Influencer marketing

What influencer marketing can and cannot do

Influencer marketing borrows trust. A creator's followers already listen to them, so a genuine recommendation can introduce your brand to people who would scroll past an ad. For a new cafe, a local skincare line, a gym opening in a new neighbourhood or a product launching online, that first introduction can be valuable.

What it rarely does is replace steady marketing. One post creates a spike; the spike fades in days. The brands that get the most from creators treat them as a recurring channel, work with the same good people several times, and reuse the content in their own ads and profiles.

Choosing creators: audience over follower count

The first question is not "how big?" but "who follows them?". Before shortlisting anyone, I look at:

• Audience location. For a Winnipeg restaurant, a creator whose followers are mostly in Manitoba beats a bigger one with followers spread worldwide.
• Real engagement. Comments that read like real people, saves and shares, steady growth rather than sudden jumps.
• Fit. Whether their tone, values and past partnerships match your brand. A creator who promotes a different competitor every week has less influence than one who is choosy.
• Content quality. Can they show your product clearly, or will you need to brief every shot?

Creators can share their audience statistics from the platform; asking for them is normal and serious creators expect it.

The brief and the agreement

A short, clear brief saves both sides trouble. It covers the key message, what must be shown or said, what to avoid, deadlines, number of posts and Stories, and any links or codes. The agreement adds payment, approval rounds, disclosure and, importantly, usage rights. If you want to run the video as an ad later, that has to be agreed upfront and usually costs extra. When the main goal is ad content rather than reach, UGC content is often a better fit.

Disclosure in Canada

When a creator is paid, gets free products, or earns commission, the connection must be disclosed clearly. The Competition Act prohibits misleading representations, and the Competition Bureau has said influencer posts fall under it; industry guidelines from Ad Standards give practical examples such as #ad or #sponsored placed where people will see it, plus the platform's paid partnership label. In Quebec, the content should also respect French-language requirements for commercial communication; campaigns I run are in English, so any French content would come from your side. I build all of this into the brief so it is not left to chance.

Tracking what each creator sold

Each creator gets a unique code or a personal link with UTM tags, so visits and orders can be attributed. For local businesses, a simple "mention this post" offer or a booking form field can do the same job. After the campaign, you see reach, clicks and sales side by side for each creator. The ones who sold get a second collaboration; the others do not. Over two or three rounds, you end up with a small group of creators who know your product, speak about it naturally and bring customers at a cost you can compare with your ads.

Who this suits

Influencer marketing tends to work well for cosmetics brands, food and drink, restaurants and cafes, fitness, fashion and home products: anything people like to see in use. It suits less well services that are hard to show or that people buy rarely and privately.

How I deliver it

I run influencer campaigns with a trusted partner who handles outreach and day-to-day coordination with creators. I set goals and budget, approve every creator and brief, set up tracking and report results. The contract, deadlines and communication stay with me. For the bigger picture of your profiles, see social media management.