Almost $33 billion. That's the projected size of influencer marketing in 2025. And with brands seeing $5.20 back for every dollar spent, it's not hard to see why.
For enterprise B2C companies, this isn't just another marketing tactic—it's a way to turn social proof into actual revenue.
We've helped brands build influencer programs that scale. This guide delivers strategies that actually work for your budget, whether you're just starting out or running seven-figure influencer campaigns. You'll get practical steps to find the right creators, build campaigns that convert, and track the metrics that matter to your CMO.
What is influencer marketing?
Influencer marketing is you (the brand) teaming up with people who've built an audience that trusts them. Simple as that.
These creators have spent years getting people to stop scrolling and pay attention.
You're borrowing trust that already exists. Instead of shouting at strangers, you're getting introduced to people who might care about what you sell.
Influencer marketing didn't appear overnight. Celebrity endorsements have existed since the 1760s when Wedgwood Pottery used royal endorsements to boost sales. Fast forward a couple of centuries. Social media hit and changed everything. Suddenly, regular people with decent cameras and something interesting to say started building massive followings.
What began with beauty bloggers and YouTube DIYers has exploded into something bigger. Now, creators are everywhere—TikTok dancers, Instagram foodies, YouTube reviewers, Pinterest home designers. Each platform has its stars with their own superpowers.
Innovative brands don't just pick platforms randomly. They match their needs to where their customers hang out. Need detailed product demos? YouTube creators deliver. Want quick viral moments? TikTok's your play. Building lifestyle appeal? Instagram still rules that game.
Why does it work so well for CPG brands, retailers, and other B2C companies? Three key reasons:
Trust: 92% of consumers trust recommendations from people they follow over traditional ads, even if they don't know them personally.
Authenticity: Creators show products in real-life contexts. That foundation gets tested in real lighting. That snack food gets eaten during a genuine Netflix marathon.
Targeted reach: Instead of blasting your message to anyone with a pulse, you reach exactly who you need. The right creator delivers that exact audience, saving you both time and marketing dollars.
This authentic, targeted approach is why influencer marketing has shifted from experimental budget to indispensable strategy for enterprise brands.
TIP: If you’d like to hand the reins over to experts, Later’s influencer marketing services team is trusted by top enterprise brands to manage their campaigns. Schedule a call to learn more.
Why does influencer marketing matter?
Let's get real: marketing has changed. People skip ads, install blockers, and scroll past branded content without a second thought. But they still stop for people they trust.
That's where influencer marketing shines. It's not an add-on to your strategy—it's a fundamental piece that works throughout your marketing funnel. Top-of-funnel awareness? Yep. Mid-funnel consideration? Absolutely. Bottom-funnel conversion? You bet.
We've seen brands try to keep social media and influencer strategies separate. Big mistake. Your social channels build your voice, while influencers extend your reach. Put them together and you've got something powerful: a steady brand message that gets amplified by trusted voices.
Think about the last purchase you made. Did you buy it because of an ad, or did someone's recommendation tip the scales? For most people, it's the latter. Trust is often the deciding factor in consumer purchasing decisions.
What's in it for enterprise brands? So much:
You get access to ready-made communities that care about what you sell
Your leads come pre-qualified by trust (translation: they convert better)
You collect authentic content showing your products in real life
Your customer retention improves because these buyers arrived through trust
Smart brands don't just run one-off influencer campaigns. They build ongoing creator relationships that complement their owned channels. This creates a feedback loop—your social feeds benefit from creator content, and creators benefit from your brand's stability.
Winning brands treat influencer marketing as a core strategy, not a bolt-on tactic. And the numbers back this approach up every time.
What are the key components of influencer marketing?
Building a successful influencer strategy isn't just about finding someone with a big following and sending them your product. There's a bit more to it.
Think of influencer marketing like making a great cocktail. You need the right ingredients in the right order. Miss one, and the whole thing falls flat.
Strategy and goal-setting
What's the actual point of your campaign? Seriously. Write it down.
Want people to know your brand exists? Looking to grow your follower count? Need to move product ASAP? Each needs a completely different approach.
Skip this step, and you'll waste money on pretty content that does nothing for your bottom line. Smart brands set specific targets. Instead of "increase engagement," try "boost Instagram engagement by 25% in Q3." Specific goals make your results measurable.
Audience research
Your target customer and your ideal influencer's audience should overlap—a lot. It sounds obvious, but we've seen too many beauty brands partner with tech influencers just because they like the content.
