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4 Subscription Box Brands Delivering Killer Influencer Marketing Strategies

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What first started as a way to try sample-sized products has quickly evolved into a full-blown industry of subscription boxes packed with meal kits, beauty products, new clothing, pet supplies, books — you name it. In fact, online visits to mainstream subscription box sites increased nearly nine-fold from 2014 to 2018. And just in the first quarter of last year, 18.5 million Americans visited at least one subscription box site.

But how can your brand break through the clutter and get the attention of consumers in this saturated market? With influencer marketing, of course! With smart influencer marketing strategies, your brand can increase brand awareness, expand reach, and eventually drive more sales.

In this two-part series, we’re examining influencer marketing strategies specifically for subscription box brands. In part one, we explored six influencer marketing best practices that we gathered after examining hundreds of successful collaborations on Aspire.

Now, in part two, we’ll look into four subscription box brands who are delivering killer influencer marketing strategies.

YogaClub

TL;DR Because YogaClub’s products appeal to a wide range of women, the brand specifically works with a diverse group of influencers. Then, it repurposes influencer-generated content on all of its branded marketing channels and paid ads.

YogaClub has mastered sourcing dynamic content. Because the company needs to showcase their broad range of activewear and resonate with a wide audience, they work with a diverse group of influencers. To do so, the brand specifically collaborates with influencers from a variety of niches, including fitness, fashion, and moms.

The brand also gives its influencers creative freedom to produce high-quality content and they’re always blown away by the results. Not only do the influencers perfectly capture YogaClub’s outfits in a variety of yoga poses, they also clearly explain how the subscription works and how the box is personalized to match each individual’s style.

Additionally, repurposing influencer-generated content (IGC) has become second nature to YogaClub. The company repurposes IGC on all of its marketing channels, including their email newsletters, website, and paid Facebook and Instagram ads. View their full case study here.

FabFitFun

TL;DR FabFitFun has always differentiated themselves by branding their subscription box as a lifestyle experience. To go one step further, they ask influencers to produce creative video content, appealing to the average consumer in an organic and innovative way.

FabFitFun is great at establishing brand differentiation. With products ranging from beauty, fashion, fitness, wellness, home, technology, and more, the brand has always stood out from the crowd by branding itself as a lifestyle experience.

In an interview, the brand’s Senior Director of Influencer Marketing Jolie Jankowitz explained that it has always strived to be different. She explained, “So many brands and influencers are doing the same thing — but what works for one brand, may not work for another. Always strive to push boundaries and don’t be afraid to test something new.”

Image by @rocky_barnes

With its amazing products in tow, the brand launched its influencer program in 2014 and has since worked with over 10,000 influencers, ranging from micro-influencers to celebrities. The brand started by working with YouTubers — many of whom they still work with — to create engaging videos.

The influencers create unboxing videos as well as “tag” videos, in which each influencer posts about a product from the box and tags another influencer to share how they use or style that item, creating a chain of engaging content.

Bitsbox

TL;DR Bitsbox works with a diverse group of mommy influencers to target other families looking for child-focused content. The company then tests the content to determine what resonates most with its audience and what kind of content it should repurpose.

As an educational subscription box, Bitsbox works specifically with mommy influencers to drive engagement with its target audience -- families. Through its influencers, Bitsbox is able to collect lots of diverse content featuring different settings and different kids.

Furthermore, they're able to source enough content to run performance tests and gather data on which images work best on their ads. For instance, they found that content featuring the box achieved better engagement rates than those without. And with this important finding, they asked influencers to include the box in the next round of content.

Bitsbox also repurposed influencer-generated content on all of its owned social media channels, such as email blasts, website, and social media, along with paid ads on Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter, and more. The large quantity of content also allowed the brand to present fresh content on their ads every month.

View their full case study here.

Ipsy

TL;DR Ipsy creates long-term partnerships with its content creators, who make a few videos per month including some of Ipsy’s products. The company also shares great incentives for people to engage with the brand time and time again.

Ipsy nurtures long-term relationships with its content creators. Michelle Phan, the co-founder of Ipsy, combined her experience of being a YouTuber and her genuine passion for all things beauty to build Ipsy’s 10,000-person network of amateur beauty vloggers called Open Studio, the company’s in-house creator program.

The company asks each influencer to make a few videos a month with items from Ipsy’s Glam Bag, but the rest of the content is up to them. In exchange, the influencers receive access to Ipsy’s Open Studio, mentoring, networking, and publicity opportunities, as well as other special tools, such as a mobile app that helps with beauty giveaways. In the video below, one of Ipsy’s creators provides a makeup tutorial using the products from one of Ipsy’s Glam Bags.

Additionally, Ipsy gives great incentives for its customers to engage frequently with the brand. The company awards points for not only referring a friend or gifting a subscription, but also for following the brand’s influencers on social media or leaving reviews. On top of their rewards program, they often run giveaway contests on Instagram.

Because of these efforts, the brand reports achieving customer retention rates above 80%. And with such easy incentives, it’s hard to resist subscribing over and over again!

Interested in building a successful influencer marketing campaign? Request an Aspire demo here.

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