Shoppable creator platform, LTK, took home the gold award for the Most Effective Campaign for ROI at the 2022 Influencer Marketing Awards. The company have been consistently awarded at our ceremonies over the past five years, and its success continues to grow.
Dave Murray, Managing Director at LTK Europe, chatted with Hello Partner to share how becoming Influencer Marketing Award winners has encouraged the team to strive for growth, and firm its position as a best-in-class platform in the influencer marketing and creator economy.
What did it mean for you to win at the IMAs last year?
We look forward to this time of year as it is a fantastic way to validate the technology and relationships our team have spent more than a decade building. Reflecting on and celebrating the work we’ve achieved in driving an industry forward is incredibly energising. We’re very proud to be part of recognising the creativity and innovation in the influencer marketing industry.
What exciting things have LTK been up to this year?
LTK has experienced tremendous growth over the past year with brand investment in creator collaborations up 50% across Europe. We remain focused on developing best-in-class mobile features and experiences that empower creators to sell better and more effectively, while also connecting brands with creators to drive impactful business outcomes.
We’ve worked closely with our brand partners to prove the value of creator marketing, leading to an expansion in the ways they are leveraging creators. We are constantly looking to introduce innovative solutions and ways for brands to efficiently and effectively harness the power of creators to meet their business needs.
Are there any interesting influencer/creator marketing trends you have seen arising over the last 12 months?
Creators are vital to brand and performance marketing. For many of our brands, success is increasingly attributed to sales driven by marketing strategy. In addition, marketers are being pushed to maximise the impact of their tactics. With influencer content ranking higher in driving purchase decisions above brand and even user-generated content, marketers are giving creator content a longer shelf life – leveraging the content for multiple formats and platforms such as in print and digital advertising, in-store signage, and owned social content.
Moreover, brands will utilise creator data in a variety of ways outside traditional marketing channels, including using the information to make product design alterations, inventory decisions, and measure long-term consumer brand sentiment.
We’re also seeing a big impact from short-form video content. LTK found across its creator posts that shoppable videos had the strongest sales figures year over year, driving three times the sales growth over still images in the UK. With 66% of consumers preferring video content over still images on social media, and 73% of Gen Z watching creator videos, creators and brands will continue to lean into this trend and offer more bite-sized educational and informational product demonstrations and reviews.
And finally, because creators are helping to close the gap between brands and customers, creator-guided shopping will influence consumers through all aspects of their discovery journey – online and in-store.
LTK found that Gen Z and millennials are turning to influencers for shopping guidance across every category, and rank influencer content as the most essential when making shopping decisions. Due to the current economic climate, shoppers value creator-driven tips and shopping guides on how to be most efficient and practical in their spending decisions. Creator-guided shopping and marketing are showing no signs of slowing down.
The Global Influencer Marketing Awards is returning for its fifth consecutive year on 20th July 2023, this time, hosted at the swanky Londoner Hotel. Ahead of the ceremony, ensure that you have put these important dates in your diary…
- 21.03.23 – Earlybird Entry Deadline
- 11.04.23 – Regular Entry Deadline
- 25.04.23 – Last Chance Entry Deadline
- 23.06.23 – Shortlist Announced
Download the entry kit now, and take inspiration from LTK, and also THE FIFTH, who have both shared their Influencer Marketing Award-winning experience.
