Last month, my colleague Emily shared an excellent post on the best practices for, and advantages of, orchestrating influencer campaigns. You can read her 5 strategies to maximize influencer campaigns here.
As she noted, brands are projected to spend up to $15 billion on influencer marketing by 2020, according to Business Insider. She also noted, “influencers typically reach the coveted millennial consumer.” True. However, influencers, depending on where they wield their influence, can reach any target demographic. And brands that are targeting the coveted Gen X and Boomer consumers (the ones making purchasing decisions for multiple generations – from their children to their adult parents) should pay attention too.
So, to that end, here are 5 MORE things to consider for influencer campaigns.
- The best influencer campaigns are co-developed by the brand and the influencer. Yes, an influencer campaign is designed to deliver your message to your target audience, and staying on brand is key. But the best influencer campaigns let the influencer interpret your message in a way that is also on brand for them. Our recommendation, rather than create the campaign and then share it with your influencers, sketch out the campaign and then co-create it with your influencers. The result will be more authentic, and therefore more powerful.
- Micro, or nano, influencers are often the best choice. The size of an influencer’s following isn’t the only consideration in choosing influencers to work with. Influence is! What matters is the impact your influencer’s message will have on their following. This is especially helpful when you don’t covet the millennial consumer. A boomer influencer may have fewer followers than someone else, but are they the right followers for your brand? That’s what matters.
- Ignore video at your own risk. Video has the highest engagement rate across all social platforms. Think about the mix of content you want influencers to produce before you write their contracts. Are you running a campaign on Instagram? Don’t forget IGTV!
- Speaking of video, keep your eye on TikTok. Sure the app is used primarily by 16 – 24 year olds. But according to AdAge, as of October 2019, it had 800 million monthly active users worldwide and is one of the top most downloaded apps. Remember when they all said Instagram was just for the kids??
- Paid amplification is key. As you plan your influencer marketing budget, set aside a percentage for amplification. Savvy brands partner with the right influencers for their audience and message, co-create with those influencers, then put a paid spend against the content.
And as Emily so wisely said, “Prioritize transparency, authenticity and proper on-boarding of your partners, and the your campaign will generate better results.”