A Slow December

All year we prepare for our busy season: the holidays. The influencer marketing community always experiences an influx of brand partnerships which equals longer work days and tight deadlines. Many of us were predicting just how "crazy" this season would be and now that the season is almost over, the reality was that it wasn't that busy.

While many have experienced a surprisingly slow holiday season it's also been the most lucrative year in influencer marketing to date.

That's a very good thing. But before we celebrate, let's talk about what went wrong.

There have been major supply chain issues in our country and around the world. These issues delayed getting necessary products to creators who needed them to shoot content. According to WIIM member Kate Durkin, some brands also "[didn't] want to drive online sales for products that were sold out."

Other brands even prepared influencers with responses to their followers "in case they [got] complaints as to why their items shipped later than expected." This was what Lindsay Glickstein of Starlicity experienced with her clients.

I know that it can feel discouraging to end the year with a Q4 that didn't meet your expectations but if your yearly numbers are solid then don't be too hard on yourself. Look into how your Q1-Q3 compares to pre-pandemic figures.

The takeaway? Despite record growth in our industry, the market is still evening itself out. You may want to adjust your fiscal goals accordingly. On a personal note, my advice is to enjoy this quieter holiday season because it may never happen again.

Big thanks to WIIM member Shannae Ingleton Smith of Kensington Grey for initiating this conversation in our Facebook group.

Happy holidays everyone.

I want to hear from you. Comment below with your experience of December 2021. Was it busier or slower than you expected?

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