By Matilda Zandrén, Client Success & Paid Media Manager at CUBE
“The crisis is here.”
Yes, the tough times faced by most media investments have only continued to grow worse for four consecutive months. As a result, obtaining the highest possible ROI is more important than ever as companies continue to carefully choose and evaluate their media purchases. Even if that was not the case, there is a large unexplored part of influencer marketing that is ready to not only increase ROI in the short term, but also strengthen brand positioning in the long term. So, what is it that many media agencies and companies are missing, of which so few actually succeed? In short, influencer marketing is, in the most part, still considered a media purchase today, when in fact it includes both distribution and content production. For several companies, influencer marketing still stands as a sidekick to the rest of the investments, often seen as a “nice to have” rather than a “must” or absolute necessity.
Here are 5 tips to help you make smarter media purchases with the help of influencer marketing.
A thoughtful brief for all stages of the funnel
Anyone who knows how ad buying works, especially in paid social, knows that to “determine the KPI first, then choose the material, communication, budget, and channel selection needed to achieve that goal” is the basic premise for success. Giving influencers a campaign-specific brief to include a glimpse of product focus and perhaps an enticing CTA may be an obvious first step in getting relevant content. However, the fact is that far too many buyers of influencer activations today are stuck in a silo mentality, where influencers are seen as an extra boost alongside a larger campaign, rather than part of the whole to achieve stated business goals. So, start introducing clear goals and requirements in the brief, and ask yourself: ‘What does my brand need to reach my target audience in the right way throughout the purchase journey?’ If you choose to work with the right influencers, you will also get a sounding board that can help create these creative ideas while you can push out the content in chosen channels. It’s a win-win for both parties.
Maximize the lifespan of influencer-created content
A good content creator will take on the challenge of creating different types of materials with passion and finesse, and voila, you have content to use for all your purposes across multiple channels. A-O is, of course, to ensure that you have the rights to use the material produced. This means that using influencer marketing on the side to track other media purchases is missing the opportunity for really good content. With a clear strategy for how the material should be taken out in bought channels, the content can have a longer lifespan and create stronger synergy effects in different channels. Plus, it’s easy to forget the omnichannel perspective if the message and content don’t match up in all the channels the audience is exposed to. Ultimately, influencer marketing is much more scalable than we perhaps initially think it to be.
Selling without selling maximizes long-term ROI goals
The higher the pressure to actually generate conversions, the more we need to step back and review where the brand is. The right choice of influencers provides access to the relationship they have built with their followers over a long period of time, which could never be recreated with just regular ads. This becomes even more important in the economic climate we find ourselves in; in short, selling something without saying “you need to buy this.”
Measure the effect in the right way
No, it’s actually not difficult to measure the effect of influencer marketing. And yes, you should actually put purchased reach and audience targeting behind your activations. This begs the question, how many of you who use influencers today connect your campaigns to website pixels, analyze tracking in GA, and optimize your briefs based on results? Take a leap and dare to spend more to get the material out and let the data speak for itself. If you have made the right choice when it comes to your influencers, this will benefit you both in the short and long term.
Trust influencers’ ability to create content
Influencers are usually more data-driven than many think. A skilled creator knows exactly what type of content creates engagement. They work on this every day and probably have more data on what works for their followers than an ordinary advertising agency. Although a clear brief is important, it is even more so to let the creators be creative based on what they know works. This is why finding the right fit when it comes to influencers is so important.
Bonus Tip: Make smarter influencer purchases
Perhaps your thought process equates to the idea that big influencers = greater reach. And this is absolutely true, if we’re talking about organic reach. But with the algorithms of big social platforms, where organic spread is continuing to be reduced, it’s not a “nice to have” to add money for advertising, but a “must”. Choose influencers carefully based on who can create material that suits your brand. And not to say least least, choose those that allow you to have budget left to distribute the content in purchased channels. Good luck!
Feel free to get in touch if you have any questions!
