Pre-requisite: Brand Identity

The gateway to a successful influencer marketing campaign starts the same as any other: your brand identity. In fact, if your brand is already finding success in advertising on social media, you already have a great start to influencer marketing. If your marketing efforts have included none of these things, that’s okay too! Because the research it takes to participate successfully in influencer marketing will elevate your brand as a whole and introduce you to a whole new world of potential customers.  

Activating a new marketing strategy can be intimidating.

Let’s break down the six major steps to begin an influencer marketing campaign: 

1. Identify which areas of your brand will benefit most from amplification.  

Which products or areas of your business are underperforming? Once you know what could benefit most from elevated awareness, think about the message you want everyone to hear. These growth opportunities will be a great place to start! 

2. Find out which social platforms your audience uses most.  

Make a plan for where to get the word out! Find out where your target audience is and what social platform they are using most. Without this research, you could waste money by talking to the wrong audience. 

3. Determine your budget.  

Knowing how much you have to spend will guide your decision-making when it’s time to choose an influencer partner. This is also helpful when deciding how your campaign will play out in terms of length, post frequency, and possible ad spend. 

4. Construct the message for the campaign or post.

Develop creative briefs that outline the storyline you’d like to convey, and the dates you would like things posted. Knowing what you want your content to look like will help you in your search for talent.

5. Search for influencers. 

Searching for influencers can take place on the social platform you plan to use, through an influencer management tool, or through talent management agencies. 

6. Create a thorough contract.

In order to protect your company, it’s important to have a fair agreement in writing between your company and the influencer. Having a thorough contract drafted that outlines the expected deliverables and terms is a must. There are influencer contract templates available online, but the safest way to draft a contract is with legal counsel. 

After the post is made: 

Even though this isn’t part of the process to get started, this is crucial. Once your influencer makes their post and a few days pass, it’s time to see how it performed. Knowing performance metrics will guide all your future decision-making and help you get the most out of an influencer marketing strategy moving forward. 

When done right, a paid partnership between a brand and an influencer is interesting, engaging, and memorable. It makes you want to go check out what they’re talking about right away and consider it for your next big purchase.  

• The right influencer will support your brand story and promote your company’s values through their actions. 
• Authenticity is paramount, and the only way to maintain trust with an audience. Stay away from influencers who do not seem genuine because they may hurt your brand perception. 

The whole reason for influencer marketing is to propel your brand in front of new audiences who would otherwise be unaware. If your brand isn’t considering an influencer marketing strategy – you need to. You can start as small or large as your company desires, and if your company already has its brand persona identified, then step one is already done! The best way to ensure success is to do your research, know what you want to say, and who you want to say it to.  

Ready to get started but recognize what a task finding the right influencers can be? Let’s connect! If you’re considering influencer marketing, we can evaluate your brand, help match you with the right influencers, and even guide you toward a strategy that will fit your needs.