Give the people something different, damn!
Whipping up a marketing campaign – whether it be a brand launch, product launch, sale or market expansion comes down to planning and timing. A master marketer, which i do not purport to be, intrinsically knows what levers to pull at the right time (within the limits of their budgets, of course). Now there’s a way for you to pack more power into your campaigns an increase your reach.
Before you ask: yes, it will cost some money. However, it doesn’t have to break the budget. All you need are some negotiation and communication skills to get the influencers with the right audiences you’re trying to target.
I mentioned in an earlier post that my first ‘on-the-books’ marketing job was in the influencer field. It was my job to seek influencers, determine audience affinity, reach out to them and find out how low they’re willing to produce content for your brand.
When you approach influencers, you must consider brand, product and audience match. That is, would this influencer’s following find the product presented useful, a game-changer or shareable? Remember, your product doesn’t have to be gimmicky, it just needs to have a strong story and a powerful use case.
Measuring ROI
Measuring return on investment (ROI) from influencer campaigns involves analyzing the costs incurred in running the campaign against the results achieved, such as increased sales or engagement. This can be done by tracking metrics such as website traffic, social media followers, and conversions, and comparing them to the costs of the campaign, including influencer fees and production costs.
Trying to measure ROI like you would a performance channel is the wrong approach because it’s hard to see an influencer posts impact until weeks after it’s gone live. Don’t make the mistake most brands make in not defining metrics or KPI’s prior to beginning your influencer campaign. If your campaign goal is for brand awareness, your KPI’s should be metrics relating to reach (i.e. impressions, website link clicks). If your campaign goal is for conversions or other bottom funnel events like lead generation, the metrics to follow are purchases or email signups. However be mindful of using influencer campaigns for conversion events – influencer posts are generally made to be informative or entertaining because the influencer is creating content to engage with their community. Making content with hard (or soft) sale pitches always tank and diminish trust between the influencer and their audience so when you’re thinking of influencer campaigns, always associate them with brand awareness goals only. Remember, there is a key distinction between influencers and content creators. While both words are used interchangeably, they are not the same. I spoke about this a few weeks back in an earlier post.
You’ve defined your metrics and goals, now what?
The magic of influencer campaigns as a brand awareness driver is that you can utilize influencers of different kinds to share their experiences with your product. Branding experts may recommend brands stick to a certain kind of influencer which a specific kind of image or aesthetic. However, generalizing and relegating your entire audience into a key set of characteristics is a common trap that most marketer/brand owners fall into. There are subsets of people within your audience that can be spoken to with different variety in your messaging. This is a sample idea map of how I’d organize an influencer campaign:
Brand: Sexy EveryWear
Value Prop: Versatile built in shape-wear in loungewear styles so you can look good in any room.
| Influencer | Personal story | Message (hook)- product attribute link |
|---|---|---|
| @styleinfluencer01 | college student, thrifter, sustainable fashion | made with sustainable materials |
| @styleinfluencer02 | mom of 3, full-time employee, creates content in free time | versatile styling options and colors |
| @styleinfluencer03 | church-goer, church fits | modest style options |
| @styleinfluencer04 | avid traveler | easy travel styles for discovering new cities |
Link your product attribute to the influencer to create a vibrant campaign that reaches the individual and not generalized to the entire group. You’re spending a lot of money to get influencers, make the message count. Humanize the brand.
