your creator community, improving workflow efficiency, and increasing ROI.
What resources you’ll need move to scale your program
- Q&A, FAQ, and how-to resources from experienced influencer marketers
- Brand case studies
- Tips and tricks, best practices, etc.
- Influencer software product reviews and buyers guides
Advanced
“If you’re running a full-fledged influencer program, you likely have an influencer platform that everyone on your team uses to recruit influencers, manage campaigns/workflows, report performance, and maintain a creator content library. But at this stage, you’re able to refine your program.” — GRIN, Stages of an influencer marketing program
Once your program is moving at full speed, you can continue increasing your campaign performance by testing new ideas, recruiting only top-performing influencers, growing your team internally, and integrating your creator content into other marketing mediums.
What resources you’ll need move to increase influencer ROI
- Up-to-date, relevant influencer marketing blogs
- Brand case studies
- In-depth industry research
- Expert-led podcasts, webinars, groups, etc.
Influencer marketing courses & self-paced instruction
1. 1–100: Getting Started with Influencer Marketing
Cost: Free
Katya Allison (Director of Content at GRIN) and Ethan Frame (Director of Brand & Special Projects at Cuts Clothing) guide viewers through the influencer program launch process. The course includes six episodes that cover all the basics for those attempting influencer marketing for the first time.
Who will benefit the most from this resource?
- Marketing directors/managers with a new influencer program
- Influencer relationship managers
- Social media managers tasked with creator management tasks
- Startup founders wanting to use influencers to grow their business
2. Influencer Marketing Hub’s Influencer Marketing 101
Cost: $97
Influencer Marketing Hub teams up with Ed Lawrence (entrepreneur and social media expert) to educate new influencer marketers on building and maintaining their very own program. The course exists as 12 modules, complete with additional resources and quizzes.
Who will benefit the most from this resource?
- Marketing directors/managers with a new influencer program
- Influencer relationship managers
- Social media managers tasked with creator management tasks
- Startup founders wanting to use influencers to grow their business
3. Hubspot & Sprout Social’s Ultimate Guide to Influencer Marketing (ebook)
Cost: Free
Hubspot is the leading authority on inbound marketing, and Sprout Social is a leading provider of social media management solutions. These two brands partnered to create an ebook for those interested in launching and growing an influencer program for their brand. The guide offers beginner tools, templates, and more in a handy PDF download.
Who will benefit the most from this resource?
- Marketing directors/managers with a new or intermediate influencer program
- Influencer relationship managers
- Social media managers
- Startup founders wanting to use influencers to grow their business
4. Jessica Williamson’s Influencer Marketing Course on Udemy
Cost: $12.99
Jessica Williamson is the founder of Ete Swimwear, social media expert, and business coach. In this 6-part Udemy course, she discusses influencer marketing beginner basics and helps viewers build relationships with the right social media creators.
Who will benefit the most from this resource?
- Marketing directors/managers with a new or intermediate influencer program
- Influencer relationship managers
- Social media managers
- Startup founders wanting to use influencers to grow their business
5. Brands Working Remote Talking Influencers Webinar
Cost: Free
GRIN’s Katya Allison hosts a series of informal fireside chats with the industry’s leading influencer marketing brands. Each episode reveals stories of real brands launching and growing their program into an influencer marketing powerhouse. Viewers of all experience levels will gain invaluable insight into the challenges and opportunities of collaborating with creators.
Who will benefit the most from this resource?
- Marketing directors/managers with a new or intermediate influencer program
- PR directors
- Influencer relationship managers
- Social media managers
- Startup founders wanting to use influencers to grow their business
- Advanced influencer marketers seeking to upgrade their program
Creator economy and social commerce research
1. GRIN Report: Power of Influencer Marketing in Numbers
In this industry report, GRIN surveyed social media users about their purchasing behaviors and how their favorite influencers inspired those purchases.
Who will benefit the most from this resource?
- Marketing directors/managers with an intermediate influencer program
- PR directors
- Influencer relationship managers
- Advanced influencer marketers seeking to refine their program
2. The State of Influencer Marketing 2021: Benchmark Report (Influencer Marketing Hub)
Influencer Marketing Hub surveyed marketing professionals and agencies on their plans to utilize influencer marketing over the next few years. The report reveals ROI stats, as well as forecasted budgets from digital marketers.
