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Angela Fisher has a background in the entertainment industry. With the knowledge and network that she’s amassed through her 10+ years of experience working with media giants like Viacom, VH1, and BET, she’s created a new online platform that is helping brands find and connect with BIPOC influencers. Although Neufluence is just getting started, there are big things on their horizon – and therefore, big things for brands and creators.
The world of influencer marketing is growing and showing no signs of slowing down. As using influencers becomes an increasingly important marketing tactic for brands, brands need a way to find and connect with influencers that will resonate with their audience and be a great face for their goods and services. However, finding the right influencer can sometimes feel like bobbing for apples: there’s a lot of trial and error before landing on a match that sticks.
Angela Fisher has developed a platform called Neufluence that helps brands narrow down their search by getting specific about what they are looking for in an influencer and connecting them to one that aligns with their goals.
“Neufluence is a way for brands to discover, connect and partner with BIPOC micro creators, Angela said. “We want them to deliver win-win, data backed, data-driven campaigns that lead to long-term revenue for both sides – not only long-term revenue, but long-term relationships.”
Angela has over 10-years of experience building and launching influencer driven brands for Viacom and her personal agency, AMF media. Throughout the years, she has worked with high-level celebrities, celebrity influencers, and emerging influencers to help build brand awareness and drive sales for a variety of organizations – including McDonalds and Patreon.
The Inspiration Behind Neufluence
It could be said that influencer marketing has always been on Angela’s mind, considering the line of work she’s been in for so long, but there was one event in particular that helped spark the launch of Neufluence.
“Two years ago, I heard a talk by Harvard professors and Yale group about digital transformation. I really started to look at the industry and how it was becoming more technology focused. I wanted to take my business, to take what we do, and turn it into a platform.”
And so, the idea for Neufluence was born. Over the last two years (and especially during downtime caused by the pandemic), Angela has spent time considering how her platform can really make a difference in the world, for influencers and brands, alike.
“The pandemic was a tricky time for all of us, but I also looked at it as a way for me to step back and really think about what I wanted to do in terms of digital transformation in a way that makes an impact. One of the things that became more prevalent in my readings and learnings is that influencers of color, BIPOC influencers and creators, were not being treated equally as their peers.
“They were getting paid less, the opportunities weren’t the same, and they felt an overall… I guess they just felt that especially with everything happening in the broader landscape with George Floyd – just not being seen, not being heard.”
Neufluence’s first and foremost goal is to use influence to make a difference in the world. Not only for influencers and creators, but also for brands that are looking to connect with their audiences in a meaningful way. Angela says that our country is “increasingly becoming a melting pot,” and that “according to Brookings Institute, approximately 45 to 50% of Gen Z and millennials are now BIPOC.”
Making the Connections
As the demographics of the world change, the way the members of those demographics consume information and make decisions changes. Today, people want to be marketed in an authentic way. This might mean they want to see themselves represented in marketing strategies so they can accurately judge whether or not a product is for them.
Unfortunately, as we’ve seen all too often throughout history, BIPOC are frequently left out of the narrative. Influencer marketing is growing – and fast – yet BIPOC creators are seeing similar disparities as they are in corporate America.
“In this discovery of how much of a disparity there was between BIPOC creators, influencers, and general market influencers, it made me reflect on my career. And even as a black-owned business, even as black female executive working at a company, I’ve experienced inequality. Influencer marketing is a growing industry. It’s grown 50% year over year since 2016. Notwithstanding 2020. But it’s still expected to be a $15 billion business by 2022.”
This reflection is exactly what led to the design and production of Neufluence – a platform for BIPOC and brands to come and thrive together. Win-win scenarios for all, every time. This is done through careful vetting of both brands and influencers so each party can get specific about what they’re looking for and then narrow down their search results.
However, Neufluence goes above and beyond asking questions pertaining to what brands and influencers are looking for in a partnership. The platform goes as far as to educate both sides on important aspects of a brand-influencer partnership such as providing metrics, education and guidance for cultivating relationships, and showing their creator community how to present themselves in a way that gives brands confidence to work with them. Through all of these efforts, Neufluence makes meaningful matches that last long term.
Neufluence sees many brands that are interested in working with influencers for the first time, so they make it a point to educate them on the process every step of the way.
“Some of the questions that they’re asking [are], “How do I find the right influencer? How much do they cost? What do I ask for?” When a brand comes to the platform, they complete a brief so they can really segment out the type of influencer, or creator that they want to work with.”
On the side of the influencer, the platform allows them to create a profile that gets to the heart of who they are and how they work, including a feature that allows creators to express their ethnicity in multiple categories to show their culture, or multi-culture.
Furthermore, brands can input specific search criteria that will generate results based on that criteria and then pull up influencers that are likely to fit well.
Looking to the Future
Angela has big plans for Neufluence. Already the platform is connecting brands and influencers from all over the world with one another, but Angela wants to see it become a leader in the BIPOC influencer sphere.
“I want it to be global. We are globally diverse. We are globally mixed. There are no barriers to entry to becoming an influencer, which is great. Coming from entertainment, there were many gatekeepers and barriers to becoming a star. Here you’re essentially self-made.
“I want brands to feel like they can work with any type of creator through our platform and have the confidence and comfortability in creating these authentic campaigns that actually resonate with the audiences they want to reach.”Angela encourages anyone who is interested in becoming a part of Neufluence to contact her at [email protected]
David Adler is an entrepreneur and freelance blog post writer who enjoys writing about business, entrepreneurship, travel and the influencer marketing space.
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