“I think influencer marketing is one of the fastest-growing and highest-performing channels today, but it’s still really misunderstood,” says Ryan Bonnici, who stepped into the role of Chief Marketing Officer at Later earlier this year. 

With this perspective, the former Wellhub, G2, and HubSpot marketing expert encapsulates both the opportunity and the challenge that define his new mission.

Ryan brings to Later—a full-service platform for owned, earned, and paid social media marketing—a track record of driving exponential growth for technology companies. Now, he has set his sights on transforming how brands approach creator partnerships through a combination of insights, top-tier talent, and industry expertise.

In just five weeks since joining Later, Ryan has already begun implementing his vision for a company that has driven “billions in revenue for customers just in the last year alone.” His strategy focuses on three interconnected pillars that aim to reshape how companies approach influencer marketing.

Harnessing Analytics for Predictive Insights

At the core of Ryan’s transformation plan is a new approach to analytics and measurement. “You can’t work out what’s working if you don’t have a really good foundation of analytics and insights,” Ryan explains. “We have a strong foundation of analytics within the marketing team today, but there is always room for improvement.”

The opportunity extends beyond improving internal marketing metrics. Later sits on a goldmine of proprietary information that Ryan plans to leverage for both company growth and client success.

“We’re so lucky that we have so much data that we’re sitting on as a company,” he reveals. “Billions of social media messages are being scheduled on our platform every month. We have millions of customers for our social media product, so we are sitting on a lot of data to help us help our customers predict what is going to trend before it does.”

According to Ryan, this predictive capability gives Later a clear competitive edge in a field where being first to capitalize on emerging trends can mean the difference between viral success and missed opportunities. His vision stretches beyond simply providing tools; he aims to establish Later as the definitive source of insights for the creator economy.

“I want to bring more of those insights from our own data to the surface to help marketers do their jobs better,” he states.

Assembling an Elite Marketing Team

Ryan’s second strategic pillar involves building what he calls a “world-class team” capable of executing his ambitious vision. Already actively recruiting, he’s bringing in talent from his extensive network of marketing professionals.

“I’ve already hired several people who start in the next few weeks from my own network,” Ryan shares. “I’m wanting to bring in more talent to raise up the existing team and start to do more creative things.”

When evaluating potential team members, Ryan looks for specific qualities that align with Later’s growth trajectory. For leadership roles, he prioritizes individuals who have “seen the movie before” — professionals with proven success in similar contexts. For more junior positions, he focuses on potential, determination, and a growth-centric mindset.

“I care a lot about grit,” Ryan emphasizes. “When they are confronted with an obstacle or a challenge, how do they go under, around, or over that obstacle?”

This team-building effort particularly focuses on strengthening Later’s content and thought leadership capabilities. “I’m excited to help us find our voice when it comes to content and thought leadership,” Ryan explains. “We need to be the top place our prospects and customers go to learn about all things social, influencer, and creator economy.”

With a team of around 50 marketing professionals expected to be completed, Ryan’s talent strategy aims to position Later as both an industry leader and a forward-thinking workplace. “I want to achieve big goals, I want to drive growth, but I want to do that and have a lot of fun in the process,” he notes.

Debunking Influencer Marketing Myths

Perhaps most central to Ryan’s vision is his mission to dispel persistent misconceptions about influencer marketing, which he believes are holding brands back from fully leveraging their potential.

“I’m hearing two major misconceptions. One, ‘Influencer marketing is only about brand awareness,’” Ryan states. “I think it’s equally, if not maybe more effective at driving revenue and driving bottom of funnel metrics.”

This perspective challenges conventional marketing wisdom that places influencer collaborations primarily at the top of the funnel. Ryan notes that Later’s analysis suggests that creator partnerships can drive conversions and sales as effectively as—or better than—traditional performance marketing channels.

The second myth Ryan aims to debunk is that influencer marketing is inherently difficult and time-consuming. “It doesn’t have to be that difficult,” he insists. “When you use a platform and are supported by a team that knows what they’re doing, you get all of our expertise to help you succeed.”

The marketing veteran illustrates this point with his own experience: “I have firsthand experience, having spun up influencer campaigns at Later in days. It’s really not that hard.”

By providing both self-service tools and full-service campaign management, Later offers solutions tailored to different client needs. “Some of our clients don’t have the resources in-house and so they outsource all of their influencers to our team,” Ryan explains. “Our team can take that workload off their plate and just do it for them and deliver results.”

The Path Forward

As brands increasingly recognize the power of creator partnerships, Ryan sees Later positioned to address a key shift in marketing strategy. “More and more companies are going to realize that shifting their budget to influencer marketing is one of the smartest things they can do to drive their bottom line,” he predicts.

This prediction is already playing out in surprising ways. Despite economic uncertainty and tightening marketing budgets, Ryan has observed an increase in investment in influencer marketing. “Most companies are still just dipping their toe in the water, and maybe they’re doing a few things with macro influencers, but they’ve not learned how to scale influencers. How do I leverage micro influencers, everyday influencers at scale?” he notes.

Under Ryan’s guidance, Later aims to combine analytics, top-tier talent, and industry education to strengthen not just its market position but also change how companies approach creator partnerships.

“If you’re finding [influencer marketing] hard, then you’re the perfect person to come and speak to Later,” Ryan concludes, extending an invitation to marketers still struggling with creator collaborations.