Influencers work hard to gain their audience's trust, making their recommendations more persuasive than other forms of advertising, which is why unboxings and creative influencer mailers have grown in popularity over the years. While a recommendation from a friend or family member is valuable, it's only a one-to-one interaction, but with influencers, this interaction could happen with hundreds, thousands, or even millions of people.

In this blog, we’ll share some stats on the influencer landscape - and our top five tips when creating the best, most-memorable influencer mailer! 

For starters, let’s look at the current landscape of influencer marketing:

• In 2022, the influencer market in the U.S. was valued at a record 16.4 billion. (source: statista) 
• 1 in 4 marketers currently leverage influencer marketing. (source: Influencermarketing.com)
• 72% of Gen Z and Millennials follow influencers on social media. (source: Morningconsult.com)
• 89% of marketers who currently engage with influencer marketing will increase or maintain their investment in 2023. (source: hubspot)

As we can see, influencer marketing is huge and growing. But is it effective? These stats would say, yes! 

• 50% of Millennials trust product recommendations from influencers. This drops to 38% for product recommendations from celebrities. (source: Morningconsult.com)
• 92% of marketers believe that influencer marketing is an effective form of marketing. (source: influencermarketinghub.com)‍
• 33% of Gen Z-ers have bought a product based on an influencer's recommendation in the past three months. (source: Hubspot)

Top 5 tips when creating Influencer Mailer

1. Sustainability is in
   Keep this top of mind when designing your mailer. At Harper + Scott, we’re B corp certified and sustainability is top of mind when designing and developing any product. We use the best materials and the least amount of waste. This is imperative for brands today. There’s nothing more off-putting than an influencer opening a box with so much wasteful paper and plastic - people will notice! Our advice - work with a team that will source sustainable products and minimize waste!   

2. Have a thoughtful Design
   When creating a mailer it's imperative that the design makes sense and that it's a good user experience. You want it to be easy for the influencer to open ( nothing worse than it taking forever to get to the product when in a video). Additionally, make sure it has the correct inserts for your products, that way they aren’t flying all over the place when opened. The user experience is everything when creating unboxing videos! 

3. Brand it 
   This one seems obvious, but it’s important that the design features your brand. This is especially important for static posts and for audiences who may listen without volume. One thing to note though is that the packaging should stay true to your brand look. Work with a team of designers to make the branding make sense for the mailer!  

4. Have a creative Design
   Influencers get so many mailers, it’s important that yours sticks out - and also leaves a lasting impression on the consumer watching. It’s important to stay on brand but also stick out. Make it interactive ( think breakable chocolates), or an overall experience. Use bright colors ( if that's aligned with your brand) - and consider adding textures ( again, if on-brand!) 

5. Include freebies for unboxing experiences
   Everyone loves a surprise and delight! Branded stickers, keychains, water bottles etc are all amazing things to include in your unboxing experience. It’s a low cost way to potentially have the influencer promote your brand even more ( them carrying around your branded water bottle). It’s a chance to increase impressions and improve the overall customer experience.

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These tips are just scratching the surface on what can make a mailer great. Reach out to us at hello@harperandscott to learn more about our approach to influencer mailers and to see some of our work! 

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