Influencer marketing is on the rise, with more and more brands realising the power of influential voices, particularly in our increasingly social media driven world (Hutchinson, 2018). A ‘social media campaign’ is a coordinated marketing strategy to assist with the success of a business goal using one or more social platforms; campaigns differ from everyday social media efforts due to their increased focus, targeting and measurability (BigCommerce, 2019).
The Power of Influencer Marketing:
- When it comes to millennials, only 1% of them trust advertisements. However, 33% trust blog reviews for their purchases.
- Around 40% of people reported that they purchased a product online after seeing it used by an influencer on YouTube, Instagram or Twitter.
- 71% of influencers believe that it is an honest and authentic voice that keeps their audience engaged (BigCommerce, 2019).
Campaign Success: ASOS
ASOS’s goal was to communicate with their customers in an authentic manner; they did so through their influencer marketing initiative ‘ASOS Insiders’. Through ‘ASOS Insiders’, the influencers posted images of themselves on Instagram (social media platform) wearing ASOS clothing; the posts included links providing a clear customer journey, enabling followers to ‘buy the look’. The ‘insiders’ were mostly fashion or lifestyle influencers with a strong social media presence (Brown, 2018).
Measuring Success:
1. Establish Campaign Reach via Followers, Post Impressions and Referral Traffic.
Measuring an influencer’s reach determines how many consumers saw the brand’s message; to examine influencer reach, measure the key performance indicators (KPIs): followers, impressions and traffic data (De Vivo, 2017).
2. Measure Campaign Engagement via Clicks, Likes, Reactions and Shares.
When the influencer campaign goal relates to engagement, measure not only the number of engagements, but also the cost per engagement (CPE). Influencer engagement indicates the future of brand loyalty among consumers, and can track long-term return on investment (ROI) (De Vivo, 2017).
3. Calculate Target Audience Growth via Google Analytics’ Audience Overview Demographics.
When choosing an influencer relative to the brand’s niche, content produced should be relevant and targeted accordingly. To ensure an influencer fits the brand’s targeted demographic, Google Analytics can determine potential influencers. Measuring the influencer’s grouping in relation to target audience, allows the brand to make crucial changes to the strategy and maximise ROI (De Vivo, 2017).
4. Quantify Social Leads via Google Analytics’ Acquisition Overview Report.
Maximise ROI through the identification of the influencers and marketing channels generating the most leads; this can be determined via Google Analytics (De Vivo, 2017).
The Risks of Influencer Marketing:
Collaborating with an influencer is relative to the selection of a business partner; choosing the right individuals can bring great success, but a poor choice can cause great damage to the brands reputation (SmartInsights, 2017). Many brands and influencers have been put under pressure, due to fears of a decrease in consumer trust as some sponsored posts are not clearly signposted; there is the risk that if influencers abuse the trust gained from their audience, through failing to inform them that a piece of content is sponsored, there is a loss of credibility (Macgougan, 2018).
Key Risks for the Brand:
- Fake followers/ wasted money
A ‘fake’ following can be identified through analysing rates of engagement, comments and the account(s) details. - Bad reviews from influencers
Ensure the product is perfect before submitting to influencers; both the influencer’s and the brand’s credibility is at risk if a bad product is recommended. - Message not fitting with the brand’s guidelines or standards
A certain level of creative control should be established with the influencer to ensure the campaign launched is in line with your brand’s values and tone of voice (Macgougan, 2018).
In essence, when carried out correctly, influencer campaigns can be extremely beneficial to a brand or company; the exposure and impressions obtained from a successful influencer campaign are far greater than ‘traditional’ advertising campaigns could achieve.
References:
BigCommerce (2019) ‘What is a social media campaign? How to increase social sales?’, BigCommerce [online] Available at: https://www.bigcommerce.co.uk/ecommerce-answers/what-is-a-social-media-campaign/ [Accessed: 11 Feb 2019]
Brown, B (2018) ‘8 Influencer Marketing Case Studies’, Grin [online] Available at: https://www.grin.co/blog/8-influencer-marketing-case-studies-with-unbelievable-results [Accessed: 11 Feb 2019]
Davies, A (2016) ‘Why Asos Insiders is a stroke of influencer marketing genius’, Ometria [online] Available at:
https://blog.ometria.com/why-we-cant-get-enough-of-asos-insiders [Accessed: 11 Feb 2019]
De Vivo, M (2017) ‘How to measure influencer marketing campaigns’, Social Media Examiner [online] Available at: https://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/influencer-marketing-campaigns-5-ways-to-measure/ [Accessed: 11 Feb 2019]
Hutchinson, A (2018) ‘Why influencer marketing is on the rise, and how to maximise your campaigns’, Social Media Today [online] Available at: https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/why-influencer-marketing-is-on-the-rise-and-how-to-maximize-your-campaigns/525434/ [Accessed: 11 Feb 2019]
Macgougan, P (2018) ‘What are the biggest risks associated with influencer marketing?’, Go-Mash Marketing [online] Available at: http://go-mashmarketing.com/news/influencer-marketing/biggest-risks-associated-influencer-marketing/ [Accessed: 11 Feb 2019]
SmartInsights (2017) ‘4 influencer marketing risks to be wary of’, Smart Insights [online] Available at: https://www.smartinsights.com/online-pr/influencer-marketing/4-influencer-marketing-risks-wary/ [Accessed: 11 Feb 2019]