Influencer Campaign: Maximize Results with These steps

Influencer Marketing has become the need of the hour in today’s day and age. With certain credibility and a strong presence in digital environments, influencers have the potential to become advocates and prescribers of your brand.

As the name suggests, their ability to influence other people’s behaviour is rooted in various factors, such as the size of their community (impact on their target audience – reach) or their expertise in a specific area (authority and reputation within the community). 

Introduction

At the end of the influencer market, when it has reached its maturation stage, we will all probably have a clear idea of who these public figures of the digital universe are at that stage. A rapidly maturing industry like influencer marketing has proven that it’s no longer just an add-on marketing tactic, but a strategy capable of offering big rewards to brands that invest in it.

Had we done so, we might have already been able to work with them as part of some of our marketing activities. According to Tomoson’s report, influencer marketing has become an increasingly important marketing tactic when it comes to building brand awareness for a specific product, as well as boosting sales of that product as well:

• As an example, when it comes to millennials and centennials, we find that only 1% of them trust social media ads. Still, when it comes to influencers, over 33% of them go through their recommendations before buying something, based on their recommendations.
• Furthermore, around 40% of people claim to have purchased a product online after seeing an influencer’s recommendation on YouTube or Instagram, and 71% think influencers’ voices are genuine and authentic.
• Last but not least, influencer marketing is responsible for generating a return on investment of $6.50 for every dollar invested in it.

Yet, despite the continued importance of influencer marketing, only 67% of brands measure the return on investment (ROI) from their influencer campaigns.

No matter whether you are about to embark on your first influencer marketing campaign or if you are among the 33% of marketers who aren’t measuring ROI or don’t know how to do it here are some things you need to know to get started.

What is influencer marketing?

If you are unfamiliar with influencer marketing, it is a targeted way of advertising in which you establish relationships with influencers to access their audiences.

It is possible to use influencer marketing for anything from sending free products to content creators in the hope that they will feature the product, to more formal agreements where influencers are compensated for their posts.

The use of hybrid agreements, in which influencers can also earn profits through affiliate tracking programs, is becoming increasingly popular.

As opposed to celebrity endorsements, where a personality is hired to represent a brand in a campaign, influencers are typically independent individuals who create their own content in accordance with the advertising specifications provided by a brand.

As a result, you can create an authentic advertisement model that connects you with your consumers in a more natural way.

Research conducted by Mediakix found that 89% of marketers say influencer marketing has a comparable or better ROI than other marketing channels, which suggests that it is a good investment.

Cristy Garcia, vice president of marketing at Impact, a technology platform that allows merchants to manage and optimize all aspects of their enterprise’s partnerships throughout the lifecycle of each partnership, says influencers offer a cost-effective way to produce high-quality content.

In the face of COVID-19 restrictions that closed production studios, it allowed brands to post at a time when social media users were spending more time on social media. As a result of this technology, brands were able to continue posting during a time when they were spending more time online.

Can Influencer Marketing work for you?

Consider your approach to influencer marketing carefully

• Prepare a strategy, plan, and budget, as well as spend time on research in order to become organized
• It is important to decide what is the best way to find influencers – by organic means, by joining a platform, or by working with an agency.
• Be patient and be human. People should speak to people, not companies should speak to companies.

Creating a schedule

• Are monthly, quarterly, or biannual calls or newsletters preferred by the influencer?
• Integrate with your PR schedule, your product release schedule, etc.
• Manage the travel schedules of executives and arrange face-to-face meetings on behalf of key executives. Send emails on behalf of key executives.

Why maximize influencer campaigns through ROI?

We are talking about influencer engagement when we really talk about social engagement. Engagement is the number and type of interactions a user has with a social post, including likes, shares, comments, and clicks.

For example, retweets can only be done on Twitter, so some engagements are more meaningful than others. The exact type of interactions varies from platform to platform, for example, retweets are only possible on Twitter.

