The 2019 CHESS conference Building for the Future…New Leaders, New Markets will present two full days of content-rich presentations by experts in many fields. On Sept. 25, Embello’s CEO Laiza Cors and Talent Relations Strategist Anne Sage will share their experience in the dynamic field of influencer marketing, now a critical component for targeted communications with consumers. They will outline Embello’s unique approach to partnering with brands to develop marketing strategies, plan campaigns and manage processes to measure effective ROI.
A relatively young phenomenon, influencer marketing has quickly evolved into a sophisticated business with participants on both sides working hard to protect and promote their brands. Laiza Cors knew the housewares industry and had trade show experience from her five years at IHA, then worked in social media marketing in Los Angeles for interior design celebrity Barclay Butera. He operates several showrooms in California and Utah and designs products licensed in the furniture, lighting and décor categories. While planning their marketing efforts and design events, they learned about the power of influencer marketing and developed a relationship with Anne Sage, who in 2008 had begun blogging about fashion, interiors and entertaining. In 2010, Sage co-founded the online lifestyle publication Rue Magazine and in 2016 co-founded Light Lab, a photo and events studio in Los Angeles. She also published “Sage Living,” a book released in 2015.
Brands and Influencers Seek Guidance in Marketing
“Anne and I met at a blogger conference and she became an instrumental person in the formation of the company. Anne’s extensive knowledge in working with brands on influencer marketing partnerships allowed us to build Embello with the needs of the influencer in mind,” recalls Cors in describing how their company emerged. Cors, Sage and Butera discovered that brands and influencers needed guidance in finding the right partners, creating effective campaigns, monitoring workflows and distilling analytics. They founded Embello, a service agency backed by technology, in May 2018.
Embello functions somewhat like an ad agency, matching clients with influencers who become brand ambassadors. In this complex and rapidly changing digital space, how can a brand identify potential partners? “Today there are more than 30 million bloggers in the U.S.,” Cors notes. “Nine million of them write about home products, wellness and lifestyle. Our database is growing fast. We track 10,000 of these content creators, who are holistically dedicated to home and lifestyle.”
Embello’s technology allows the company to identify these bloggers and sort them by demographics: age, region, home décor style and other characteristics. “For example, we could find 50-1,000 bloggers with followers in Chicago who have written about lighting so that we could find the right influencers for a client,” she says.
Matching Clients with Influencers
Cors outlined Embello’s services to assist brands and influencers to fortify both sides of the partnership. They may spend several months educating clients about how influencer marketing impacts their overall marketing strategy and understanding their goals. Together Embello and the client:
- target their audience
- come up with the creative concept
- develop the campaign brief
- show them what the campaign will look like
- set a budget
“Then we select influencers and content creators from our recommended matches,” Cors says. “Keeping in touch with the client throughout the process, we track performance and prepare post-campaign reports.”
At the same, they develop their influencer base. Embello helps influencers showcase their strengths with a polished profile and then matches them with the clients. “We guide the content creation and manage the logistics,” Cors explains. “We get into the weeds – we negotiate contracts with the influencers, track deliverables and make sure that they write the stories using the brand’s visual and message guidelines, along with the correct hashtags. We can manage 20 influencers at a time for multiple clients. And we manage all the billing.”
Embello collaborates with home furnishings brands and attends key shows in California such as Modernism Week in Palm Springs, the Kitchen and Bath Industry Show (KBIS) in Las Vegas and design events in Texas. In Chicago, they have organized events at the Merchandise Mart Luxe Home showrooms. Embello has also worked with publications such as Traditional Home, as magazines have moved beyond print to digital collaborations with their advertisers.
CHESS Presentation Preview
Cors believes that housewares marketers were quicker to adapt their consumer communications and entered influencer marketing earlier than the home furnishings industry, which has taken a more gradual path.
Embello serves companies in the housewares industry and has relationships with some IHA members.During their CHESSpresentation Cors and Sage will address these points for suppliers:
- Influencer marketing overview
- Determining goals for influencer marketing
- Setting an influencer marketing budget
- How to find the right influencers
- Understanding metrics
Cors worked with IHA staff to organize the first Influencer Conference at the 2019 Show and will do the same for 2020. In addition, at The Inspired Home Show in the Social Central display in the Lakeside Center Hall of Innovation, Embello will consult with exhibitors and attendees about working with influencers.
Learn more about Embello’s services and team members at www.embello.com
CHESS 2019: Building for the Future…New Leaders, New Markets
September
24-25, 2019
(Tuesday-Wednesday)
The
Hyatt Lodge at McDonald’s Campus
Oak Brook, Illinois
CHESS—Chief Housewares Executive SuperSession—is IHA’s annual senior-level conference for industry leaders. This strategic education and networking event of the year allows attendees to access high-profile industry experts directly and share information and ideas with other housewares and home goods decision-makers. Held every fall, CHESS attracts the chief officers of IHA’s most prominent member companies. The program includes keynote speakers, panel discussions, general sessions and networking opportunities—the most valuable part of the two-day event according to past participants.
Register today! Chess at IHA.