Look at your data. Who's already buying? What content resonates with them? Which social channels do they use most?
Later's influencer discovery tools help you find creators based on audience demographics, not just follower counts. This way, you're not just reaching people—you're reaching the right people.
Influencer selection
This step can make or break your campaign. Beyond just numbers, look at:
Engagement quality (genuine comments or just emojis?)
Content style (does it match your brand?)
Past partnerships (do they promote competitors?)
Values alignment (do they stand for what you stand for?)
We've built our influencer network to help you filter through millions of creators to find your perfect match. Whether you need micro-influencers for niche reach or UGC creators for authentic content, finding the right people saves headaches down the road.
Relationship building
The best influencer partnerships aren't one-and-done deals. They're relationships.
Start with personalized outreach that shows you've looked at their content. Generic pitches get ignored faster than you can say "sponsored post."
Once you're working together, clear communication matters. Specify deliverables, timelines, and approval processes. But give creators room for their authentic voice—that's what their audience trusts.
Many brands find success turning creators into brand ambassadors over time. These long-term partnerships often bring better results than constantly finding new faces.
Campaign management
Running multiple influencer campaigns across different platforms with dozens of creators? That gets messy fast.
We've seen marketing teams using spreadsheets, email chains, and DMs to track everything. There's a better way.
Our campaign management tools help you track deliverables, deadlines, and communications in one place. This frees up time to focus on strategy instead of admin work.
Measurement and analytics
"Half my marketing budget works great. I just don't know which half."
That old saying doesn't fly anymore. Today's marketing leaders need clear return on investment (ROI) data.
Track more than likes and comments. Look at:
Traffic to your site
Conversion rates from influencer links
Sales from discount codes
Our analytics dashboard pulls all this data together, showing you exactly what's working and what's not. No more guessing.
Sharp influencer marketing isn't magic—it's methodical. Get these components right, and you'll build campaigns that deliver real results, not just pretty pictures. Want to streamline your influencer marketing process? Book a demo today.
Most marketing teams start with a mess. Spreadsheets for tracking creators. Email threads 50 messages deep for approvals. Numbers cobbled together from random dashboards. You know the drill.
This patchwork approach creates blind spots. Missed deadlines. Forgotten follow-ups. Zero visibility into what works.
A real influencer marketing platform puts everything in one place: creator discovery, contract management, content approval, and performance tracking. No more digging through months of emails to find that one creator's contact info or wondering if your campaign delivered results.
Tools matter, but expertise matters more. That's where Later stands out. Our team has run thousands of campaigns across every major industry. We can spot potential issues before they become expensive mistakes.
The programs that deliver consistent results aren't built on good luck. They're built on systems designed specifically for influencer marketing management.
What are the different types of influencers to work with?
Not all followers are worth your money. That's the hard truth most agencies won't tell you. Finding creators who move products means looking way beyond their follower count.
Platform specialists
Each platform has its own vibe, and shrewd creators know this. They don't just cross-post—they create content specifically for where it lives.
Instagram creators know the visual game cold. Their feed aesthetics and Stories hook scrollers and convert browsers into buyers. Great for products that shine visually.
TikTok's a different animal entirely. Creators here build content that feels raw, immediate, and often too honest for comfort. But that authenticity? It sells like crazy when done right.
YouTubers take the long view. They build deep relationships through detailed content that sticks around. When someone watches a 15-minute review of your product, they're far closer to buying than after a quick scroll-by.
Pinterest specialists aren't always flashy, but they drive serious purchase intent. Their content inspires action and often has a much longer shelf life than other platforms.
Industry focus
A beauty creator talking about your CPG snack brand? Probably not the move.
We help brands find creators who live and breathe your category. Someone who's built an audience around the exact thing you sell. Their followers are your customer list in waiting.
Food creators, retail specialists, tech reviewers—their audience trusts them on specific topics. Tap into that trust rather than casting a wide, unfocused net.
Size tiers
Size matters, but not how you might think:
Nano influencers (<10K)
have serious engagement. Their audience feels like friends, not followers.
Micro influencers (10K-99K)
balance reach with relatability. Often your best bang for the buck.
Mid-tier (100K-499K)
brings significant eyeballs while still feeling somewhat accessible.
Macro and beyond?
They're billboards. Expensive, but impossible to miss.
Want to dig deeper? Our guide to social media influencer types breaks down the pros and cons of each. Need help finding your perfect match? Try Later's influencer search tool and stop wasting time on creators who don't fit.
