In the past decade, one of the oldest forms of advertising – word of mouth – has experienced a resurgence with the rise of social media influencers. Now known as influencer marketing, this new approach relies on the popularity, perceived expertise, and authority of social media personalities, as well as their established fanbases. Influencers work with brands to promote products on their already popular channels (including blogs, YouTube, Instagram, and more).
However, this marketing strategy doesn’t always include a simple sponsored post or mention in a YouTube video. There are many ways to harness the power of influencers. Depending on the platforms your audiences use and your product or service offerings, one may be a better fit for your company than another.
Below, we’re diving deeper into five different types of influencer marketing campaigns – let’s take a look!
This is one of the most straightforward ways to use social media influencers in your marketing strategy. Product placement involves incorporating your business’s product or logo into an influencer’s social media content. These individuals have already earned a devoted group of fans, which offers you the opportunity to get your brand in front of an eager audience and drive more sales.
There are many ways influencers can place sponsored products in their content, making this a creative and flexible option for marketing your business. For example, an influencer could demonstrate how they use a skincare product or offer styling tips for a pair of leggings. Product placements can be as simple as an Instagram post with a caption that explains how much they love your product or as complex as a full-blown YouTube video review.
Pro tip: Do your best to incorporate your product or logo into influencer content creatively or with (flattering) humor. This will ensure the content doesn’t sound too ad driven.
Games are a more interactive way for influencers to promote your brand. Leveraging a social media influencer to host and promote a contest or giveaway is a great way to introduce new products to their audiences without sounding like an ad. Even established brands can benefit from the buzz generated by a contest, as such social media posts are more likely to garner shares and follows – and get in front of the eyes of more users.
Pro tip: Require social follows, post engagements (such as likes and shares), email addresses, use of branded hashtags, or website visits as contest entries to help boost your conversions.
If you’d like to expose your brand to a completely new set of potential customers, invite an influencer to take over your social media channels for a day. While on your account, the influencer could share how they use your products throughout their day, host a Q&A, and more. This allows you to market your product or service to their existing audience, bringing them directly to your social media pages. In many cases, you’ll increase your social media engagement, drive website traffic, and boost your brand exposure.
Pro tip: You can run a social takeover in conjunction with other influencer campaigns, such as contests or giveaways.
If you need to generate more leads or sales, an affiliate campaign can be a cost-effective, high-exposure solution. With an affiliate campaign, an influencer will promote your product or service to their audience and receive a discount or payment whenever a sale or lead is generated.
From an influencer perspective, this means that bloggers and other public figures can offer their followers (who are likely a relevant target audience for your business) a discount on your products. This positions them as a beneficial shopping ally and makes this approach a win-win for both parties.
Pro tip: Use affiliate links to track influencer-driven conversions. Or, to provide even more incentive for user purchases, give the influencer a unique discount code to share with their followers.
One of the simplest ways to utilize influencer marketing is through the use of a branded or themed hashtag. Essentially, your brand creates a specific hashtag about a new product or service, sale, contest, etc. Then, you can use influencers to build campaign momentum and drive awareness by posting content and using your hashtag. This allows you to track user engagement and participation easily.
Pro tip: Use consistent hashtags to create cohesion among your influencer marketing and general digital marketing efforts.
Now that you have some ideas, it’s time to determine which would work best for your business. First, consider your goals and the ideal audience for your influencer marketing campaign. Then, identify which potential strategies and social platforms will help you get there. Finally, find effective, relevant personalities to work with based on your answers to all of the considerations above.
Are you ready to boost your brand with a strategic influencer marketing campaign? Zero Gravity Marketing can make it happen! Our experienced team offers dedicated support and insight into all types of digital marketing strategies. Contact us today to get started!