In order to get the most from your influencer marketing campaign, it’s essential to set specific targets you hope to reach.
If you’re new to this type of marketing, it’s difficult to know exactly what to expect. Sales are the ultimate goal, but how will you get there, and how can you track what is ultimately the cause of increasing sales?
Before you begin setting expectations, it’s important to understand which metrics can be tracked to evaluate Influencer Marketing ROI, and which are still difficult to nail down in this style of campaign.
Here are some goals to keep in mind as you set the intention of your campaign:
Build Brand Awareness
- Identify your target group. What are the demographics of your buyers? Age, gender, income, career and geographic location are just some of the first things to consider.
- Identify the social media channels that are best for your brand. There are lots of options like Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram but you’ll want to concentrate your energies on the ones that will best reach your target group.
- Once you have a growing number of followers, engage with them. Use humor, thought provoking posts to have them remember you. Every post does not have to be about your product. Include related topics that have a mass appeal.
- Be organic. You love your product so show them why you do without using all the gimmicky, glittery tricks. No one wants to be overwhelmed by ‘in your face’ ads on social media. It’s a huge turn off and will result in negative publicity.
- Influencers have huge numbers of people that are trusting they are authentic in their endorsements. Connect with them and create relationships that can benefit both parties.
- Giveaways are always hugely popular on all social media channels and holiday times like Valentine’s, Mother’s Day and Thanksgiving are ideal occasions to increase awareness.
Build a Library of Images
Photo by Christine Carlson
If one of your goals is to build a library of stock images to use on your website and across your social media channels, there are several ways to go about this.
One of the best ways is to find a brand ambassador. Find an influencer who has great photography and videography skills, who can produce regular recipes, photos, and videos featuring your product. This is a great add-on to a campaign, and is a great strategy for building a library of similarly themed content.
Increase Sales
- Do a limited sale for a large discount for a short period of time. Flash sales create buzz and people generally gravitate towards the words ‘sale’ and ‘coupon’.
- Use hashtags that are generic as well as brand specific. Consumers use hashtags in their search so you want to ensure you use them consistently in order to attain a good ranking.
- Giveaways, like sales, generate a lot of attention. A monthly giveaway will have people returning again and again.
- Consider hiring someone to take over your social media full time if your budget allows. Trying to grow your social media on your own is time consuming and requires knowledge of how each channel and their algorithms work.
Expand into a new Market
- Your target group does not have to be limited. Think outside the box. What can you do with your product to expand it’s likability to the masses.
- Find influencers with a specific niche – follow them, engage with them, send them free product. Often times an influencer will do an Instagram story talking about the new product they received at the door. People are watching the stories especially those in which they are highly engaged.
- Be authentic. In this age of increasing advertisements on social media, the audience is skeptical of anything that appears disingenuous.