Today I have a special guest who is also an influencer marketing expert discussing the past and future trends of influencer marketing. P.J. Leimgruber is the founder of one of the leading influencer marketing platforms, NeoReach, and he most recently founded the Clash App.

He developed this new app because he feels that the existing brand deal system that is prominent in influencer marketing is broken. That's why PJ recently joined forces with former Vine sensation, Brendon McNerney, to launch Clash, a short-form video app with built-in creator monetization tools, to solve the problem, and provide the infrastructure necessary to create a more sustainable brand-deal ecosystem.

Some of the things we discussed include:

How social media user behavior is changing going into 2022, and why that's a good thing (creating more authentic interactions, building off of connections to niche audiences and devoted fanbases)
How brands can leverage "microtransactions" and tools like Clash drops to connect with target audiences
What changes we will see in 2022 in influencer marketing trends

Key Highlights

[02:08] Introduction of Podcast Guest, P.J. Leimgruber

[04:28] P.J's Journey To Founding Neoreach and Digital Marketing

[07:49] Using Influencers Instead Of Traditional Ads

[10:28] The Difference of Social Media Now Compared Before

[12:49] Creating More Authentic Interactions

[13:53] Why Brand-Deal Relationships Are Broken Today

[15:49] The Problem With How Influencers Are Treated

[16:51] What Are Microtransactions And How Brands Can Leverage Them

[19:07] What Clash App Does

[25:25] The Shift For Influencer Marketing Next Year

[28:48] Connect With PJ

Notable Quotes

It doesn't necessarily need to be in the sense of scale, in terms of millions of followers, you know, we're seeing these small micro creators have had great success doing what they love. And that's encouraging to see.
I think that creators now more than before, really understanding that distinction, and really think about how do they cultivate those relationships with those top fans.
I encourage the folks that are on the brand side, to really rethink their influencer strategy and that lens and think less about the performance metrics and the views and the numbers and really think about the creation of the fostering a connection between the brand and the creator, the same way that the craters foster that connection with their fans.
What we want to start thinking is not what the creators think about is how do I break away from needing to fit the mold of what the brands are looking for, into saying that I just want to be me, and I want to build relationships with my fans, I want to build my digital community, I want to connect with my ride or die fans.

Guest Links:

Neoreach:

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