Hi Alex! What's your story? 📜
Alexandra here! The first Influencer Marketing Specialist at bunq. I was blessed to be given this challenge, and my journey involves a lot of mapping of uncharted waters. Which is what makes it so fun!
While I majored in Political Communication, I always knew that marketing was my calling. Growing up in a business focused family, I naturally developed an entrepreneurial side, which later on brought me to my first marketing gig for my brothers' company. My experience in Greece taught me how to work smart and be efficient on a budget, which is something I've kept with me ever since.
In 2018, I landed an internship in Europe's biggest Influencer Agency, which developed into a full-time job, where I’ve learnt almost everything I know today about Social Media and Influencer Marketing. Before, I was clueless about all the work, strategy, negotiations, reporting and legal matters that go into this role, but so happy to be involved in all the steps of the way. That definitely came in handy when starting my bunq adventure.
So… what’s Influencer Marketing? ⚡
Influencer Marketing is a hybrid of old and new marketing tools. It takes the idea of celebrity endorsement and places it into the modern-day, content-driven marketing world. However, Influencer Marketing doesn’t involve celebrities. Instead, it revolves around content creators who over time, have created a niche and loyal audience that shares the same interests as them. This is what makes influencers attractive for brands to work with. To put it simply, Influencer Marketing is Word of Mouth 2.0.
What’s it like to work in Influencer Marketing? 🙌
Being an extrovert and social savvy person at heart, it's so fulfilling to work with influencers! Over the past year at bunq, I had the opportunity to:
- co-create cool content with numerous international creators
- work with them on photoshoots
- bring them over to our infamous bunq Updates
- create genuine ambassadorships
At some point, I even created merch for bunq, such as beers with Jopen (a famous Dutch brewery), or pillows for the (un)heard x bunq music project! I love the social and creative aspect that comes with my job. Not to fangirl, but I'm so excited to meet and mingle with people that I follow and actually influence me in my everyday life. Such a win-win!
Day to day, the highlights are creating briefs and coming up with creative concepts. However, nothing compares to sitting down to watch the end result - the concept being brought to life by amazing storytellers. Like this one below!
How does bunq work with influencers, and should more companies follow? 🌈
Nearly three quarters of millennials follow influencers on social media, and turn to social networks before making a purchase. Accordingly, 1 in 4 Millennials and the Gen Z cite influencers as the most common medium for learning about new products and brands. So if your audience looks something like this, you should also consider working with influencers.
For some, banking is a traditional industry that doesn't really have anything to do with influencers. This argument might hold for traditional banks, but definitely not for fintech. Banking is changing, and owning the “new world” digital landscape will become a necessity for any bank out there that's looking to get ahead of the curve.
bunq is inherently digital, and strives to challenge what banking is and can do for you. One step at a time, bunq is becoming a lifestyle choice of those who are free - and what better place to find The Free than online? Hassle free, and on the go! Over the past year, and after 6 beautiful campaigns, our spread the love strategy using influencer referral links has led to an impressive increase of sign-ups and millions of impressions!
Okay okay - one size doesn’t fit all. Depending on the industry, you need to find which approach works for you, your niche, the platform you need to target, the size and number of influencers for accomplishing your goal. This process takes some trial and error, but remember to experiment starting small, track and monitor, and lastly: stick to what works! After all, it's not about talking to everybody, but to your people.
Any advice for how to apply influencer marketing to any industry? 🎤
Authentic matches are key. The winning strategy is to approach the collaboration as two equal brands coming together. Their audience trusts and relies on their endorsements, as one would trust a friend's recommendation, and influencers are very much aware of the power they hold. To create an authentic match between your brand and influencers, make sure to approach the ones who share the same values with your brand, and don't forget to highlight this in the brief to capture their attention. Be open to co-create, shape the brief together and take on their suggestions. Remember, they’re the ones who know how to reach their audience best!
Thanks for sharing your inspiring story with us, Alexandra! Lovely hearing from you. ❤️
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