Posted by There was a time when running advertisements on newspapers, magazines, radio and television was enough to spread the word about your brand. The same doesn’t hold true today.
In an overcrowded market, brands have to try harder to get their message across and connect with their audience.
One such marketing strategy that has become hugely popular over the past few years is influencer marketing. Influencers are those with large fan following on social media. They come with a credible and authentic voice which brands leverage to increase awareness and reach among their following.
In fact, influencer marketing has become the fastest-growing online customer-acquisition method.
A long-term strategy, this tactic can do wonders for your brand if done the right way. Here are six tips to help you successfully collaborate with influencers and make it work for you.
Make a plan
Define a clear goal or objective of the influencer marketing campaign. This will help you to measure success and optimize your strategy.
Define the reach of the blogs or videos that the influencer will post to promote your brand. A simple way to measure the reach of the post is how many people saw it? Remember, when the post has better reach, the chances of improving your brand awareness is better.
Along with reach, relevance is equally important. Let’s say, the influencer’s post reached 5,000 people but how interested are they to know about your brand or product?
Finally, your goal should also measure the resonance or the action taken by the audience. This is what should matter most, because resonance determines the conversion and the effectiveness of the overall campaign.
So, if the influencer has written about your product, you can measure how much it has appealed to the audience, by analyzing the number of clicks your website has got from the post.
Identifying the right influencer
The success of your influencer marketing campaign hugely depends on finding the right influencer. There are plenty of influencers out there but how do you find one that speaks to a similar audience and resonates with your brand?
With the increasing popularity of influencer marketing, different platforms are now coming up with innovative solutions that help to identify influencers, measure success, review your competitors’ content and much more. Buzzsumo is one such popular platform that helps you to find influencers for your target audience.
Most influencers are on some or the other social media platforms. Depending on your target audience, look into relevant social media platforms and search for influencers with specific keywords. You may also take a peek in high traffic posts where an influencer might have been tagged.
Make a clear brief for the influencer
Once you spot the influencer and think that he/she can do the job for your brand, it is time to write a clear brief and set expectations to ensure you’re all on the same page.
Talk about the campaign that you’re planning to run. It’s important to let them know your objective behind the campaign and the key message you want to deliver.
Next, clearly define the deliverables of the influencer. This should include how many posts/videos you are looking at, the platforms they need to use and the dates.
Define KPIs and what is your expectation from the influencer. What do you want to achieve from this influencer marketing campaign?
Communicate the call to action you would like to have and if you want to highlight any specific brand messages.
You should identify the content format depending on where the influencer has a large following. For example, if the influencer is on Instagram, consider doing a photo upload from the influencer’s handle promoting your product with a picture of him/her using the product.
If the influencer is on YouTube, an unboxing video of your product by the influencer would be a great idea.
Let the influencer know all about your brand
The ultimate aim of influencer marketing is to let the influencer’s audience know about your brand and what it stands for. Hence, it is important that the influencer understands well about your brand and your offerings.
Apart from briefing your brand values, company ethics, you may also consider sharing your product or solution with the influencer so that he/she can have a personal experience of it.
For example, if you are into beauty products, you may give a few of your products for the influencer to use. He/she can then share their firsthand experience of the product with the audience.
Brainstorm ideas with the influencer
Influencers know their audience well, so do not hesitate to brainstorm ideas with them that will excite the audience to take action.
- Offer promo codes
If you want to promote your service or product, how about offering promo codes and discount coupons with the influencer that he/she can put up along with the post?
- Run a contest
Contest ideas are also a great way to build brand awareness. In fact, as per Tailwind, Instagram contests can provide 70% more engagement.
- Share your product for an unboxing video with the influencer
Are you in a subscription box business? Is your influencer on YouTube? Then consider doing an unboxing video and share with the crowd. Unboxing videos drive a lot of engagement and will definitely give your marketing efforts a boost.
The idea is to create engaging content that strikes a connect with your audience and urges them to take notice of your brand.
Be open to new ideas
While you might have already conceived how you want your campaign to look like, be open to new ideas. Let the influencer be on the driving seat when it comes to brainstorming creative ideas. After all, they know their audience best.
So, respect their creativity and hear them out if they have some different ideas of doing it. It may give a whole new dimension to the campaign.
Influencer marketing works well for many brands who know how to do it the right way. If you are just starting out with the idea, the above tips will help you to go in the right direction.
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