Influencer Marketing: Best Practices

Influencer Marketing: Dos and Don'ts

• Don'ts

  • Falsely represent your brand or company.
  • Confuse the message or request.
  • Expect your product or campaign to go viral.
  • Expect the influencer to create an ad.
  • Demand excessive tasks from influencers.

• Do's

  • Explain why your brand deserves promotion.
  • Keep your message clear and concise.
  • Be realistic about expected results.
  • Provide clear guidelines for influencers.
  • Treat influencers with respect and consideration.

Influencer Marketing: Types of Campaigns

• Off Events versus Continuity Campaigns
  • Off events generate buzz around a specific event or launch.
  • Continuity campaigns maintain engagement over a product's lifecycle, contributing to branding efforts.

Influencer Marketing: Contracts and Compensation

• Contracts

  • Formal agreements between your brand and influencers protect both parties.
  • Simple, legally binding contracts are essential for a successful program.

• Compensation

  • Fair compensation is crucial for building strong relationships and attracting top talent.
  • Underpaying influencers can lead to unsatisfactory content and damage your brand's reputation.

Influencer Marketing: Platforms and Strategies

• Primary Influencer Platforms

  • Most established platforms have replicable and scalable programs due to their long history of data and case studies.

• Finding an Approach that Works

  • Established Consumer Brand: Start with a comprehensive marketing plan, use influencers to amplify existing efforts, and avoid under-budgeting.
  • Small to Midsize Consumer Brand: Focus on building deep relationships with influencers, offer incentives like products or insider information, and consider them extensions of your team.
  • Startup Brand: Primarily target women, partner with creators of great content, and utilize influencers for awareness and excitement.

Influencer Marketing: Reaching Out

• Pitches that are NOT Effective

  • Generic pitches that don't align with the influencer's style or tone.

• Effective Outreach Tips

  • Personalize emails, addressing the individual influencer by name.
  • Avoid marketing jargon, using respectful yet human communication.
  • Remember that you're asking for a favor, acknowledging the influencer's role in helping your brand.

Influencer Marketing: Avoiding Common Mistakes

• General Mistakes

  • Underestimating the cost of influencer marketing programs.
  • Focusing solely on YouTube stars, neglecting other potential video talent.
  • Assuming influencer marketing is quick or cheap.
  • Failing to recognize the importance of long-term partnerships.
  • Trying influencer marketing without a clear understanding of your target audience.

• Strategic Mistakes

  • Overly restrictive control over influencer content.
  • Neglecting to measure the right success metrics.
  • Narrowly defining influencer marketing solely as external content creation.
  • Underestimating the value of influencer insights.
  • Not considering the full range of social media platforms for your influencer strategy.

Influencer Marketing: Key Takeaways

• Influencer marketing is not just pay-for-play.
• It's about building genuine relationships with influencers and leveraging their credibility for your brand.
• Authenticity and transparency are key to successful influencer campaigns.
• Careful planning, thoughtful execution, and consistent measurement are essential for achieving your marketing goals.