Influencers are here to stay, but how the world of influencer marketing looks and operates is changing a great deal. There was a time when celebrities were considered the influencers to use in marketing, but now social media influencers are taking the lead in the digital world.  This is not to say that celebrities should be excluded from your marketing strategy, but in social media marketing, consumers feel more connected to people they can relate to, even if their content is sponsored, it is still considered authentic and reliable. Social media users are shifting towards trust and transparency to convince them of the value of a certain brand. It works because influencer marketing involves tactics such as word of mouth marketing and social proof.

Before diving into how you can build an effective influencer marketing strategy for your brand, we need to take a step back to define what is an influencer. Influencers are social media users with a dedicated number of followers that engage with their content and focus on building a relationship with them. 

Just like everything else in marketing, influencer marketing has to focus on being relevant by getting the right influencers to promote your brand to appeal to your target audience. In this article, we look into the 4 key aspects to consider when planning an influencer marketing campaign. 

1. Identify the type of influencer 

In influencer marketing, there is no set rule about the number of followers in relation to the winning influencer. It does not work that way. It depends on the objective of the brand’s campaign. For each objective, there is a suitable type of influencer that will fit into your marketing strategy.

Celebrities and macro-influencers are used if the goal of the campaign is to reach a wide range of people who are known across many industries. They are well known figures that are likely to be effective in reaching multiple audiences across various channels. Micro-influencers are considered closer to average users. They focus on content that brings them closer to their followers; their aim is to create a community that has a strong relationship. This appeals to businesses looking to develop personal relationships among their target audience.

2. Determine your campaign goals

In every marketing campaign, it is crucial for a brand to set a defined goal to be able to determine the success of the campaign. The most popular reasons for influencer marketing work on increasing brand awareness and generating sales, but it might be beneficial to narrow it down. There are 3 key factors to consider when setting a goal for collaborating with a specific influencer. 

• Reach- focuses on how many people view your content regardless of any type of interaction. It is more about brand and product awareness and visibility.

• Relevance- focuses on brand loyalty. It is about creating ambassadors for your brand that engage with your social media content. 

• Resonance- focuses on taking the audience a step further by taking action such as making a purchase or going onto your website to know more.

3. Develop a campaign message

Influencers have the ability to reach very specific audiences; they help you reach people that are likely to be interested in your product or service and engage with the content. When you choose an influencer to collaborate with, they become the voice of your brand. Hence, it is important to be aligned  with your brand identity and message, so their content remains relevant to your brand. Working with influencers must include a unified message and tone to leave an impact with the audience.

4. Monitor performance

It is key to monitor the performance of the campaign to be able to determine the level of success you’ve had in reaching your audience with the help of influencers. Using influencers might seem appealing for any brand, but you can’t just simply share content around for any influencer to use. Every campaign needs to be supported with data and specific metrics such as engagement level, sentiment score, and reach. This is how you scale your effort, focus on ROI, and determine what is and isn’t working. 

Here is an example of an effective approach applied by our very own Task Spotting, a Crowd Analyzer company for Ponds, helping them reach their objectives with Nano and Micro Influencers.

Now you can spot the right influencers for your brand too and activate your audience too, getting all the positive reviews needed for your brand with Task Spotting. Using Task Spotting along with an effective social media listening tool will not only help your brand find the right influencers but also assess your ROI. There is always an opportunity for your brand to improve the marketing strategy by staying on top of the game. We got you covered in our latest edition of the 2021 State of Social Media Report, revealing the latest social media trends and insights to identify the right influencers. Our research & insights team can provide you with a customized report that includes valuable information tailored to your industry to identify who are the right influencers for your brand.