As an example, hitting the like button or sharing button in marketing has proved it is no longer just an add-on marketing tactic, but a strategy that can offer big rewards for brands who invest.

Steps to maximize ROI on your Influencer Campaign Investment

We have outlined below the key steps that will help your campaign achieve the best possible return for the effort and investment that you make.

Set clear objectives

To ensure the success of your influencer marketing campaign, it’s important to identify what targets you want to be achieved first. Working towards clear objectives will help maximize the ROI of your campaign from day one. A brand awareness campaign might include reaching new audiences or reaching more quantifiable sales and engagement goals.

Define your campaign metrics

As soon as you have identified your objectives for success, the next step is to determine the metrics that will help you measure your success.

Without the ability to measure your objectives, it will be extremely difficult to determine the effectiveness of your influencer campaign. While many metrics can be used, it is important to keep in mind that inconsequential figures should not be used to overwhelm you.

Your campaign will be far more effective and efficient if you focus on the metrics that matter the most to your campaign. For example, one of the most useful metrics that marketers monitor is engagement.

You might also want to consider product sales, clicks, and sign-up conversions, depending on your goals.

Know who you are working with

You should first define your objectives and then do some research into which Instagram influencers will help you reach those goals.

Look at their followers and equally important, see who your desired Instagram influencers follow. Take a look at how they interact with their audiences, what kind of content they share, and what kind of personal brand they represent.

Make sure the influencers fit your brand

This is a critical point. It is very important to consider whether the influencers reflect the same or similar identity as your brand. If not, your campaign will not succeed. Non-alignment will affect your targeting, your audience, and what you intend to communicate with.

Basically, your goals will not be met if the influencer does not reflect the same or similar identity as your brand.

Have a dedicated review process

In order to ensure consistency of content and message alignment, it is imperative to implement a review and approval process before your influencers post content on their feeds. This will ensure that both parties are on the same page in terms of deliverables and adherence to relevant deadlines.

Also, in addition to the aforementioned factors, reviewing your pre-published content on a consistent basis will also allow for greater optimization, since you will have a complete understanding of what is working and what is not, so you can adjust your campaign in order to achieve the best results.

Content beyond your social media campaign

The assets that influencers provide for your campaign go beyond the social media platforms they use since they are content creators.

The possibilities are endless when you use great influencer content for out-of-home, paid social, and marketing collateral. There are numerous opportunities, and they are all cost-effective as well.

Monitor your campaign while it is running

As a result of defining your objectives and metrics, you can be assured of running a successful influencer marketing campaign.

If you keep your objectives in mind while your campaign is live, you will be able to see clearly how your campaign is performing and if you need to change your strategy to achieve more results and achieve your predetermined goals.

Review and evaluate your campaign metrics

Once your campaign has come to an end, it is crucial to analyze the results of your campaign and it is not just a matter of looking at the numbers. While the numbers are important, make sure to include an overview of your experience working with each influencer.

Did one relationship require more time and effort than another? Did you develop any posts that added value that wasn’t included in the original contract? Have you succeeded in creating genuine brand ambassadors who resonate with your target audience?

In order to achieve better results for your campaign in the future, it is imperative to have a holistic review of your campaign to ensure you achieve even better results.

Plan campaigns based on your findings

As soon as you have reviewed your results, evaluated what your campaign did well, and highlighted areas that could have been improved, it doesn’t really matter if you do not use the information that you have gathered in the future.

A successful influencer campaign builds on the learnings from past campaigns. For instance, if a particular influencer played an important role in your campaign performance, make sure to use them again in future campaigns.

Personalize outreach emails and messages

You should personalize each email and/or message you send to the influencers that you want to work with once you have identified them.

This is your chance to show how a partnership with your brand can offer value to the individual influencer and build a relationship with them as a result. Typically, influencers will ignore copied and pasted emails, while a meaningful email will get them to respond more quickly.

