An influencer campaign is a great way to generate brand awareness and drive near-term sales. However, the metric that matters most for long-term success is engagement. To optimize engagement, it’s important to work with influencers whose followers have some (but not too much) overlap with your brand’s domain, who post frequently (but not too often), and who focus on high-quality content.
The best influencers have a strong relationship with their audience. They take the time to create content that feels authentic, and they treat their brands like valued partners rather than paid advertisers. Ultimately, this approach helps brands develop campaigns that feel less inauthentic and more organic, which is what will lead to a long-term return on investment.
As a result, influencers have an unparalleled ability to inspire their followers. Their audiences trust their recommendations and are more likely to make a purchase based on them. Influencers are also great at conveying a sense of authenticity, and their fans often look up to them as role models. This makes them an ideal partner for promoting your products or services.
The key to successfully engaging influencers lies in understanding their audience’s values and interests. The more a brand aligns their products with the influencer’s values, the more authentic their campaign will be. Brands can start by researching influencers in their field, looking at their follower count, and assessing their engagement rates. Once a list has been made, it’s crucial to ensure that the influencer will be willing to work with your brand by setting up a meeting or discussing the details of the campaign in private message.
For B2B businesses, it may be better to reach out to influencers who have a more professional focus. It’s also worth considering which platforms are most effective for influencer marketing, as some will have a more targeted audience than others. For example, TikTok is a popular choice for consumer-facing brands, but it’s not the best option for B2B companies.
Once a campaign has been launched, it’s important to track performance and provide feedback to the influencer. This will help them improve in the future, and it’ll let the influencer know that their content is working. It’s also important to set clear goals and communicate them with the influencer to avoid confusion. For example, if you’re hoping to increase conversions, be sure to provide influencers with affiliate codes or link tracking to measure their performance. Using Sprout’s reporting tools can be an easy way to track how campaign-related posts perform.
Finally, it’s essential to keep up-to-date on guidelines for influencer marketing. These are constantly changing, and it’s your responsibility as a brand to stay up-to-date with the rules so that you don’t run into any legal problems in the future. It’s also a good idea to get to know the rules in your specific country so that you can comply with them. For example, the FTC is responsible for regulations in the United States, while the ASA is in charge of guidelines in the UK.