Who will benefit the most from this resource?
- Marketing directors/managers with an intermediate influencer program
- PR directors
- Influencer relationship managers
- Advanced influencer marketers seeking to refine their program
3. Influencer Monetization 2021: The Creator Economy Is Expanding. What Does that Mean for Brand Sponsorships? (eMarketer’s Insider Intelligence)
eMarketer examined the creator economy landscape and identified current trends impacting brand-creator collaborations over the next few years.
Who will benefit the most from this resource?
- Marketing directors/managers with an intermediate influencer program
- PR directors
- Influencer relationship managers
- Advanced influencer marketers seeking to refine their program
4. Takumi’s Into the Mainstream: Influencer Marketing in Society
Takumi works directly with creators and delivers industry reports on influencer trends and audience insights. The report above expounds on how creator mindsets have shifted and evolved over the last couple of years as influencer marketing has become more popular within modern retail.
Who will benefit the most from this resource?
- Marketing directors/managers with an intermediate influencer program
- PR directors
- Influencer relationship managers
- Advanced influencer marketers seeking to refine their program
Influencer marketing forums & groups
1. LinkedIn: Influencer Marketing 2021
The Influencer Marketing 2021 Group is over 17,000 strong and includes a host of digital marketing members who post and comment daily.
2. Reddit: Influencer Marketing (r/influencermarketing)
The r/influencermarketing discussion board is the oldest and most popular influencer marketing forum on Reddit. There are 7,000 members with daily posts, polls, and discussions.
3. LinkedIn: Influencer Marketing Association
This LinkedIn group is moderated by experts from Popular Chips, an influencer marketing analytics company. There are over 5,000 members who post and comment regularly.
Influencer marketing podcasts
1. GRIN Gets Real
GRIN’s Director of Content, Katya Allison, is back to “talk shop” with experts across multiple industries. GRIN interviews top influencer marketing brands, as well as best-selling authors and marketing experts.
2. Beyond Influencer Marketing
Cloris Kylie has spent almost 20 years helping brands leverage influencers to promote their products and services to consumers and businesses. On her podcast, she features various industry experts to discuss influencer marketing best practices, tips, and tricks.
Influencer marketing charts & infographics
1. GRIN’s influencer marketing funnel
Part of growing your influencer program is understanding how different influencers and campaigns can assist at each stage of your marketing funnel. The graphic above is specifically designed to help marketers refine their creator campaign strategy within the context of their greater marketing plan.
2. Influencer Marketing Hub’s The Remarkable Rise of Influencer Marketing
Please include attribution to influencermarketinghub.com with this graphic.
For more visual learners, the infographic above illustrates findings from Influencer Marketing Hub’s The State of Influencer Marketing 2021: Benchmark Report.
3. GRIN’s 4 KPIs that Measure Influencer Marketing Success
When setting influencer campaign goals, it’s critical to break those goals down into relevant KPIs. The graphic above demonstrates the most common KPIs that brands use when collaborating with creators.
4. eMarketer’s Influencer Marketing Spend
If you’re curious about how influencer marketing spending has grown since 2019 and how experts predict it will continue to grow, the chart above will show you. These figures demonstrate that influencer marketing is not just a fad — it is a tried-and-true strategy that’s here to stay.
5. GRIN’s Affiliate Marketing vs Influencer Marketing
For many brands, there are some similarities between their affiliate and influencer programs. However, there are key differences between the two strategies, as the graphic above explains.
Influencer marketing case studies & brand examples
1. Mutesix & Magic Spoon
Mutesix, a marketing agency, partnered with fitness, wellness, and lifestyle influencers to help their client, Magic Spoon, generate unique content and repurpose into high-performing ads. The campaign yielded over $100,000 in revenue and a 143% return on ad spend.
2. Mutesix & Snibbs
Mutesix recruited healthcare creators to promote Snibbs’ new work shoe product line. Not only did the campaign donate hundreds of shoes to healthcare workers, it drove over $200,000 in shoe sales and a 580% growth for Snibbs’ Instagram page.
