PR AGENCY DIARIES: INFLUENCER MARKETING THAT ACTUALLY WORKS – 5 WAYS TO WIN IN A SEA OF #ADS
When it comes to building a strong influencer marketing strategy there are a fair few ingredients required for a killer recipe. But before you get cookin’ good lookin’ there is one ingredient that should be top of your shopping list: objective!
There are many ways to skin the proverbial cat of influencer marketing but if you’re not clear on your objective, it’s likely your campaign will become confused and ineffective.
Finding your objective starts with asking yourself a series of seemingly obvious questions that might find you more puzzled than prepared.
· What is your number one priority? Are you trying to generate awareness for your brand? Do you want to announce a new product or a special offer? Or are you simply wanting to maintain your presence?
· Where does your brand currently stand? Are your target consumers aware of it? Do they consider and or purchase it already? Or are you working from an awareness base of 0?
· What do you want people to think or do when they see this campaign? Is there something you want them to know about your brand that they wouldn’t already know? Are you trying to drive sales? Are you wanting them to support a cause?
To achieve cut through with influencer marketing you must be clear on your intent and understand how audiences will receive what you’re putting down.
Keeping this front of mind every step of the way will help you cut through the noise and provide a paint-by-numbers map to crafting your influencer marketing plan.
So, once you know what you’re trying to achieve, here are five different strategies to help you win at influencer marketing.
Flood the market
If you’re working from a low base of awareness and you need to get your name out there en masse, it’s time to open the flood gates. Formulate a plan to get your brand or product in the hands and on the screens of a wide net of influencers in a short period of time so it’s almost impossible to miss.
While in this case quantity is somewhat better than quality it’s still important to make sure the people you select align with your target audience. You also want to make sure your crew of influencers are all posting in a concentrated period of time as this will be massively beneficial to creating a moment you can own and upping your awareness – just make sure you have a follow up plan to continue that momentum.
Leverage someone else’s ‘it factor’
If your brand has some awareness but needs a kudos boost, then consider leveraging high profile talent. Tapping into top-tier talent to represent your brand allows you to reach a substantial and highly engaged audience that is much more likely to be receptive to your brand if it’s presented by someone they already follow and respect.
Depending on what you’re trying to achieve you might use high profile talent to endorse your brand on their own social media channels or you might make them the face of your brand on your channels – or even a mix of both.
The price tag for high profile talent is relative to the value they provide so be prepared to put your money where your mouth is. Beyond the investment in the talent themselves, it’s also important to factor in additional budget to push the content out further. Boosting influencer content on social media is similar to buying a billboard spot to promote your ad – there’s no point paying for a famous face and putting it on a dingy backstreet, get that thing up in lights!
Get the town talking
If you want to grab eyeballs and highly coveted attention but maybe don’t have the budget for a celeb endorsement, consider creating an impactful moment on social that won’t just live and die in a day.
Think big and bold (but still on-brand) to make a splash – something controversial, a little cheeky or totally unexpected is a great place to start and video is always a killer medium to captivate your audience quickly. Once you have the creative nailed, it’s important to support the rollout with a healthy boosting budget to ensure you reach the right people.
Start small and create a ripple effect
Finding your fans and building genuine relationships with them will deliver ten-fold when compared to a spray and pray approach with influencers you’ve barely said two words to. For brands and products in highly competitive industries (like beauty) this is even more true. With a new cleanser released (what feels like) every day it’s easy for audiences to become overwhelmed and create decision fatigue.
By investing in creators that believe what you believe and keeping them close you’ll build a loyal crew that will have your brand’s back. Ambassadors of this nature are worth their weight and do the hard work for your brand, building trust with their followers that money can’t buy. To nail this strategy, pick your dream circle of influencers (keep it small to start to test and learn), make them feel part of your brand, grow with them and watch the halo effect in action.
Engage the audience
If the past two years have taught us anything is that people relate to people, and everyone wants to feel part of something. So instead of marketing at people, find a way to connect with them on their level. And no, we don’t mean shouting self-love advice at them, instead take a step back and really listen to what they are saying and find a clever way to engage with them and make them feel part of your brand’s journey.
Last but certainly not least, remember that influencer marketing should be just one part of a 360 degree marketing plan so don’t forget the rest!