Prioritize engagement

Reaching a large audience isn’t everything for an influencer’s post. Engagement or the interaction an influencer’s post receives with the post’s relative number of likes, comments, and shares is a better measure of the post’s success. So, pick influencers whose followers are engaged!

Micro-influencers should never be overlooked

In comparison to macro-influencers or celebrities, micro-influencers have fewer followers than 100,000. Even though micro-influencers receive the highest relative engagement from their followers, they are a fraction of the cost of larger influencers.

They also deliver authenticity you can count on. Their followers trust them like friends. A micro-influencers recommendation is highly likely to be followed by 82% of consumers, and 61% of consumers consider their content to be the most relatable.

Ensure that influencers disclose the sponsorship of their posts

Any post that contains influencers who have received money, free products, or other compensation from a brand must have this disclosure. It must be visible in a written caption before the “read more” cut-off line so that it is visible above the fold. A video should (at the very least) include a disclosure at the beginning of the video that is both audible and visible. 

Brief influencers on your brand and campaign

When compensating an influencer, it’s best to outline your expectations beforehand through an influencer brief. Include:

• Your campaign’s objectives and focus will determine the success of the campaign.
• In terms of the captioning and visuals, please let me know if there is any particular message you would like the influencer to convey
• Provide them with background information about your brand so they can develop their content more effectively
• Deliverables (content types) and release dates for each piece of content you want them to produce
• Conversions and engagement are two ways to measure the campaign’s success.
• The elements that are required are hashtags, links, discount codes, and calls-to-action
• If applicable, guidelines on the placement of the logo should be followed
• You should avoid misspellings, and culturally insensitive content, and work with competitors within a specified period of time.

Conclusion

Well-targeted, specifically designed influencer marketing campaigns that reach the audience you want to connect with are the only thing that boosts exposure and brand awareness. Influencer marketing might just be the secret weapon you need if you’re looking for a new way to boost your digital marketing strategy.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is an Influencer Campaign?

An influencer campaign is a marketing strategy in which brand partners with an influencer to promote its products or services to the influencer’s followers. The goal is to reach a larger and more engaged audience than the brand would be able to reach through traditional advertising methods.

• Influencer campaigns are a marketing strategy
• Brands partner with influencers
• Goal is to reach a larger and more engaged audience

How can I maximize results from an Influencer Campaign?

To maximize results from an influencer campaign, there are several key steps that you should take. These include choosing the right influencer, defining clear goals and objectives, creating a compelling influencer brief, and tracking and measuring your results.

• Choose the right influencer
• Define clear goals and objectives
• Create a compelling influencer brief
• Track and measure results

What are the benefits of an Influencer Campaign?

There are several benefits to conducting an influencer campaign. Firstly, it allows you to reach a large, engaged audience that may not have been reached through traditional advertising methods. Secondly, it provides you with a third-party endorsement of your brand, which can increase trust and credibility among your target audience. Finally, influencer campaigns can be highly cost-effective compared to other forms of advertising.

• Reach a large, engaged audience
• Third-party endorsement of your brand
• Cost-effective compared to other forms of advertising

What should I consider when choosing an influencer?

When choosing an influencer, there are several factors that you should consider. Firstly, you should look at the size and engagement of their audience to ensure that they have a large and active following. Secondly, you should consider their niche or area of expertise, as this will impact the type of content that they create and their ability to effectively promote your brand. Finally, you should consider the influencer’s personal brand and values to ensure that they align with your own brand values and messaging.

• Size and engagement of their audience
• Niche or area of expertise
• Personal brand and values

How can I measure the success of my Influencer Campaign?

To measure the success of your influencer campaign, you should track key metrics such as engagement rates, reach, and conversions. You can also use tools such as Google Analytics to track traffic and sales from the influencer’s content. Additionally, you can conduct surveys or gather feedback from your target audience to gauge their perceptions of your brand and the influencer’s content.