A Guide For Clients: How To Run A Successful Influencer Campaign

The Do’s And Don’ts For A Successful Influencer Marketing Campaign

In today’s marketing environment, brands that make use of traditional digital media find it a struggle to get attention on the internet and gain engagement.

As such, they are turning towards an influencer marketing strategy to guide consumers back to their business. But before you go off and start creating your influencer marketing campaign, read on for tips on how to ensure your campaign’s success.

DO: SET SPECIFIC TARGET KPIs AT THE START

Similar to any other marketing strategy, there is a need to track the performance of your various campaigns. However, before you can start monitoring how well your influencer campaign is performing, you will need to set specific key performance indicators (KPIs). KPIs will affect every other decision in your campaign – from the influencers selected, the social media platform chosen, to how success is measured.

In general, influencer marketing campaigns aim to achieve at least one (or both) of the following goals:

• Brand Awareness goals: centred around raising awareness of your brand, event or product. KPIs, in this case, can include stats such as reach and impression of each post, as well as engagement.
• Direct Response metrics: centred around driving a specific “conversion” action, such as purchases or membership signups. In this case, we can look at the number of swipe ups (on Instagram Stories), link clicks and contest entries.

DO: ALLOCATE TIME TO FIND THE PERFECT INFLUENCERS

This is an extremely important step, so make sure you do not rush through it! Always keep in mind that influencer marketing is not a one size fits all process – instead, you need to find ideal influencers for your brand and your audience.

Just because an influencer has a high number of followers, it does not mean that you should engage them. While a higher following usually translates to higher reach and engagement, you have to look at your target KPIs to figure out if this is your main purpose. What if your biggest goal for the campaign is engagement? If this is the case, you can look at micro or mid-tier influencers instead. These influencers will fit your campaign better because of the following reasons:

• Niche Audience: Micro-influencers tend to have a more niche audience and higher engagement rates.
• Greater Connection: They tend to be viewed as more authentic and genuine by their followers.

DO: FAMILIARISE YOURSELF WITH THE PRODUCT AND BRAND

When the influencer truly believes in your brand or the product, their excitement will be more effectively conveyed to their followers. Always prioritise working with influencers who already love your brand and hence will be a good brand advocate for you.

This is where you come in – if they are not familiar with your brand, you need to help the influencer understand what makes your company unique from competitors. Make sure to share any information that you feel will align with their values. When they are familiar with the brand, their posts will become more authentic which in turn will make it easier for you to hit your target KPIs.

DO: REPURPOSE INFLUENCER CONTENT

One of the worst influencer marketing mistakes you can make is to not capitalise on influencer content. Always remember that influencer content can be repurposed, generating even more traffic and filling in posting gaps for you.

Take advantage of user-generated content, even if the person who posted it is not an influencer as it can still provide good quality content for your social media platforms. Fans also like seeing their content appreciated by the brands they love and support, so reposting such content has the added bonus of building relationships with your followers!

DON’T: START YOUR CAMPAIGN WITHOUT A CLEAR PLAN

Remember to keep in mind the thoughtful planning and resources that are needed in influencer marketing. Don’t just dive in headfirst into influencer marketing. Instead, define a clear marketing strategy – identify your target audience, objectives, target KPIs, budget, and influencers chosen.

Plan out a clear and concise marketing brief to give to the influencers you engage. It needs to be specific, and contain all the elements you are hoping to demonstrate through the campaign. We have previously written a post about how to write a good content marketing brief, check it out here.

DON’T: SELECT INFLUENCERS BASED ON VANITY METRICS

Just because the influencer is well-known, it doesn’t necessarily mean that they’re the best fit. When engaging influencers, you need to look beyond follower and subscriber count to evaluate them more holistically. A high follower count does not always translate to a high reach, and certainly does not mean high engagement. There’s no point to an influencer if their posts do not generate actions, in the same way, you wouldn’t pay for an ad in a magazine that nobody reads.

There are other factors that you need to consider: Is the “trendy” influencer over-saturated with promotions? Does their audience match your target consumer? Always remember that a high following does not mean most effective for your campaign.

DON’T: MICRO MANAGE THE INFLUENCERS

Never script an influencer’s post or video. Followers know the voice of their favourite influencers on an intimate level – their mannerisms, writing style, and figure of speech. A scripted line will not only feel contrived, but it also lacks authenticity.

Instead, you should spell out key talking points in the marketing brief you give to the influencers. This may include pointers such as the unique selling points of the product, your brand mission, any specific promo codes, or giveaway instructions. After this, give the influencer the creative freedom convey this information to their audience in their own style.

Remember that they have succeeded in building an engaged audience because they know what their audience wants and how best to deliver it. Their audience trusts them as experts and values their advice. So give the influencers the freedom to do what they do best – engage their audience.

DON’T: FOCUS ON THE WRONG RETURNS

As with any other marketing campaign, influencer marketing can only be successful if you clearly set realistic targets beforehand and then measure performance based on those goals.

Especially for brand awareness campaigns, some marketers become confused and disappointed when they don’t see an immediate increase in traffic or sales. However, if their initial KPIs were cantered around engagement, then the marketer is focusing on the wrong metrics.

At Indie Collaborates, we are an experienced team who pays precise attention to our clients’ needs. Together with our strong community of influencers and our profound expertise in Asia, we help guide clients through each stage of the influencer marketing process. Drop us an email at [email protected] to find out more!