What are the most effective ways to gain access to data and analytics as an influencer?

If you’re an influencer, you’re essentially serving a dual role as B2B digital service provider (for brands) and B2C online entertainer, educator and — well — influencer (for consumers). As such, influencers have at least two distinct audiences, or user personas, with different needs, goals, pain points, user environments and buying motivations and triggers. This is why, especially in more complex environments (e.g., with ongoing brand collaborations and an active pipeline, as well as millions of subscribers), influencers should harness the power of a customer data platform (CDP) to truly understand and empathize with both/all their audiences.

Use Social Media Analytics: Social media platforms often provide built-in analytics tools. Utilize these tools to track the performance of your posts, engagement metrics, and audience demographics. Platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter offer insights and analytics. Google Analytics: If you have a website or blog, integrate Google Analytics to monitor your web traffic, user behavior, and conversion rates. This tool can provide valuable insights into your website's performance. Influencer Marketing Platforms: Many influencer marketing platforms and agencies offer analytics and performance metrics. These platforms can provide detailed data on campaign performance, audience demographics, and engagement rates.

One thing I've found helpful is having my clients attend as many external seminars the different social media platforms offer. It's their main goal to dilute the data to a digestible form when it comes to looking at it on your personal profile but if you participate in the programs and join cohorts offered by the platforms you're bound to go beyond the basics.

Influencers can access valuable data and analytics through: Platform Insights: Utilize built-in analytics on platforms like Instagram, YouTube, and Twitter. Third-Party Analytics Tools: Explore tools like Google Analytics, Hootsuite, or Socialbakers for comprehensive insights. Collaboration with Brands: Collaborate with brands for access to campaign-specific data. Audience Surveys: Directly engage followers through surveys for qualitative insights. Google Search Console: Monitor website performance and search traffic. CRM Systems: Implement Customer Relationship Management systems for data management.

Unlocking analytics takes proactive requests and relationship building - like forging friendships with secretive cohorts through trust over time. Inquire about performance metrics in initial outreach. Check in frequently, express gratitude. Publicly celebrate brand partners that share data insights. Reciprocity and persistence pay off for intel needed to refine your approach. ?? Now go connect - let’s gain that influencer insight!

Leverage the analytics provided by social media platforms (e.g., Instagram Insights, YouTube Analytics, Twitter Analytics). These tools offer valuable insights into audience demographics, engagement, and content performance. Also explore third-party analytics tools designed for influencers. A tool I use alot in my line of work is taggermedia.com. It can aggregate data from multiple platforms, providing a comprehensive overview of your online presence.

For influencers, try to leverage a 3rd party tool like Sprout Social or the ones listed here. Brands (and their agency partners) need to understand what they can expect from an influencer's sponsored content Brands recognize that every campaign and sponsored post is different, but providing these types of benchmarks can help you stand out from other influencers a brand may be considering.

100% connect with a third party tool that gives you deeper access than creator dashboards. While I find that most creators are well versed with native social platform insights, accessing deep data will help creators not only deepen their understanding of their performance, but also help them stand out for future partnerships. Brands want to understand how creators can help them move the needle, quantifying influence is one way for creators to do so and connecting with third party tools helps. Captiv8 allows creators to also authenticate and get access to data through API partnerships - FYI! #marketingstrategy #influencermarketing

My favorite third party tools specifically for my music artists clients have been Chartmetric and DemographicsPro while both may be costly they have come in handy as streaming services are often the last bit to share information. For creator clients, I really like Famous Birthday Pro.

Say yes to paid media campaigns, I know it seems scary at first to have a brand or 3rd party buyer put money into an advertisement for your creator profile but the insights you'll gain outweigh the handful of comments you'll get about it being too much of an #ad. When a campaign has paid media behind it, brands utilize their in-house data and overall if you engage with the brand they're more likely to let you in on what they've learned. Don't be afraid to ask! Where and who did you convert!

My two favorite creator tools to pitch new clients who are looking to push beyond their comfort zone of the main social platforms are newsletters & sms services. If you had the power to text or email just 100 of your closest fans the possibilities are endless. Fans and audiences alike are on their phones day in and day out and texting and emailing are just one more way to reach your community,

As an influencer, you possess an invaluable asset—direct access to a highly targeted audience. Whether thinking about potential brand partnerships or general content plans, engaging directly with your audience through polls and qualitative research can yield significant insights. By crafting 3-5 pointed questions and running them on Instagram stories, you can gauge your active community's sentiments on any subject. This approach not only informs your content strategy but also provides crucial data for negotiating brand partnerships. By understanding what resonates with your audience, you can ensure that your content not only aligns with their interests but also fortifies your community and personal brand.

In my experience, I started to provide a platform for motorcycle riders to share and connect with one another before IG was ever around. Knowing your audience and the need for engagement is key. My social media took off because I was very direct with my purpose and filled a niche

Influencers should not only focus on their audience but also on the brands they collaborate with or aim to work with. A fundamental step is to follow these brands' social media. However, deeper insights come from understanding their marketing goals, objectives, and outcomes. This can be achieved by keeping up with trade publications, agency blogs (covering digital, creative, and media buying sectors), and actively participating in marketing events. By doing so, influencers can gain a richer perspective on brands' marketing strategies, experiences, and views on influencer marketing, which can significantly inform and enhance their own strategies.

Data trade! One of my latest recommendations to influencer talents is comparing comparable talents data to one another. Don't gate keep your data from those in your community you're stronger together!

Influencers will need to invest heavily in data analytics; they will either double down and learn how it works or invest in an expert, just like they do for creative teams. Competitor analyses and how they can drive these insights to make actionable decisions are key. Professionals will know how to scrape data through APIs and analyze it on different analysis platforms.

I must say that there are a variety of ways to stay on top of your metrics. As an influencer, accessing data and analytics involves utilizing social media platforms' insights tools, third-party programs like Hype Auditor and Influencer Marketing Hub, and seeking collaboration with groups like Women in Influencer Marketing. Strengthen your analytics by requesting detailed performance metrics from previous collaborations, fostering a more informed and strategic approach to your content strategy.

When it comes to influencer Marketing, my Most prefered platform is Instagram as I belongs to Hospitality. There is a lots of scope to promote luxury reosts on Instagram thorugh influencers. One reliable method to validate an Instagram influencer's authenticity is by examining their engagement rates. Genuine influencers tend to have a strong and active following, with consistent interaction from their audience. Take a closer look at their comments, likes, and shares to determine if their followers are genuinely engaged with their content. If they have worked with reputable companies or have been featured in well-known campaigns, it's a positive sign that they have credibility in the industry.

Influencers should consider partnering with agencies—digital, creative, media buying, and influencer-focused. These agencies usually have access to advanced third-party analytical tools, often out of reach (and budget) for individual influencers. By collaborating with them, you can tap into these resources to enhance your audience insight and content strategy. This not only benefits your short- and long-term growth but also aids the agencies in maintaining a roster of high-quality influencers, which is crucial for their partner relationships with brands.

Before you even look for data, you need to know what data you actually need this will obviously be based on your goals but the two main ones I can think of are: Closing more brand deals Growing your platform For closing more brand deals you need to what brands want, most often it’s anything that will show/ give some sort of guarantee that they will get results, so on that note some of the most important data is that from brand partnerships, the data you have access to and also the data you don’t have access to that you need to ask the brand for: Sales data Follower uplift Website view uplift