What are influencer marketing best practices?
Throwing money at influencers without a plan is how marketing budgets die. Your campaigns need actual rules. Clear boundaries. Specific goals. Otherwise, you're just paying for pretty pictures that do nothing for your business.
Set clear goals first
Most influencer campaigns fail because brands skip straight to "Which creator looks good with our product?" instead of first answering "What exactly are we trying to accomplish?"
Your business stage should dictate your primary goal. New to market? You need awareness—focus on introducing yourself to people who've never heard of you. Track reach and impressions, not immediate sales.
Got brand recognition but plateauing? You need engagement campaigns that reactivate your existing audience.
And if you need revenue right now, you're looking at conversion campaigns. This is where technology becomes crucial. Tools like Mavely make tracking ridiculously simple by providing creators with shoppable SmartLinks that capture data on every click and purchase. The beauty is in the attribution—suddenly, you can see exactly which creator drove which sale.
Your marketing calendar matters, too. Product launches typically need awareness first, then quickly pivot to conversions once people know you exist. Seasonal pushes should focus almost exclusively on driving immediate sales.
The magic happens when you pick one clear goal and build your entire creator selection around it. Instead of hiring the most popular person you can afford, you hire the person best positioned to deliver what you actually need.
Find creators who actually fit
The biggest mistake brands make? Picking influencers based on follower count alone.
Look deeper:
Does their audience match your target customer?
Is their content style compatible with your brand?
Do their values align with yours?
Have they worked with your competitors?
The right fit means content that feels natural, not forced. Your audience can smell inauthenticity from miles away.
Play by the rules
The Federal Trade Commission doesn't mess around with sponsored content. Here's what you need to know:
Clear disclosure is non-negotiable. Every paid partnership needs obvious disclosure that viewers can't miss. Hashtags like #ad or #sponsored should appear at the beginning of captions, not buried under twenty other hashtags.
Disclose all material connections. Money, free products, discounts, and family ties all count as connections needing disclosure.
Verbal disclosure matters, too. In videos, creators should mention partnerships within the first 30 seconds, not just in description boxes that people might never read.
Put it in writing. Your contracts should spell out disclosure requirements so everyone's on the same page.
Beyond legal stuff, good contracts clarify content ownership, usage rights, payment terms, and deadlines.
Track what matters
Don't just launch campaigns and hope for the best. Track performance in real time to learn what works.
Our clients who get the best results review metrics weekly and adjust quickly. They don't wait months to figure out their creator strategy isn't working.
Ready to step up your influencer game? Our campaign management tools help you track everything from creator outreach to content approval in one place. And with our creator management features, you'll never lose track of who's posting what and when.
Your best campaigns come from solid planning and the right partners, not just hoping for viral luck.
The importance of finding the right influencers
Let's be straight: finding influencers is easy. Finding the RIGHT ones? That's where most brands mess up.
We see it all the time—teams get excited about a creator with pretty photos and a big following, only to discover their audience doesn't care about your product category at all. Your luxury skincare line promoted to college students who can barely afford ramen? That's money down the drain.
The old way of finding influencers was pure chaos: endless Google searches, going down Instagram rabbit holes, asking friends for suggestions, and maintaining unwieldy spreadsheets nobody updates. Sure, you might stumble on a gem this way, but you'll waste weeks in the process.
Savvy brands use platforms explicitly built for this job. It's not about being lazy—it's about being strategic with your limited time and budget.
What should you look for when vetting influencers?
Audience alignment:
Do they reach the people you want to reach? Not just demographic basics but actual shopping behaviors.
Engagement quality:
Comments like "So cute!" are nice, but comments asking "Where can I buy this?" are better.
Content style:
Their aesthetic and voice should make sense for your brand. No amount of money can fix a fundamental mismatch.
Past partnerships:
Who else have they worked with? How did those collaborations perform?
Our influencer discovery tool lets you filter creators by these factors instead of randomly hoping you'll find someone good. You can search by audience demographics, engagement rates, and past performance, not just follower counts.
The best part? Our influencer network is already vetted. We've done the basic screening, so you're starting with creators who meet professional standards.
The right influencer can turn your product into next month's must-have. The wrong one can sink your entire campaign budget with nothing to show for it.
Choose carefully. Or better yet, let us help you choose.
How do you do influencer outreach?
Ever wonder why creators ignore your messages? You're probably doing outreach all wrong.
