How to Start an Influencer Marketing Campaign

We all probably know by now that although marketing once entailed businesses delivering certain advertising messages to consumers, marketing now describes a two-way relationship between brands and customers. Influencer marketing has become a prominent strategy for companies to strengthen these consumer relationships as well as their brand identity, because of its word of mouth recommendation power.

In today’s article, I wanted to share some best practices on how to start an influencer marketing campaign. Make sure to check out last week’s post on what influencer marketing is and why it’s important for strong branding for a greater understanding of what all an influencer marketing campaign might encompass.

1. Finding the Right Influencer(s)

• Your company should already be well aware which social networks are the most effective for your brand. Do the influencers you’re considering also have a strong presence on these platforms?
• Choosing an influencer with the greatest amount of followers isn’t always the best strategy to follow. Understanding their engagement levels and overall influence on buyers’ purchasing decisions is important. (After all, you’re trying to adopt some consumers they have a strong relationship with as well.)
• Identify individuals in a related niche with similar target markets. Is their brand more or less consistent with yours?
• Consider whether location is a significant factor to account for as well, depending on the types of products or services you offer.

2. Decide the Best Way to Collaborate

• Do you need an influencer to feature your products or services on their accounts?
• Are you looking for more of a spokesperson for your brand? Will they help you host events or take over your social media stories?
• Will you allow them to have creative freedom or will you provide them guidelines or a script?

3. Choose a Form of Compensation

There are many ways to compensate influencers for their collaboration, whether that be directly with cash or through product or service rewards. Below are a few ways to reward influencer marketing relationships:

• Pay per post – just as it sounds, pay for every post created
• Contracts/campaigns – partner with these influencers for longer-term promotional campaigns
• Free products – some individuals may even mention your brand as a thanks for a free product or service
• Ambassador programs – individuals are paid as brand sponsors
• Affiliate programs – brand affiliates typically earn rewards and commission based on their sales efforts

Finally, reach out! But make sure to define campaign goals and implement ways to track success ahead of time.

Developing an influencer marketing campaign doesn’t have to be a complicated process if your company knows who to look for. Some best practices on how to start an influencer marketing campaign include finding the right influencer(s) to work with, deciding on the best ways to collaborate, and choosing how to pay the influencer(s) in return for their work.

I hope this article was of value for you. If you learned anything new, I’d love for you to give it a like and comment down below any of your favorite social media marketing tips. Make sure to stay tuned for more posts regarding digital marketing!