This document proposes a strategy for companies to empower customers to become micro-influencers by incentivizing them to create and share authentic content about products through social media. It notes current challenges with influencer marketing like lack of measurable ROI. The strategy would turn customers into micro-influencers by having them create video reviews and other shoppable content to promote products with affiliate links. This would give customers commissions and provide brands new social reach, word-of-mouth marketing, and measurable sales.

1. Empower Customers to Become Micro-Influencers
By Melissa D. Salas

2. WHO WE ARE
Indi is lead by a team of ecommerce veterans who have sold $5 Billion online
including $1 Billion in affiliate sales. We have built and sold multiple Internet companies for more than $500 Million
© 2017 Indi.com Inc. All rights reserved. CONFIDENTIAL
Current:
• Global Brand Development & Marketing
Director for Indi.com
Former:
• Senior Director of Marketing for Swiss
Watch International
• On-Air Personality and Co-Host for
Buy.com TV Show
• Director of Marketing & Public Relations
for Buy.com
Current:
• Board Member ITA
• Advisor Noon.com
• Ranked #1 in US in Men’s 45s Doubles
Tennis
Former:
• CEO & Chairman Bluefly.com
• CEO and President Buy.com
• Sold Buy.com to Rakuten for $250M
• Operating Partner Clearlake Capital
• Board Member Coastal.com (sold for
$400M)
• Board Member Rakuten USA
• Board Member PrimeSport (sold to
Carlyle)
N E E L
G R O V E R
M E L I S S A
S A L A S

3. AFFILIATE MARKETING: PRESENT

4. Affiliate channel too heavy on low margin “deal” sales. Not
gaining enough loyal, healthy new customers.
Social is pay-to-play and low converting. Positive fans are
drowned out by customer service issues and trolls.
Macro-Influencer marketing ROI not measurable. Up to 50%
fake followers.
Shoppers want photos, videos and UGC, but content
sourcing is hard and risky to the brand.

5. CUSTOMER INFLUENCER MARKETING
The Future
Source: Pepperjam Network

6. MICRO VS MACRO INFLUENCERS
TURN CUSTOMERS INTO MICRO INFLUENCERS
Source: OneProductions.com

7. INFLUENCER MARKETING STATS
Source: OneProductions.com

8. VIDEO + COMMERCE
73%
of consumers are more likely to
purchase
after watching a video that explains the
product or service
96%
of consumers say that product
information videos are helpful
when making purchase decisions
online
When the consumer enjoys a product
video, it increases purchase intent by
97% and brand association by
139%
50%
of all internet users look for online
videos relating to a product or service
before visiting a store

9. This equates to a 0.0024% engagement, and that
engagement is only in the form of a simple Facebook
‘Like’.
HP has over 4 Million FB Followers and received only
96 Likes on this post.
S O C I A L R E A C H
To make matters worse, there are mostly negative
comments to an HP post, and those single
comments by individuals can and do get more FB
Likes than the original HP post
N E G AT I V I T Y
BRANDS AND FACEBOOK PROBLEM
SOCIAL ENGAGEMENT
Forrester Research found that brands reach less than 2% of their Facebook followers and less than
1% of their Twitter followers. Even then, engagement is minimal if any at all.

10. Incentivize customers to
create and share
authentic content
with links to your products.
Social Reach New Customers Margin Sales

11. CUSTOMERS BECOME MICRO-INFLUENCERS
Retailer’s Customer Influencer Product
Videos with Shoppable Links
Individual Social Streams Promoting
Product Videos with Shoppable Links
All Powered by Indi
U S E R S S P R E A D S H O P P A B L E C O N T E N T A C R O S S S O C I A L V I A P E R S O N A L P O S T S

12. Turn customers into
microinfluencers.
Make influencer marketing
performance-based.
Social ReachROI Word of Mouth Sales

13. Customers can promote products or services through video reviews, unboxing videos and DIY videos and in turn
receive commissions on generated sales through linking the product in their vBlog to online retailers.
TRACKABLE INFLUENCER AND
CUSTOMER INFLUENCER SOLUTION

14. BUILD A NETWORK OF
BRAND AMBASSADOR MICRO-AFFILIATES

15. Crowdsource, curate
and repurpose
content from your customers.
ConversionEngagement ReturnsSales

16. ADD USER CONTENT TO YOUR
SITE & MARKETING CHANNELS
CUSTOMER PHOTOS & VIDEOS
VIDEO REVIEWS
BUYING GUIDES & TUTORIALS
UNBOXING
SHOPPABLE SOCIAL GALLERIES
SOCIAL POSTS
YOUTUBE

17. TRACKABLE, MEASURABLE &
PERFORMANCE-BASED
Premium User Data
Premium Data Portal

18. JOIN THESE BRANDS ON INDI

19. Melissa Salas
MELISSA@INDI.COM
© 2017 Indi.com Inc. All rights reserved. CONFIDENTIAL