Influencer Marketing 101
Discover five key steps for an effective influencer marketing strategy.
© Elle UK
Influencer marketing is the new word-of-mouth. In a recent study by the American Marketing Association, 64% of marketing executives indicated that they believed word of mouth to be the most effective form of marketing. Influencer campaigns have the ability to create an unparalleled customer relationship that beats any other form of advertising.
1. Set Your Goal
You need to understand your brand, your industry and what you want to achieve from your influencer campaign. This means at the end of it, you’ll have something to measure effectively.
2. Define Your Ideal Profile
Identifying the right influencers to work with will play a key role in the success of your campaign.
Over the years Chanel has recruited a number of young stars to build upon its millennial audience base. From its 2013 ad campaign featuring Kristen Stewart, to its eyewear collection campaigns with Willow Smith and Lottie Moss, the famed French fashion house has utilised the followings of celebrity offspring and social media stars to reach new audiences.
The brand's most notable recruit was Lily-Rose Depp, the daughter of longtime Chanel ambassador, Vanessa Paradis. Chosen to front the brand's latest fragrance campaign, Chanel went about sharing a number of Tumblr-like graphics with shareable, video content, while Depp promoted on-set selfies and campaign shots to her 3.2 million Instagram followers.
© Chanel
3. Devise A Plan
It’s important to create a solid plan for the project in terms of who you want to work with and how many influencers you want to approach. This is going to be key to the success of your campaign.
For example, L’Oréal Paris has a mixture of influencers from fashion bloggers to vloggers and music artists. This is because their audiences are highly like to engage with the L’Oréal brand.
© L’Oréal Paris
4. Research Your Influencers
Find out everything you can about your influencer. This will help you better align your brand with your influencer’s, which is a win-win for both of you. It’s up to you to prove that your opportunity is relevant to their audience.
5. Measure Your Results
Implementing a proper reporting system will ensure your campaign is the best it can be. Not only should you be tracking click throughs, engagements and referrals, but also which influencer is providing the best ROH.
Words by Holly Sutton