During these uncertain times, online influencers have been key to driving e-commerce sales. Facebook and Instagram are both seeing a spike in usage across the globe due to the ongoing stay-at-home orders.
Working with social media influencers is just like any professional relationship: an exchange. While brands hold the budget, influencers control access to valuable audiences. By picking the right influencers, you ensure an engaged target audience.
Because Instagram is more popular among people 25-34, it’s the preferred channel for many beauty brands. Even if you don’t have a huge budget, most brands can afford to work with Instagram micro-influencers. While micro-influencers have smaller followings, they drive 60 percent higher engagement rates and are 6.7 times more efficient per engagement than influencers with larger followings.
So, what does it take to develop a successful partnership with influencers? Here are 3 best practices!
- Find the right influencer for your brand
You don’t want to pick just anyone to represent your brand. Start by searching for influencers who cover topics closely related to your products and services. If you are a clean vegan line, make sure the influencer is known for those values. This is key to getting your message to the right audience.
Common Mistakes:
Picking an influencer based on the size of the audience rather than alignment with brand values. The exposure may seem enticing but if your brand has little in common with the influencer and their following, it’s unlikely that the sponsorship will lead to new customers or a long-term relationship.
- Tailor your campaign to your goals:
The type of influencer campaign you should launch depends on what you want to get out of it. The first step is to determine your campaign objectives.
- Brand Awareness: Working with TikTok influencers, creating giveaway partnerships, or even fun online hashtag challenges might work for this.
- Driving Sales: Ask influencers to use Instagram Stories where they can add the “swipe up” feature to drive traffic to your sales channels.
- Reaching A New Market: Mailer campaigns can help you reach influencers in your new market segment at a relatively low cost.
Common Mistakes:
Creating a catchy campaign but without a measurable objective or goal. Brands won’t see results with influencer partnerships unless they have a plan to leverage the content to achieve an identified goal.
- Create a great experience:
Every time you work with a new influencer, you have the opportunity to create a lasting relationship. That’s why communication is so important. Designate a point person on your team who is available to answer any questions. Make sure the project is organized so it’s easy for the influencer to simply create the content. If you make the relationship easy and positive, the influencer will be more likely to continue promoting your brand.
Common Mistake:
Influencer partnerships can fail to have a lasting impact if the influencer doesn’t feel engaged with the brand. While they may complete their contractual obligations, without genuine buy-in from the influencer and organic follow-ups, the campaign may not yield impactful results.