Influencer Whitelisting: The Marketing Miracle or the Road to Ruin?

As a DTC founder or marketer, you may have heard about the latest marketing tactic - influencer whitelisting. It sounds like a genius idea - partnering with a popular creator and promoting their post via ads.

Many people have sung praises of whitelisting, because it somehow tricks people into thinking the content is organic and performs better.

But does it? What's the catch? And what's hiding behind this seemingly too-good-to-be-true strategy?

In this blog post, we'll dive into the world of influencer whitelisting and uncover the potential long-term drawbacks that may not be immediately apparent. We'll also explore alternative influencer marketing tactics that can help build genuine relationships with influencers and create lasting brand loyalty. So, if you're on the fence about influencer whitelisting, this post is for you.

What is influencer whitelisting?

Influencer whitelisting involves partnering with an influencer and gaining access to their social media accounts to boost their posts using paid advertising.

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One of the benefits of influencer whitelisting that made this popular in the first place is that it allows brands to promote an influencer's post while maintaining its authenticity. This is because the post remains in the influencer's voice and style, which can be more relatable and engaging for their audience compared to traditional branded advertisements.

For example, an event marketplace website was prompting its app by using the account of a popular creator named Darshen.

Here's the ad:

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And the person in the ad is a popular creator with hundreds of thousands of followers:

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Whitelisting also provides brands with a level of control over the content and targeting of the post. Brands can choose who sees the influencer's whitelisted posts, even targeting people who don't follow the influencer. They can also make small edits to the post's copy and creativity to better align with their brand messaging.

But let's not forget the dark side lurking behind those glittering benefits. Like the wicked witch in a fairy tale, influencer whitelisting may promise to grant your wishes, but at what cost? It's important to keep in mind the potential long-term drawbacks before jumping on the whitelisting bandwagon.

The downside of influencer whitelisting: why it may not lead to long-term brand loyalty

Today's consumers are savvy and know when they are being sold to.

They can usually tell when a brand has paid for a post because of the "Sponsored" or "Paid Partnership" tag that appears on the post. This tag is required by most social media platforms to disclose when a post is sponsored or paid for by a brand.

They may notice a change in the influencer's tone or style, or the use of specific branded hashtags or product mentions, which can also indicate that the post is sponsored.

This can lead to a lack of trust between the brand and the consumer. Consumers may view whitelisted posts as inauthentic and be less likely to engage with the brand as a result.

Today's customers are not just interested in the product or service being offered, they also want to connect with brands that share their values and beliefs. They want to build relationships with brands that they can trust and that align with their personal values.

But when an influencer whitelists a post, customers are unable to click through to the brand's profile and learn more about its values and mission. This can make it difficult for brands to build lasting relationships with their customers and may not lead to long-term brand loyalty.

For example, in the below ad, if I want to visit the profile of the account that posted the ad, I will go to @ livinwithhlyss instead of Pura Vida's profile

Influencers are valuable partners for brands because they can provide authentic and relatable content that resonates with their audience. However, if brands rely too heavily on whitelisting, they may be sacrificing the authenticity that makes influencer marketing so effective in the first place. By focusing on building genuine relationships with influencers and using a variety of influencer marketing tactics, brands can build trust and loyalty with consumers while still leveraging the power of influencer marketing.

On top of all this, influencers will also charge you extra for “whitelisting access” to their accounts. It’s hard to justify the ROI on that.

The Alternative to Inauthentic Whitelisting Tactics

From the high costs of partnering with influencers to the lack of authenticity in whitelisted ads, brands need new ways to achieve the benefits of influencer marketing without the drawbacks.

Fortunately, there are alternative steps that brands can take to work with creators to drive results that are better than ads while maintaining authenticity and staying within their budget. Let's explore these detail.

Partner with creators who can drive results that are better than ads

When selecting influencers to work with, it's essential to consider their engagement rates, reach, and the demographic they appeal to.

Look for creators who are a good fit for your brand and have a track record of delivering results. Choose creators who have a loyal following, and whose audiences match your target audience. It's also crucial to look beyond the numbers and choose creators whose values align with your brand.

Some of the creative ways to find a steady stream of influencers are to look into your customer list and see who are your biggest advocates, check competitors or 'shoulder brands' (brands that are non-competing but have a similar audience), or use hashtags to search for creators.

You can use the SARAL chrome extension to find creators with high engagement rates. All you have to do is install the SARAL's chrome extension, open the creator's social media profile, and click on the SARAL extension in your browser.

You will see a dashboard in the right top corner with the influencer's engagement rate, % of people that regularly engage with their content, and most importantly a fair fee that you can pay them for collaboration.

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Partner with creators on a long-term basis

Working with creators on a long-term basis can help build a more meaningful relationship between your brand and the creator. It can also lead to more authentic content as the creator becomes more familiar with your brand and can create content that resonates with their audience.

A long-term partnership can help establish trust and credibility with the creator's audience, which can translate into increased sales and brand awareness.

Get creatives done from the influencer and run those ads on your account

One of the benefits of working with creators is that they have a deep understanding of their audience's preferences and interests.

By getting creatives done by the influencer, you can ensure that the content is authentic and resonates with their audience. Then, run those ads on your account, so you can maintain control over the creative and targeting. This approach can help you maintain authenticity while also ensuring that the ads are effective.

We can see in this ad below by Sentsandco that they partnered with a creator to get the ad creative (the video) from them in a format that suits the TikTok feed without looking like a sales video. And they are running the ad on their account:

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Test which ads work best and drop the rest

Once you have a pool of ads created by your influencer, it's time to test which ads work best. Compare the performance of different ads, and drop the ones that aren't performing as well. This will help you identify the ads that are resonating with your audience and optimize your campaign accordingly.

Make the most out of your influencer marketing spend not by just whitelisted ads but by using the creator's content in your blogs, in your product description pages, in reviews, etc. Of course, check your agreement before implementing these ideas or bake these in your contract before hand.

Find ways to partner with the influencer on a deeper level

If you find that an influencer is performing exceptionally well, it's time to explore ways to partner with them on a deeper level. This could include making them an ambassador for your brand, creating more content together, or even launching a new product together. Check out Gymshark's influencer marketing strategy that involved launching a new product line with a creator. This type of partnership can lead to more meaningful content, increased credibility, and long-term growth for your business.

Final Thoughts

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