I’m amazed how often I hear this, from really talented marketers who I know wouldn't ask the same question of other marketing channels. I know Influencer marketing is new, and needs demystification so we can all learn how to set expectations and measure ROI. We all want nothing more than to see great campaigns, that deliver results and are mutually beneficial for both the brand and the influencer/Key opinion leader, and to help brand understand and set expectations around these social campaigns.
Expecting 1 x post to sell out of your product is like running a TV ad, or radio spot, once, on one channel, one time slot, and expecting that to deliver results. It might happen, but it’s pretty unlikely, and I think any marketer would agree that running a TV ad once would be pretty inefficient and ineffective. Think of using influencers in the same way. You need a cohesive strategy that isnt ‘spray and pray’ or adhoc ‘I have some money left over this quarter, let’s get some influencers to do some posts’.
So what should you consider in setting your strategy, and predicting ROI?
Where are you at in the marketing funnel?
Is it brand awareness? Are you a brand new brand, and hoping to make potential customers aware of who you are?
Is it interest and consideration phases? Are you using influencers to share more product information, aligning with them for positioning and for positive endorsement?
Is it the intent and evaluation phase? Are you using them to drive traffic to a landing page with more information on the product/service, using coupon/discount codes, or
Or is it retention & reactivation? Are people already familiar with your brand and products/services, and you want to use influencers to stay top of mind, build further loyalty, target inactive customers with retargeting campaigns using influencer content?
Is your website ready for an instagram campaign?
Have you set up a landing page to send the traffic to?
Is the mobile experience of your website fantastic? If your sending users there from social, you can expect them to be on mobile or tablet, so make sure you’ve checked on these devices.
Can customers easily check out on mobile? Can they enter card details, add items to card, and easily select their address and shipping options? Is it a 5 page form thats going to cause them to abandon, especially on mobile?
Have you set up UTM links for each influencer so you can check traffic that they drive to site?
Is your instagram ready for an influencer campaign?
Is the campaign landing page link in the bio of your instagram? And have you got tracking on this so you know what traffic is being driven to site from your instagram page?
Is your own instagram account up to date, with images and video of the product/service you are promoting, with shoppable links (if relevant for your product)?
Are your team or agency ready to answer any questions that come through via instagram comments or DM’s about the campaign? On Pricing, availability, shipping etc?
Is the rest of your marketing ready for an influencer campaign?
Do you have retargeting set up for customers who visit your website and social pages?
Do you have campaigns ready to move them through the funnel - retargeting them with discount codes, free shipping, testimonials, case studies etc?
Do you have other marketing campaigns running to support the influencer campaign (print, TVC, online, paid social)?
Have you allocated paid spend to boost each influencers post to reach more eyeballs than the organic reach, to maximise your investment?
Did you vet the influencer?
Did you check where their followers are based, age, gender, and engagement rate?
Did you look at their interests, content and see if it aligns with your brand and desired target audience?
Did you check to see if they have worked with a competing brand recently?
Have you checked their follower growth over time to make sure its authentic?
Did you set them up for success?
Did you provide them with a brief that included the mandatories, brand information, hashtags, key messages etc?
Have you ensured they set up the brand handshake/In Paid Partnership with feature on instagram, and have you approved their request in your instagram?
Did you approve the photo and caption before posting to ensure it meets your brand guidelines and tone of voice?
Did you reshare the content across your socials to drive further social proof?
What is the purchasing process for your product?
Is it a high ticket item like a mobile phone, that be unlikely to ‘click to buy’ in the first transaction?
Is it an item that people purchase infrequently like a bed mattress, that is going to have a longer sales cycle and more touch points before they make a purchase decision?
The stats speak for themselves:
54% of users on social media use it to research products
49% of consumers depend on influencer recommendations, 40% had purchased something after seeing it on Twitter, YouTube or Instagram.
According to a Tomoson study, businesses earn $6.50 for each dollar spent on influencers
22% of marketers say influencer marketing is the most cost-effective method of obtaining new customers
67% of marketers planning to increase their budgets in the next 12 months, particularly on Instagram
74% of consumers trust opinions they find on social media, including those from friends, families and influencers, to help them make the right decision about buying a product or service
Influencer marketing can be an incredible marketing channel if done strategically. If you want to learn more about how to run a campaign, get in touch today.