Most brands blast generic pitches to hundreds of influencers, hoping someone bites. "Hey, we love your content! Want to collab?" Delete.
Good creators get pitched constantly. Your standard template email has zero chance against the dozens they receive daily.
So, how do you stand out?
Get personal: Show you've looked at their content. Reference specific posts. "Your recent video about morning routines caught our attention—especially how you mentioned struggling to find products that work with your skin type. We think our new serum might be exactly what you want." That's an opener that feels like a human wrote it. Because a human should write it.
Lead with value: What's in it for them beyond free product or payment? Will you feature them on your channels? Can they test something before the public? Will this help them reach a goal they've mentioned?
Respect their time: Be clear about what you're asking. "We're looking for three Instagram posts over two months featuring our product in your daily routine. Our budget for this partnership is $X."
Be wary of the timing: Don't text on weekends, and don't expect immediate responses. Professional creators often have management teams or set aside specific days for business communications.
Once you've sent that perfect outreach message, don't just stare at your inbox. Have a follow-up plan.
Give it 3-5 days before checking in again. Creators are busy, and your message might have slipped through the cracks. A friendly bump-up shows interest without being pushy.
If you still hear crickets after another week, try one more time with a slightly different angle. Maybe mention a new campaign success or share a specific idea you had for them.
After three attempts with no response? Take the hint. Some creators just aren't interested, and that's fine. Trust us, a forced partnership never produces good content anyway. The creators who genuinely get excited about your brand will make content that resonates.
We built our influencer outreach tools after watching marketing teams try to manage relationships through chaotic email threads and forgotten spreadsheets. You can set follow-up reminders, keep conversation history in one place, and save outreach templates without losing that personal touch.
The best partnerships feel like actual relationships, not transactions. The brands winning at influencer marketing treat creators like valued partners, not just billboards they can rent.
Nailed the pitch? Don’t fumble the payout. Later’s Influencer Payments makes it easy to pay creators fast—no awkward follow-ups, no messy spreadsheets. Start sending smooth payments with Later. Book a demo today!
How do you manage brand/influencer relationships?
Strong influencer partnerships don't just happen. They're built, nurtured, and managed like any critical business relationship.
The biggest mistake we see brands make? Treating creators like vendors instead of partners. The best content comes from creators who feel valued beyond the transaction.
Start by setting crystal-clear expectations. A good brief covers content specifics, timelines, approval processes, and usage rights. But leave room for the creator's style—that's what their audience connects with.
Short-term flings or long-term commitment? Both work, but they're quite different.
One-off campaigns give you flexibility to test different creators and content styles. Perfect for product launches or seasonal pushes.
Long-term partnerships build deeper authenticity. When a creator promotes your brand consistently, their audience starts associating you two together. That's powerful stuff.
Money talks, but how you structure it matters. Options include:
Flat fees for specific deliverables
Performance bonuses for exceeding engagement goals
Affiliate links where creators earn commission on sales they drive
Gifting (works for smaller creators, but expect less priority)
Affiliate marketing programs are particularly effective for tracking ROI. When your beauty brand sees exactly which lip gloss sales came from which creator, budget conversations with your CFO are much easier.
Whatever your payment structure, put it in writing. Contracts should cover content ownership, usage rights, exclusivity clauses, and termination terms.
The secret sauce? Communication. Regular check-ins, clear feedback, and recognition when campaigns perform well. Creators talk to each other about which brands are good to work with—be one of the good ones.
How do you incorporate affiliate links into your influencer marketing program?
Want proof that your influencer campaigns work? Affiliate links are your best friend.
Instead of guessing whether your latest collab drove sales, you'll know exactly how many purchases came from each creator. Every click, every cart add, every checkout—all tied directly to specific influencers.
Here's how it works: You give each creator a unique link or code to share with their audience. When someone buys through that link, the creator gets a commission, and you get clear data on who's driving real results.
This changes everything—from "I think our influencer program works" to "Creator X generated exactly $24,875 last month." These are the kind of concrete numbers that make your CFO stop questioning your marketing budget.
The hidden bonus? Creators hustle harder when they're on commission. They're not just cashing a flat check regardless of results—they make more when they sell more. Watch how fast they optimize their content when their paycheck depends on it.
For larger enterprise brands, affiliate programs create a scalable way to work with dozens or hundreds of creators without ballooning your upfront costs. Each campaign becomes a partnership where everyone wins when it performs.
Check out our complete guide to affiliate links to set up a program that drives sales.
