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Kasey Opfer
Sports & Entertainment Talent, JP Morgan & Chase
Kasey Opfer is a Senior Talent Strategist in the Sports & Entertainment division at Chase, based in Chicago, Illinois. In this role, she focuses on developing talent acquisition strategies specifically tailored to the sports and entertainment sectors, leveraging her expertise to enhance Chase's engagement with these industries.
Her professional background includes a strong emphasis on both talent management and strategic planning, which positions her well to address the unique challenges and opportunities within the sports and entertainment landscape. Kasey is known for her ability to connect with diverse talent pools and foster relationships that drive organizational success.
Additionally, Kasey has been recognized for her contributions to the field and is active in professional networking, as indicated by her presence on platforms like LinkedIn.
Highlights
Yesterday I had the opportunity to attend a series of chats with the Sprout Social, Inc. team and a number of industry experts including Nathan Jun Poekert, Jayde I. Powell, Dave Jorgenson, Santina Calisto, Brianna Doe and Elfried Samba, regarding today's influencer marketing climate. Here are my key takeaways! ⬇
Allow creators to create. If you are hiring them, you already have confirmation they are aligned with your brand. A creator’s audience follows their account to engage with their content, not to be sold to.
Long-term relationships are everything. Influencers want to form relationships with the brands they care about, and are less interested in one-off partnerships that lack authenticity. Form a personal connection, and give them a reason to share content about your brand beyond a transaction.
Engage with influencers who have proven audience behavior that will engage when your brand or adjacent topics are posted, and with influencers who can speak authentically about our brand.
Know your purpose prior to partnership. Consider influencers an extension of media, and creators an extension of a creative team. KPI’s aren’t universal. Some are to reach new markets, some are for creative, etc. Allow your talent to play into their strengths while serving one of the three main functions: Content & Sales, Brand Elevation, or Advocacy.
Avoid scripts and storyboards. UGC content, not overly-produced, performs far better and allows creators to maintain their authenticity. They know what performs best for their audience, and allows your brand to move at the speed of culture. You have to trust your influencers.
Build multi-dimensional relationships. Go beyond the traditional social media collaboration, and dive deeper into co-creation. Find ways to tell your brand’s story and the influencer’s story all in one and benefit both parties.
40% of the population is BIPOC, and your influencer roster should reflect that. Inclusivity is year round, and not only dedicated to the months that celebrate these communities. Allow the influencer to create the content most natural to them while amplifying their voice and platform.
Pay transparency is key. Base your influencer budget off of key benchmarks and metrics, and be up-front with the influencer on your allocated budget based on content performance. Allow smaller-level negotiation to happen, but remain consistent in your pay across partnerships to build credibility and fairness in influencer relationships.
Get in early. Find the creators early on that embody the brand values, and allow them to use your brand as a platform to grow and story tell. Be a pro in spotting up and coming talent.
Discover what your contribution to culture is. Find ways to elevate your brand in the spaces you align with, and leverage existing and up and coming talent in those spaces to fulfill those areas.
Such a great opportunity for current and future Cyclones looking to work in sports comm!
I have my bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the Greenlee School of Journalism and Communication – Iowa State University and can attest it is the very best!
