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22 October 2016 | beautystorebusiness.com the opportunity to become an official brand affiliate, with affiliate programs that provide influencers with a link or dis- count code to include in their profile. The link can measure sales earned from their individual promotion and offer anywhere from 7% to 15% commissions on sales generated by influencers via the links. Brands are also engaging influenc- ers directly with press events geared specifically toward them. In May, Ben- efit hosted 50 U.S. influencers and 35 international influencers at an event in Las Vegas to officially launch the Benefit Brow Collection. According to Frusci, this meant tailoring every detail of the event experience to how influencers like to engage and explore. "We wanted to make it special for them, but giving them the first look wasn't enough. We put a lot of thought into developing the individual stations where they sat for the big brow reveal. For example, the ring lights with phone holders [were to ensure] they had the perfect lighting, free Wi-Fi, plus a full phone charge to get them through the day." The global influencer event was a first for Benefit and a big part of its marketing strategy for the Brow Col- lection. Following the event, additional efforts on social media helped generate even more buzz, including a custom Snapchat lens. "[The lens] was another key tactic in our strategy to show the transformation brows make on some- one's face and drive awareness of the new Brow Collection on launch day," says Frusci. Additionally, a growing number of brands are pairing with popular beauty gurus to create unique products, often tailored to a technique the artist is known for, or creating a custom shade that highlights the influencer's personality— instantly becoming a must-have for their fans. One of the most famous collabora- tions is that of popular YouTuber Jaclyn Hill, who launched a highlighter called Champagne Pop with Becca Cosmetics. According to Women's Wear Daily, it sold 25,000 units in 20 minutes; a follow-up palette sold 20,000 in 90 minutes. Other collaborations include makeup artist and YouTuber Wayne Gross with Beautylish for a line of brushes and, recently, Nikki De Jager of @NikkieTutorials with Too Faced Cosmetics on a line of cosmetics, all with overwhelming sales results. MEASURING SUCCESS Once you choose a partner, how can you determine if the relationship is working—or not? "If you're just trying to measure exposure based on relation- ships, tracking the number of posts or total exposure on channels would be one way," says Frucsi. "To take it a step fur- ther, look at engagement of the content for something a bit more meaningful," says Frucsi. Use buffer.com and Google Analytics as a few tools that can help track and report on various data points for most social platforms. Experts agree, the success of a social influencer-brand partnership will be vis- ible in terms of presence, following, reach and, in the long run, sales. But is it worth investing in a relationship that will take time, money and effort to cultivate? The short answer is yes. "With social media continuing to grow—including more platforms, plus the time spent on them by consumers—it's important to identify those [individuals] who have the greatest influence in the beauty cat- egory on those channels," says Frusci. "We definitely believe that influencer- brand relations will continue to grow and be a significant part of our overall marketing strategy." ■ Malena Jaime is a writer and editor in Orange County, CA. Images courtesy of Benefi t Cosmetics "Exposure is great, but if you want to build deeper partnerships with influencers, or build overall awareness with your target audience, it's important that they are a good brand fit." –Nicole Frusci, Benefit Cosmetics TOP SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS Spend ti here it counts. Here, the most popular social media platforms and the value they offer to brands partnering ith influencers. YouTube: The app that gave so many beauty influencers their start continues to be the leading platform for the beauty world. For brands, this platform offers valuable exposure and engagement, as influencers host their own channels and can offer full-length makeup tutorials, product reviews and themed videos. Instagram: Looking for a way to make a quick marketing hit? Instagram offers a condensed snippet of content. Instagram's video capabilities are also growing, allowing influencers to post flash tutorials and directly link back to a brands' Instagram page. Snapchat: Snapchat offers brands and businesses the opportunity to learn more about the influencers due to the more casual and organic nature of the posts. The only drawback for businesses is the lack of concrete tools to track the reach of exposure via influencers—unlike Instagram or YouTube, which visibly tracks likes, comments and views. Twitter: While not the most valuable tool for the aesthetic- driven world of beauty, it is a platform that allows brands and influencers to establish a voice, share news instantly and participate in the global conversation of cosmetics. Facebook: The all-around platform that performs like YouTube, Instagram and Twitter combined, Facebook, as one of the longstanding platforms, will always be a home base for influencers to offer their bios, engage with fans, share media from other platforms and post lengthier updates, news and articles. Beauty infl uencer @shaaanxo at the "BeneVegas" vlogger convention.