How do you run a successful influencer marketing campaign?
Running an influencer campaign isn't rocket science, but it does require actual planning. Skip the "let's wing it" approach.
Every successful campaign follows a basic lifecycle: planning, production, publishing, and performance tracking. Miss any of these, and you're throwing money at pretty Instagram photos, hoping something sticks.
The planning phase is where most brands crash and burn. You need clear goals, effective creator briefs, and enough lead time for creators to do their thing. Rush this part, and the content will feel forced.
Once content starts going live, you need systems to track what's happening. Spreadsheets work for tiny campaigns but fall apart fast when managing multiple creators across platforms.
Campaign management tools keep everything in one place—contracts, content approvals, publishing schedules, and performance metrics.
Don't have the resources to manage it all? You're not alone. Plenty of enterprise brands outsource to Later's services team. They handle everything from finding creators to analyzing results so you can focus on your actual job.
The difference between okay campaigns and great ones usually comes down to organization and follow-through. Get those right, and the results will follow.
How do you measure ROI & performance?
Start with the basics: reach tells you how many people saw your content, while engagement shows if they cared enough to interact. But neither proves your campaign made money.
For that, you need conversion tracking. UTM parameters, unique discount codes, and affiliate links tie specific sales back to specific creators. When a creator drives $50K in sales from a $5K investment, your next campaign budget gets much easier to approve.
We're big fans of affiliate tracking through platforms like Shopify and Mavely Links. They close the loop between that pretty Instagram post and actual dollars in your bank account.
Earned Media Value (EMV) helps translate social performance into monetary terms, which is useful when direct sales aren't your primary goal. Our EMV + ROI tools calculate this automatically, so you don't need a math degree.
The brands winning at influencer marketing check performance weekly, not quarterly. They know which creators drive results and double down accordingly. Want to see performance insights in real time? Book a demo.
What are the best influencer marketing tools/platforms?
The right platform turns influencer chaos into actual strategy. But with dozens of options out there, how do you choose?
We've put together a detailed comparison of the top influencer platforms to help you cut through the noise and find what fits your needs.
What makes Later different? Our platform grew from real experience running thousands of campaigns across every industry. We built the tools we wished we had.
While other platforms offer solid features, Later brings the complete package: creator discovery, campaign management, performance tracking, and real humans who understand your challenges.
We don't just give you access to tools—we give you insights based on what works in 2025. Your campaigns deserve nothing less than battle-tested systems built by marketers for marketers.
What are influencer marketing trends to watch for in 2025?
As we look into 2025 and beyond, several key trends are reshaping how brands work with creators:
AI discovery tools are changing the creator search process. Instead of manual scrolling, smart brands use AI to scan millions of profiles and find creators whose audience matches their target customers.
Niche communities now matter more than raw follower counts. Brands working with specialized creators see better conversion rates because the audience fit is much stronger.
Affiliate partnerships are becoming standard practice. Paying creators based on actual sales drives better results and lets you scale your program without massive upfront costs.
Cross-platform content is the heads-up play. Top brands adapt creator content across channels using the same core material for TikTok, Instagram, ads, and their social feeds.
Success in 2025 won't come from chasing trends. It will come from building practical systems that deliver real results through genuine partnerships that make sense for your business goals.
What are examples of successful influencer marketing campaigns?
Talk is cheap. Results matter. Let's look at brands that crushed influencer campaigns.
2. Chobani
Chobani took a different road, targeting the gaming community on Twitch. Their streamers pulled in 80,000 views (way above the 35K benchmark) and drove serious engagement with 16.7K chat messages.
The campaign went beyond Twitch, too. Creators' posts across Instagram and Twitter generated 7 million impressions. When Chobani boosted select posts, they scored another 15 million impressions and 39.5K clicks.
Both brands didn't just run random campaigns. They built innovative strategies with clear goals and tracked what mattered. See more wins at our case studies page.
Final thoughts & next steps
Influencer marketing isn't going anywhere, and how brands approach it separates winners from the rest. The spray-and-pray method of throwing products at random creators is dead. Strategic partnerships with the right people drive actual results.
Later's platform solves the problems that tank most influencer programs: finding creators who fit your brand, managing campaigns without chaos, and tracking performance beyond vanity metrics.
Our tools were built by marketers who've run these campaigns themselves. We know what works because we've tested it—then built the platform we wished we had.
Stop relying on spreadsheets and email chains. Get a system that works. Book a demo today.
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