The creator economy is booming.
This billion-dollar economy has over 207 million expert content creators, including YouTubers, musicians, bloggers, social media influencers, you name it.
But why and how?
Influencers, or creators, have an ever-increasing power to shape consumer decisions and trends. This means they can influence people to make a positive or negative decision regarding a product, service, place, etc. For businesses, managing influencer marketing can be tricky, especially if you can't find the right resources to do it with.
This is where Shopify Collabs (formerly Dovetale Shopify) comes in. If you are a Shopify merchant looking to understand and use influencer marketing for your business, then you have come to the right place.
This blog will be your one-stop guide to influencer marketing for Shopify merchants, exploring the importance of influencer marketing, what Shopify Dovetale is, its functionalities and benefits, and a step-by-step guide on setting up and using it.
What is Dovetale Shopify?
Before August 16, 2022, Dovetale was just another popular influencer marketing platform within the Shopify ecosystem. It allowed Shopify store owners to connect with creators (influencers) and manage their influencer marketing campaigns. Recognizing the growing importance of influencer marketing, Shopify acquired Dovetale in a strategic move to further empower its merchants.
This acquisition wasn't just about adding Dovetale's features to Shopify. It marked a significant shift – the discovery of Shopify Collabs. Shopify Collabs is the rebranded version of Dovetale that is now seamlessly integrated into the Shopify admin panel (and is free for all merchants to use). This means you can now manage your influencer marketing efforts directly within your existing workflow, eliminating the need for a separate platform.
Shopify Collabs offers many features and tools designed to simplify and streamline influencer marketing for merchants. These include:
- Influencer Discovery: Find and connect with relevant creators who perfectly align with your brand and target audience.
- CRM (Customer Relationship Management): Manage all your influencer relationships effectively within the platform.
- Outreach: Easily reach out to potential influencers with personalized campaign invites.
- Reporting and Analytics: Track campaign performance, analyze key metrics like impressions and engagement and gain valuable insights to optimize your future campaigns.
- Gifting: Effortlessly send product samples to influencers for reviews and promotions.
- Content Collection: Collect high-quality influencer-generated content to leverage across your marketing channels.
- Affiliate Marketing Capabilities: Integrate affiliate marketing into your influencer campaigns to incentivize sales and track influencer performance directly through Shopify Collabs.
Influencer Marketing for Shopify: Is It Important?
Let’s dive a bit deeper into why we need Dovetale Shopify.
Influencer marketing for eCommerce involves partnering with content creators or individuals who have established credibility and have a dedicated following within a specific niche or interest to promote your brand or products. These "influencers" could be anyone, such as YouTubers, bloggers, specific social media influencers such as beauty vloggers, etc.
In today's digital age, consumers increasingly rely on recommendations and reviews from trusted sources before making purchasing decisions. A whopping 92% of consumers trust word-of-mouth recommendations from friends and family, while 69% of consumers trust influencer recommendations (Source: Marketing Dive). This highlights the importance influencers play in shaping consumer behavior.
For Shopify merchants, influencer marketing is an excellent opportunity to reach new audiences and boost sales. Studies reveal that influencer marketing delivers an average return on investment (ROI) of $5.78 for every $1 spent.
Benefits of Influencer Marketing for Shopify Merchants
Here's how influencer marketing can benefit Shopify merchants like you:
- Building Trust: Consumers are more likely to trust recommendations from influencers they follow than traditional advertising. Genuine influencer partnerships can build brand credibility and trust with potential customers.
- Targeted Marketing: Influencer marketing allows you to target specific demographics perfectly aligned with your ideal customer profile. Partnering with influencers whose audience overlaps with your target market is great for laser-focused marketing efforts.
- Content Creation: Influencers come with exceptional content creation skills that you can utilize. They create engaging content in their own style, showcasing your products in a way that connects with their audience. This authentic content can be far more impactful than traditional advertising.
- Increased Engagement: Influencers have a knack for creating engagement with their audience. Partnering with them can drive traffic to your Shopify store and increase engagement with your brand on social media.
- Improved Brand Image: Promoting your product also means enhancing your brand image. Partnering with influencers who carry similar values and lifestyles associated with your brand can elevate your brand perception in the eyes of consumers.
How Does Dovetale Shopify Work?
The purpose of the Shopify Collabs app is to help merchants manage all their store-related influencer marketing campaigns in one place and within their existing Shopify admin panel.
So, how does it work for merchants? Here's the process in a nutshell. Don't worry; we will detail the process of setting up Shopify Collabs in the next section.
For merchants:
- Create a branded application page highlighting your brand and attracting relevant creators. You can create one within the admin panel, by completing the form that looks like this:
- Search in the creator database within Shopify Collabs for suitable creators for your brand.
- Send personalized campaign invites directly to high-performing or relevant influencers or those you've already collaborated with.
- Create unique discount codes and affiliate links to share with influencers for easy product promotion.
- E-send product samples to influencers for reviews and promotions (no more manual grunt work). Creators can choose product options and provide their shipping information directly on the platform.
- Once the campaign is up and running, you can start tracking key metrics like sales generated through influencer partnerships to measure the campaign's effectiveness.
- You can even set up automatic commission payments to simplify payouts and incentivize creators.
