Today’s marcomms landscape requires influencer strategists to move as fast as the social media space does. Ashley Rosenberger, founder of Rose PR, shares five essential tips for maximizing effectiveness – from diversifying influencer selections to fostering authentic relationships and beyond.
In the ever-changing world of PR, influencer marketing has emerged as a powerful tool for brands to connect with their audiences. Over the past decade, influencer marketing has grown exponentially, with influencers becoming key players in helping brands attain visibility in their respective fields. However, as with any dynamic industry, the landscape of influencer marketing is continuously shifting, prompting the question: is influencer marketing still as effective as it once was? Below we list out 5 ways to maximize influencer effectiveness:
1. Diversify influencer suggestions
To maximize the effectiveness of influencer marketing, it is crucial for agencies to tailor their influencer recommendations to align specifically with the products they are pushing. Many brands have “favorite” creators with whom they’ve worked with in the past and enjoy working with. As a result, they end up recycling the same influencers for multiple product campaigns instead of researching right fits for each campaign. For example, an influencer who is influential for an SPF product might not be as influential for a lipstick. Therefore, agencies and brands must recognize these distinctions and invest time in researching and selecting influencers who are the best fit for their specific campaigns.
2. Trust the influencer
The same way a doctor knows best when it comes to how to treat a patient, an influencer knows best with how to connect with their audience! As such, when partnering with influencers, while communicating the brand vision to them, it is essential to trust them to relay the message in a creative way. Influencers have built a loyal following because of their authenticity and personal style, which resonate deeply with their audience. By allowing influencers the creative freedom to craft content that feels genuine and natural, brands can ensure that the message is delivered more effectively and persuasively.
3. Understand your goals
Before beginning your influencer partnership, it is essential to list out your goals for the campaign. Are you aiming to boost awareness? Are you looking for content that you can repurpose? Defining your objectives upfront will help you select the right influencers, craft a coherent strategy, and measure the success of your campaign more effectively.
4. Rethink traditional KPIs for measuring influencer performance
Measuring the true impact of influencer marketing can be challenging, as traditional KPIs may not fully capture the long-term effects of an influencer's post. Often, the results of an influencer campaign show long after the initial post. For example, a person might see an influencer feature a lipgloss in their story and not engage with the post immediately, which might suggest a negative ROI. However, weeks later, that same person could recall the hand cream when shopping and decide to purchase it. This demonstrates that traditional metrics like immediate engagement may not accurately reflect the influencer's lasting impact.
5. Prioritize authentic relationships
When working with paid influencers, a problem brands are encountering is the lack of authenticity in these posts. To counter this, it’s really important to work with influencers that have already shown significant love to the brand in an unpaid capacity. This way, the partnership looks more as if the brand is paying an influencer who already loves the brand to create more elevated content as opposed to coming off as them paying someone to say they love the brand.
