The public is tired of hearing the same old advertising messages, so conventional advertising is no longer as relevant as it was years ago. Consumers pay more attention to their favorite content creators, who convey messages to them in an authentic and close way.
That’s why influencer marketing influencer marketing has become a key piece for the success of strategies carried out by brands of all types.
Given its importance, in this article we explain what this technique consists of, its advantages and show you influencer marketing with examples, so you can see how beneficial it can be.
Influencer Marketing: What is it?
Influencer marketing is a digital marketing strategy through which brands establish commercial collaborations to promote their products or services with content creators and other influential people who have a large number of followers on social media.
Influencer marketing is based on leveraging the credibility and reach of people with a large audience on digital platforms to increase rates and the conversion funnel.
Why is it Important to Develop Influencer Marketing Strategies?
Influencer marketing has become a fundamental strategy in today’s advertising world. Since 2016, this sector has experienced an average annual growth of almost 50%, which demonstrates its rapid expansion and consolidation in the industry. This is due to the positive impact that influencers have on brands and on the decision-making carried out by consumers.
An influencer can not only help you reach specific audiences in a massive way, but also generate a deeper interaction with them, help to improve the personality and narrative of your business and promote dialogue between your brand and its followers.
How to Create an Influencer Marketing Campaign?
Influencers are people with an active presence on social media who have the ability to influence the opinions and decisions of their audience. Their constant interaction generates a relationship of trust with their followers.
Therefore, their role is key when creating advertising campaigns that appeal to the empathy of consumers, as all information from these content creators is perceived as credible.
To create an effective influencer marketing campaign you can follow the steps we propose below:
Step 1: Define your Objectives Clearly and Specifically
In general, influencer marketing strategies are aimed at increasing brand recognition, increasing the number of followers on networks, promoting a new product, or improving engagement with the public.
Step 2: Identify your Target Audience
Analyze who you are going to direct your marketing campaign to, considering essential aspects such as the age and interests of the people you want to reach, as well as what their preferred social networks are and what their purchasing behaviors are.
Step 3: Choose the Platform and Type of Campaign
Select the appropriate social network, for example if you want short videos TikTok or Instagram are the best, if you prefer longer videos, choose YouTube. You will also have to decide on the format of the campaign: discount codes, sweepstakes, recommendations, etc.
Step 4: Choose Relevant Influencers
Don’t just look at the number of followers, collaborate with influencers who align with your brand values and have followers similar to your target audience. Also consider the relevance that person has in your niche, their credibility and the engagement rate they generate.
If your company belongs to a specific sector, it will be convenient to work with creators who are part of it; such as cultural influencers, fashion influencers or gastronomic influencers.
Step 5: Manage and Monitor the Campaign
Provide influencers with a detailed brief of what you need but allow some creative freedom so that their content is more authentic. Make sure you maintain fluid communication with them and follow the progress and performance of advertising actions.
Step 6: Analyze the Results
When the campaign ends, evaluate the success it has had by comparing the results with your initial objectives. Some useful metrics for them are: the reach and impressions, the number of likes, comments or shares, the traffic to your website or the conversions attributable to the influencers.
How to Select the Influencers for your Marketing Campaigns?
One of the most fundamental parts of influencer marketing is choosing the most suitable person or people to be the recognizable face of the campaign. As it is a somewhat complicated task, we have created a list with the most important factors that you must take into account to make your selection.
Look beyond the Numbers
Many make the mistake of selecting collaborators for the large number of followers they have, when in reality they should evaluate the quality of their audience and the real interactions that the influencer generates.
Verify Their Reputation and Credibility
Avoid the most controversial influencers and opt for those who enjoy a good reputation on the networks for showing themselves as authentic. And, their credibility and authority are what will directly affect the success of your campaign.
Analyze the Content and its Scope
Review the content created by the influencers you are considering partnering with to check its quality and that it aligns with your brand values. In addition, it is important to take into account the level of engagement by checking the type of reactions and comments it generates.
Establish a Relationship with the Influencer
So that the marketing strategy has results, the influencer must show that they feel identified with your brand, share your principles or is a regular user of your company’s products. Thus, their testimony will be much more credible and natural.
What are the Advantages and Disadvantages of Influencer Marketing?
Although collaboration with influencers will allow you to enjoy many advantages in your marketing strategies, as with everything, there are also certain not so positive aspects that you should take into account if you want to implement influencer marketing for your brand.
Advantages
- These strategies have a massive reach, since influencers have a very large base of loyal followers.
- Associating with an influencer also helps you to increase credibility in your business, as followers trust their recommendations.
- Influencers create creative and authentic content focused on connecting with people, improving brand positioning, especially when it comes to branded content campaigns.
- Given the large number of content creators and personalities that exist, you will be able to find influencers that fit your needs and budget.
- The actions of influencers can generate a positive wave for your brand in digital environments, even after the campaigns are finished.
Disadvantages
- Working with high-profile influencers can involve a large expense, especially for small and medium-sized businesses with limited budgets.
- There is always the danger of associating with influencers who have fake or purchased followers, which can affect the effectiveness of the campaign.
- Despite the popularity of an influencer, there is no guarantee that their audience will become customers or generate a significant increase in sales.
- Short-term campaigns or isolated actions can have a limited impact for your business, it is better to invest in long-term associations.
- If the influencer you collaborate with is involved in a controversy or scandal, this can have a negative impact on the reputation of your brand.
That is why it is so important that you choose the right influencer so you can minimize the risks and benefit as much as possible from the collaboration.
Influencer Marketing: Examples
As the popularity of influencer marketing continues to grow, we can now analyze some of the most successful examples. This is possible because many companies have invested part of their budget in marketing and have seen how their efforts have been rewarded.
Among the numerous examples of influencer marketing, we wanted to highlight the following:
Nike with Cristiano Ronaldo
Nike has been working with Cristiano Ronaldo for several years to promote not only sports shoes, but also an active lifestyle. The publications of this famous soccer player generate an enormous impact on sales and the visibility of the brand due to its millions of followers.
NordVPN with its Sponsorship of Videos on YouTube
When NordVPN expanded its influencer marketing program, it began sponsoring videos from popular content creators on YouTube, among which PewDiePie and Mr. Beast stand out as the largest on the platform. These influencers create messages with a narrative arc with which users feel identified.
Puerto De Indias with Dulceida
In the national section, the popular gin brand Puerto de Indias collaborated with Aida Domenech (Dulceida), one of the most famous influencers in Spain, for a Valentine’s Day campaign. They created a special collection of bottles and carried out actions both online and offline that reported great benefits for the brand.
In 2btube and as an influencer agency, we connect creators with brands, taking care of the entire management process. We also design the advertising strategy from beginning to end: from the creative idea to its production and distribution on social networks and digital platforms.
If you want to know how we can help you, contact us without obligation! We will be happy to chat with you.