For Creators:
Creators who want to be a part of Shopify's creator network can do so (effortlessly) with the help of Shopify collabs. Here's what creators need to do:
- Meet the eligibility criteria (at least 1,000 followers on a single platform).
- Browse a vast selection of products from established brands and identify opportunities to promote items you love.
- Create unique affiliate links for chosen products without needing individual brand approvals.
- Share your affiliate links with your audience and earn commission on every sale generated through your unique link.
- Monitor your link performance, track sales, and get paid automatically every month.
Creators can apply for brand collaboration for better benefits, including:
- Better commission rates
- Discounts for your followers
- Gifts and samples
Read more: Shopify Collabs Review: Everything You Need to Know
How to Set Up & Use Dovetale Shopify
Now that we have learned everything about Shopify Collabs, from its features to its benefits, it's time to set it up and use it.
Accessing Shopify Collabs
- Log in to your Shopify admin panel.
- Navigate to the "Marketing" section.
- In the "Marketing apps" section, click on "View more marketing apps". This will direct you to the Shopify Apps Store. Alternatively, you can go directly to Shopify App Store.
- If you are not able to find the Shopify Collabs in the list, you can simply search for them above.
- Click on "Install" to add the app to your store.
- Once the installation is complete, you can start setting up the application.
Setting Up a Campaign:
- At this point, the Collabs app should appear under the "Apps" section on the left. Click on it.
- Read through the instructions that are appearing on the screen and click on "Get started."
- In the form, your email address will be automatically detected from your store information.
- In the target market section, choose your product category and target audience.
- If you are targeting multiple locations, don't forget to add them by clicking on "Edit" next to the "Countries" option.
- Once all details are completed, click on "Finish setup."
Quick read: Shopify Collabs - Everything You Need To Know About Shopify's Newest Addition
Understanding the Overview:
This section provides an overview of your Shopify Collabs profile and how to get started using it.
- It includes information on how to:
- Invite existing affiliates to join your Collabs program.
- Recruit new creators through your store by creating a custom application page and adding it to your store.
- Get discovered by creators in the Collabs Network by activating your profile and sharing it with creators on the network.
Recruiting Influencers:
You can also browse through the creators in the same category as your business in the recruiting section or from the overview section itself. You can share your business profile to get applications, and you can invite creators to apply through email. It's that easy! You can also add filters specifically to find specific creators.
When any creators accept your offer or have applied to become creators for your brand, you can view them in the "Connections" tab.
Programs and Payments:
In the programs section, you can set up your tiers and gift options for the creators.
- By default, you will be able to see a 10% commission on all products that get sold through the creators, as well as a 10% discount on products for customers.
- You can delete this tier if you want to, or create another one and add creators you wish to each tier.
- To create gifts, you can choose from three options: free product, discount code (percentage), or discount code ($).
- Once you have made a choice, you can fill in the necessary details and click on "Create gift."
Moving onto the payment section, it will show you the commissions earned by the creators from your paid Shopify orders that came through them. You have the option to pause a payout for 30 days by opening a dispute in case of any discrepancies. After that, the payments will be added to your next Shopify bill.
Pros & Cons of Dovetale Shopify In 2024
Shopify Collabs offers a built-in platform for connecting with influencers, but is it all sunshine and roses? Here's a look at both sides:
Pros:
- Shopify Collabs integrates directly into your Shopify store, allowing you to manage influencer partnerships within your existing dashboard.
- You can easily find creators who align with your brand through category filters and audience insights. This can help attract relevant influencers who resonate with your target audience.
- Everything is trackable. See which influencers drive sales, how much commission needs to be paid out, how many sales have come in from each creator, etc., allowing you to optimize your strategy.
- Attract high-engaging influencers with discount codes, track affiliate commissions, and send product samples directly through the platform, simplifying campaign logistics.
Cons:
- The Collabs campaign metrics cannot be tracked through the "Marketing" tab on the admin panel.
- Some of the user reviews suggest the creator pool might skew towards smaller influencers. This could be a drawback for brands seeking established names.
- Complaints regarding a clunky signup process and lack of control over influencer actions might deter some creators.
- A few reviews mention encountering bugs and glitches within the app, potentially causing disruptions to campaigns.
- If your business falls into a unique category not recognized by Collabs, finding relevant collaborators could be challenging.
Shopify Collabs offers a convenient solution for Shopify merchants looking for influencer partnerships to increase brand awareness and sales. While some limitations exist, the platform's ease of use, built-in tools, and performance tracking make it a compelling option.
To Sum it Up,
The importance of the creator economy for the success of even eCommerce business is evident now, and Shopify investing in this is a testament to its growth and relevance.
Shopify Collabs is definitely a one-stop shop for managing influencer marketing campaigns within your Shopify store. But remember, success hinges on the right fit. To maximize your results,
- Look beyond follower count and identify creators who align with your brand voice and target audience.
- Reach out to creators outside the platform as well for maximum reach.
There are plenty of additional Shopify apps that can help you with influencer and affiliate marketing.
By following these steps and with the help of Shopify Collabs, you can build mutually beneficial influencer partnerships that drive sales and brand awareness. Remember, seeing results from influencer marketing takes time. Be patient, experiment, and adapt to maximize the return on your investment.
To explore more, check out: A Complete Guide to Start a Successful Online Clothing Business with Shopify in 2024
