And the challenges?

[Dimaeiya333]

One of the biggest challenges is that you have to take risks because you can't control the message as tightly as when you're the one delivering it. You have to have some room for manoeuvre or for error, because influencers are not experts on the NGO, even if they receive a briefing beforehand. They're just a spokesperson, but they're not very familiar with the subject. They might get some facts wrong or use different wording than the NGO. It can be a bit difficult to convince NGOs to try [influencer marketing] because they're a bit afraid that their brand might be damaged.

To counter this, we set up some brand safety rules that we first agree upon with the content creator. Kolsquare helps us a lot to research influencers , check their brand fit, and see their other collaborations – it helps us to know if they agree with the NGO’s core values. We also use contracts where the creator agrees with the core values ​​and declares that they will make a post containing the message.

Another challenge is recruiting, because NGOs don't usually have a lot of money. It takes time to find influencers who fit the bill because we can't offer them a lot of money. We try to work with small amounts (500 euros or less) because that way we can hold them accountable for actually doing it and doing it well. But it's nothing compared to the amounts that big brands would pay to partner with content creators.

Are NGOs still hesitant to divert money from traditional marketing campaigns to spend on influencer marketing?
Content creator marketing is not very high on their budget priorities. They have other things that work better, like classic email campaigns that generate more donations. Content creator campaigns are usually stronger on awareness KPIs than on conversion KPIs . It depends on the organization’s goals, and also largely on their internal mindset. Some are very open to the idea of ​​content creator marketing and try it out in several campaigns, but others are still hesitant; they are a bit scared because it is something new and they don’t know yet if it suits them. The bigger the need for new, younger target groups, the more open they are to the idea of ​​trying it out.

Are there more suitable platforms for influencer marketing for NGOs? F vp maintenance mailing lead acebook, for example, which has an older audience?
Facebook and Instagram work well for donations. We have also tried TikTok, which works very well for awareness raising , but not for donations. It depends on the product. It is not always about donations. On TikTok, for example, we promote an NGO podcast with specific content for young people. TikTok was a perfect fit.

One channel we use a lot is Twitch, which is a great place to interact with the community. The Twitch community is used to using the chat to talk to the host, they are much more connected. You often have more space because they stream for six hours and talk about your NGO for five minutes; it is very difficult to get someone to talk about you for five minutes on Instagram.

In France, Twitch has a very committed community for fundraising, is this the case in Germany? Do you think Twitch users are more likely to get involved in a good cause?
It's a great group of people. We've worked with at least 75 Twitch streamers who have supported good causes. They're definitely open to it. In Germany there are big fundraising events, not as big as ZEvent in France, which is huge, but some are important.

Right now we're mostly doing one-on-one streams rather than events, because it's very expensive to pay for location costs and get everyone in one place. We give participants as much space as possible, telling them this is our message, please get it out ideally this week, but use whatever time slot you prefer. The goal is to have as many interactions as possible, so if you say your best time slot to stream is Wednesday at 10pm, that's fine, because we trust you and you know your audience best. We try not to push them into our idea, but to use their knowledge of their communities.