Here are 3 easy steps to plan your first influencer marketing campaign as a small biz!
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Kidding! There are no 3 easy steps. It’s a learning process.
Most early businesses will look at influencer marketing ‘virality’ as a key goal in their marketing.
It’s one of the few tools in the arsenal of a frugal brand, because like digital paid ads on Meta, you can spend a little at a time, making tweaks along the way! But just because you CAN do it, doesn’t mean it’ll work if you just jump in and start giving people free products/money.
As someone who’s been in the beauty world for 6+ years (beauty being one of the earliest industries to adopt this as a core channel); I’m a strong believer in the power of this channel - but I also know a few things that are huge watch-outs for any brand,
1. The landscape has changed: costs are higher, numbers are bigger, consumers are more discerning and less trusting and so, the ‘authenticity’ the space once came with is a bit more elusive to build. And most won’t have the patience (or budget) to do it.
2. Splintered budgets are NOT effective! A little bit of everything to make yourself feel better about not missing out is the worst thing you could do.
3. It’s NOT an easy conversion from awareness to consideration to purchase. I’ve seen one too many brands spend a little money on a few IG posts, and then stop spending 3 months later when there wasn’t a supernormal jump in sales.
4. Do your own testing: Following what’s worked for any other brand, or worse, combining the bits of pieces blindly of many other brands, is not going to show success. Be led by your product, TG persona, values, and goals. And even then, it’ll be a process of trial and error before you’re clear about the path ahead.
So what should you do? Well, if you’re a brand in the early stages of your brand, let me tell you a few must-dos when planning your first campaign.
1. PICK A CLEAR NICHE!
Broad-based everything creators are out (especially for your early days). There is a creator in every genre and sub-genre, and you need to work with one that aligns with you OR your audience, even if in absolute terms their reach is less. If you pick well, the quality / connect will be better!
2. KNOW YOUR INFLUENCER TYPE
Treating UGC, nano, micro, and mega creators will only lead to stress on both sides of the equation. Each plays a different role in your campaign, and understanding what they bring to the table before choosing who to work with will be the best option.
3. MEASUREMENT & METRICS
Content can & should be measured. Have clear goals from each campaign in terms of reach vs. engagement vs. sales; and then slice your post-campaign data into influencer type, campaign communication, product promoted, influencer channel (YT vs. IG), promotion language etc. to best build learnings over time and apply back.
4. LEAN INTO THEIR STYLE
Refer back to the earlier mentioned authenticity! While I know how challenging it can be as a brand to give up control, that risk is probably better taken than having exactly your content put out, but appearing inauthentic and therefore having zero impact. Expecting rote script recitation from influencers (note: this doesn’t apply to UGC creators) isn’t a great idea. Let them feed you their concept instead.
5. CONSIDERING YOUR OWN CONTENT
At the end of the day, the influencer is primarily helping you with reach. The viewer who got hooked will probably head over to your social next. And that’s where you can build real consideration by ensuring your page echoes the same values and vibe + has consistent, engaging content that makes them want to follow / engage with you too! And then enter your funnel to someday make a purchase.
P.S. Just so you know, it is OKAY to be an early-stage brand and not spend money on influencer marketing - but instead choose a different GTM via organic content, MoF paid activities on channels, offline activations like pop-ups, PR, or many others!
Need some more help picking a path forward? Drop us an email at meet@thebuildinc.com and we’d be happy to help!
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