L’Oréal Paris has revealed that the secret to influencer marketing is to focus on the long-term, according to a report published by Econsultancy.

The French beauty brand has eschewed the more obvious route to exposure, by recruiting a ‘beauty squad’ with a combined reach of 5 million subscribers in a bid to ‘create a sense of authenticity, and combat the disingenuous nature of some sponsored campaigns’, says Econsultancy’s report.

L’Oréal Paris’ relationship with its band of vloggers is one of ‘open discussion’, rather than promotion, which it hopes will not only steer product development but also forge long-term relationships with popular beauty influencers and their audience.

To follow L’Oréal’s lead, brands need to be open to smaller collaborations, building more authentic partnerships with social media stars through genuine storytelling. Indeed, research from Markerly has shown that as an influencer’s Instagram audience grows, its rate of engagement declines significantly.