Influencer Trips: What Exactly Are Them and Are They Worth It?

In this world of social media, influencers have a huge hand in helping brands and consumers achieve or get the things they want.

For example, consumers watch influencers and get influenced to buy the things these influencers have, and on the other hand, the brands sponsor influencers to promote their items.

Tarte was the first ever brand to start influencer trips back in 2015, they have been using the hashtag #trippinwithtarte as a way to capture the moments in their trip.  

So, what is an influencer trip? 

Influencer trips are marketing initiatives where brands invite social media influencers to a specific location to create content promoting the brand's product or service.

These trips are basically super cool and fun vacations designed to leverage the influencers' reach and credibility with their followers to increase brand awareness, enhance brand image, and potentially drive sales.  

With the help of influencers, brands get to directly reach their target audience more authentically.

Recently, there have been a lot of collaborations between brands and influencers rather than brands and celebrities.

Consumers find influencers more relatable and tend to buy things promoted by influencers. 

As the influencer marketing industry grows, the scale of influencer trips has become trendier. But are these trips worth the investment for the brands and influencers involved?

The Value of Influencer Trip

These trips benefit the brand, the influencers, and the followers. Brands get to market and showcase their products in attractive settings, enticing people to buy more. 

Influencers get to travel to cool places for free and create more aesthetic content for their social media.

And lastly, the followers get to see and be inspired by the content created for them. It's a win-win situation where everyone gets to enjoy it. 

7 Reasons Why Influencer Trips Are Worth It

• Enhanced Brand Visibility

Imagine scrolling through TikTok or Instagram and seeing influencers taking pictures and having the time of their lives at gorgeous places, all thanks to a certain brand.

This is called "enhanced brand visibility" - a fancy way of saying more people get to see and acknowledge the brand and its offerings. 

Despite being advertisements, influencer trips feel more fun and exciting than boring ads.

Through these trips, brands get to showcase their products in more natural settings where the influencers' followers are invested in watching their videos and keeping up with the trip. 

However, as seen with Tarte Cosmetics' recent influencer trip to Bora Bora, this increased visibility can also lead to mixed reactions and criticism from some viewers who may experience influencer fatigue or find the displays of luxury out of touch

Nonetheless, some followers still share these trips with their friends, helping brands gain popularity and attract potential new customers, even in the face of backlash. 

• Authentic Content Creation

Ever wondered why influencer trips feel so different from regular ads? It's because the influencers are having genuine fun rather than following a script.

Whether the influencers are on a desert safari in Dubai or chilling by the blue ocean in Bora Bora, they capture these real moments through pictures and videos. 

Influencer Alix Earle and her fellow content creators did just that during their trip to Dubai with Tarte Cosmetics, sharing their adventures and experiences with their followers.

Influencers make their followers feel like they're part of the adventure by showing GRWMs (Get Ready With Me), room tours with the brand's products, and various activities.

Many followers eagerly check out what the influencers are up to whenever there's a brand trip.

For brands like Tarte, Revolve, and Alo Yoga, it's not just about selling; it's about sharing authentic experiences that connect with followers.

This authenticity helps build a bond between the brand, influencers, and followers - the true magic of authentic content creation.

• Increased Engagement Rates

When brands send influencers on these picture-perfect trips, something interesting happens. The influencers and brands get way more likes, comments, and shares on their posts compared to their usual content. 

It's like when someone goes on vacation and everyone wants to see everything they're doing.

Brands have realized that these amazing journeys don't just get followers watching; they get them talking and interacting more. 

Influencer trips grab attention, making people want to join in the fun. 

• Destination Exposure

Influencer trips go beyond showcasing brand products; they highlight amazing and exotic locations that people might not have considered otherwise. They reveal the beauty of these places through pictures and videos. 

Everyone benefits from these trips - the location, influencers and their followers, and the brand itself.

These stunning trips directly or indirectly promote the destination, inspiring others to visit these exotic spots.

• Long-term Partnerships

Building strong relationships between brands and influencers isn't just for the moment; it sets a foundation for future collaborations and partnerships. This fosters mutual growth, trust, and loyalty. 

These enduring partnerships benefit both sides: brands gain authentic advocates, and influencers enjoy the support of a brand that values their voice. 

• Direct Audience Feedback and Interaction

It's pretty cool when followers comment on an influencer's post and actually get a reply. That's what makes influencer trips special for followers. 

Influencers sharing real-time experiences and adventures open up opportunities for followers to chat with them.

Brands and influencers use this time to hear comments and feedback about what followers like or dislike, sometimes even tweaking their posts accordingly.

Every like, comment, and share helps influencers and brands understand their audience better, allowing them to curate content based on their preferences. 

• Content Diversity

It's amazing how many different types of content can be generated from a single trip. When influencers go on these trips, followers get to see pictures, videos, stories, live streams, and maybe even some behind-the-scenes drama. 

The mix of content keeps followers engaged and excited for what's next. This makes followers feel closer to the influencers as if they're all on a big adventure together. 

Conclusion 

After diving deep into what happens during these incredible influencer trips, Sky Society concludes that they're not just about picture-perfect moments.

They're about building strong, real connections, exploring and appreciating different locations, and capturing unforgettable moments. 

Influencer trips are a triple-win situation. Brands get to showcase their products in the best way possible, influencers enjoy once-in-a-lifetime experiences while creating amazing content, and followers get to be part of this beautiful adventure from the comfort of their homes. 

So, these influencer trips are definitely worth it!

what an influencer brand trip is REALLY like

TRIPPIN WITH TARTE IN DUBAI

Hotel deco on brand trips

Behind the scenes amazon trip

Day 1 in Mexico

Jenn Goes To British Columbia

✍️ Written by Bianca Sherpa