This campaign was so successful that it was a finalist for the Influencer Marketing Awards 2021, “Most Effective Campaign for ROI.”
3. Darn Good Yarn
Darn Good Yarn wanted to do more than sell yarn — they wanted to inspire their audience to create new things. The marketing team commissioned social media creators to compose craft patterns, promote those patterns to their audience, and allow Darn Good Yarn to package as a complete kit.
Not only did the campaign generate over a million impressions, but it also gathered 1,400 pieces of authentic, lifestyle content and a collection of new products.
4. Subaru
Subaru launched their brand awareness campaign in the United States and leveraged influencers to promote their #meetanowner branded hashtag. While the company did not release sales results or ROI, marketers estimated that the influencer campaigns drove almost 2 million Instagram engagements, as well as 2.5 million views on YouTube.
5. Nutpods
Nutpods is a great example of what brands can accomplish by integrating their affiliate marketing with their influencer campaigns. Additionally, this case study demonstrates the power of automation over spreadsheets when managing hundreds of creators across several campaigns.
Nutpods was also a finalist for IMA’s “Most Effective Campaign for ROI” in 2021.
6. Warby Parker
Warby Parker is arguably one of the first direct-to-consumer brands to master influencer marketing on Instagram and YouTube. This case study from 2018 reveals how a small venture exploded into a powerful enterprise seemingly overnight with the help of lifestyle influencers.
To this day, Warby Parker considers their creator relationships to be central to their marketing strategy.
Influencer marketing management support tools
1. GRIN: How to Set Up Influencer Marketing Management with Spreadsheets (step-by-step guide)
The key to knowing whether or not your influencer program is working is tracking as much data as possible. Additionally, treating your creators as valuable relationships will increase your brand’s authenticity online.
When launching your program, you should set up a collection of spreadsheets to help you manage details about your creators (both active and prospects), goals/KPIs, campaigns, costs, content, and performance. The resource above will help you set up these spreadsheets so that you are ready to launch your first campaigns.
Who will benefit the most from this resource?
- Marketing directors/managers with a new influencer program
- Influencer relationship managers
- Social media managers tasked with creator management tasks
- Startup founders wanting to use influencers to grow their business
2. G2: Top influencer marketing platforms
Once you’ve launched your program and have a good workflow, the spreadsheet approach is going to feel cumbersome. Outgrowing manual tracking tools is a natural side effect of influencer marketing success.
“As a peer-to-peer review and software discovery platform, G2 examines software solutions across multiple industries to deliver user-based recommendations.”
As you scale your program, your next step is to build your influencer marketing tech stack. G2 is one of the best resources for identifying which software solutions are a good fit for your brand.
Who will benefit the most from this resource?
- Marketing directors/managers with an intermediate influencer program
- PR directors
- Influencer relationship managers
- Social media managers
- Advanced influencer marketers seeking to upgrade their program
3. GRIN: Influencer marketing tools hub
For budding influencer programs, GRIN offers a suite of free tools to help you establish sustainable processes. The hub includes six tools, including an engagement rate calculator, influencer lookalike finder, and a fake influencer checker.
Who will benefit the most from this resource?
- Marketing directors/managers with a new influencer program
- Influencer relationship managers
- Social media managers tasked with creator management tasks
- Startup founders wanting to use influencers to grow their business
4. Capterra: Influencer marketing software product reviews & comparisons
Similar to G2, Capterra verifies and sorts software user reviews across multiple industries. Once you are ready to build your influencer marketing tech stack, Capterra allows you to examine and compare top solutions.
Who will benefit the most from this resource?
- Marketing directors/managers with an intermediate influencer program
- PR directors
- Influencer relationship managers
- Social media managers
- Advanced influencer marketers seeking to upgrade their program
Conclusion: Use these influencer marketing resources to refine your program goals and improve relationships with creators.
Doing influencer marketing well takes time and experience. By learning all you can, you will be able to avoid common pitfalls and capitalize on tried-and-true methods for maximum ROI.
At the heart of every leading influencer marketing program are genuine brand-creator relationships. The steps you take to nurture deeper connections with your creators will help your brand stand out from the rest.
