7 Steps for a Successful Social Influencer Campaign
It’s no secret that social media is a crucial part of an effective marketing strategy, but popular platforms like Facebook and Instagram have become overcrowded and very competitive. So, what can brands do to reach their target audience and ultimately increase ROI? When done right, social influencer campaigns are a powerful and profitable marketing tool. Influencers can help you cut through all the noise and convert potential customers into paying customers and, more importantly, loyal fans.
Learn how to plan, create, and execute a successful social influencer campaign with these helpful tips.
Keep Your Social Media Profiles Active
Active social media profiles are a marketing essential for many reasons, but they are especially crucial for successful social influencer campaigns. For starters, if your brand doesn’t have an active social presence, it will be difficult to attract the best influencers. Even if you do manage to score a collaboration with an influencer who is killing it, your campaign is likely to flop without an active social media presence of your own. When potential customers go from the influencer’s profile to your profile, they should see recent posts and activity, lots of great content, and a complete profile with a clear call to action.
Find the Right Influencer for Your Brand
Your influencer campaign is guaranteed to fail if you don’t partner with an influencer who aligns with your brand. When choosing an influencer, make sure their niche is relevant and that their audience will be interested in your product. You should also spend some time looking at their metrics to ensure that they have the reach and engagement necessary to achieve your goals for the campaign.
Discuss Campaign Goals and Terms
When partnering with an influencer, one of the first things you should do is identify the goals of the campaign and clearly define the terms. Whether it’s gaining new followers or increasing sales, make sure the influencer understands exactly what you’re hoping to gain. You’ll also need to hammer out the details, including which social media channels will be utilized, how many posts will be created, and when content will be published. Discussing goals and terms upfront can prevent miscommunications, set expectations, and establishes the foundation for a successful social influencer campaign.
Pro Tip: Make sure you have a contract in place that clearly defines compensation, deliverables, time frame, and more.
Allow Creative Freedom, but Review Content
If their devoted followers are any indication, successful influencers know how to create epic content that resonates. If you want to reach your campaign goals, you’ll need to loosen the reigns a bit and allow the influencer some creative freedom. Until you have reached a level of understanding and trust with the influencer, it’s completely acceptable and recommended that you review content before it’s approved for posting. The influencer is representing your brand and you need to be sure that the content aligns with your values.
Utilize Various Content Types on Multiple Channels
With social media marketing, the possibilities are practically endless so don’t be afraid to get creative and mix it up. Successful social influencer campaigns often utilize several different types of content (posts, stories, live videos, etc.) and even multiple social media channels in their strategy. Of course, what that strategy looks like depends on which platforms and content will perform best and are most likely to convert potential customers. Work with the influencer to decide what kind of content will be created and where it will be published.
Engage and Share from Your Brand Profiles
When it comes to collaborating with an influencer for a social media campaign, you’re not a silent partner. You can and should repost branded content on your profiles, but always give the influencer proper creator credit. This gives your account some fresh content and increases campaign reach, but you’re not done yet. Read and respond to comments on branded posts. Answer any questions and engage in a genuine way. This kind of engagement can help you gain new followers and convert potential customers.
Track Metrics and Review Results
To determine whether your influencer campaign was successful, you’ll need to review your original campaign goals and the final results. Did you reach your goals, whatever those were? Did you gain more followers or increase sales? You’ll also need to review how each piece of campaign content performed. By analyzing the number of engagements, such as likes and comments, you can identify which posts resonated with potential clients and which ones failed to perform. Reviewing the data can help you determine how to adjust and optimize your strategy for future campaign success.
When executed properly, social influencer campaigns can be a highly profitable marketing tool. Without a compatible influencer and a solid strategy, however, you might as well save your money for tacos and beer. For an effective campaign, partner with experienced influencers who do more than just create content. Influencer campaigns require collaboration at every stage and a partner who has mastered the art of influencer marketing.
At Agency 133, we cultivate genuine relationships between talented influencers and brand partners to conceptualize and create authentic and successful influencer campaigns. For more information about how we and our roster of epic talent can expand your reach and maximize campaign results, shoot us an email at info@agency133.com.