The Covid-19 pandemic has changed the way we live, work, and communicate. It has also affected the way we consume and create content, especially on social media platforms. Influencer marketing, which involves collaborating with influential individuals who have a large and loyal following, has emerged as one of the most effective and popular marketing strategies in the post-pandemic era.
According to a report by Deloitte, the global market size for influencer marketing was expected to reach $16.4 billion in 20221. In Canada, nearly 30% of consumers have either made a purchase based on influencer marketing or would consider doing so in the future2. However, influencer marketing is not a one-size-fits-all solution. It requires careful planning, execution, and measurement to achieve the desired results.
In this ultimate guide, we will cover everything you need to know about influencer marketing in the post-pandemic era, including:
- What is influencer marketing and why is it important?
- How to find and choose the right influencers for your brand and goals?
- How to create and execute a successful influencer marketing campaign?
- How to measure and optimize your influencer marketing performance and ROI?
- What are the best practices and trends for influencer marketing in 2022 and beyond?
Let’s get started!
What is influencer marketing and why is it important?
Influencer marketing is a form of social media marketing that involves partnering with influencers who have a large and engaged audience that trusts their opinions and recommendations. Influencers can be celebrities, experts, bloggers, vloggers, or even ordinary people who have a niche following. Influencers can help brands reach, educate, and persuade potential customers by creating and sharing authentic and relevant content about their products or services.
Influencer marketing is important for several reasons:
- It helps brands increase their brand awareness, credibility, and reputation by leveraging the influencers’ authority and influence.
- It helps brands generate more organic traffic, leads, conversions, and sales by tapping into the influencers’ loyal and engaged audience.
- It helps brands create more personalized and humanized content that resonates with the audience’s needs, preferences, and emotions.
- It helps brands adapt to the changing consumer behavior and expectations in the post-pandemic era, such as the demand for more social responsibility, authenticity, and value.
How to find and choose the right influencers for your brand and goals?
Finding and choosing the right influencers for your brand and goals is one of the most critical steps in influencer marketing. You need to consider several factors, such as:
- Relevance: The influencers should be relevant to your industry, niche, and target audience. They should have a genuine interest and expertise in your products or services, and share content that aligns with your brand’s values and message.
- Reach: The influencers should have a large and diverse reach that can help you expand your brand’s visibility and exposure. However, reach is not the only metric that matters. You also need to look at the quality and relevance of the audience, and how well they match your ideal customer profile.
- Engagement: The influencers should have a high and consistent engagement rate that reflects their ability to interact and influence their audience. Engagement can be measured by the number of likes, comments, shares, views, clicks, and other actions that the audience takes on the influencers’ content.
- Reputation: The influencers should have a positive and trustworthy reputation that can enhance your brand’s image and reputation. They should also follow the ethical and legal guidelines for influencer marketing, such as disclosing their partnerships and avoiding any misleading or false claims.
There are several ways to find and choose the right influencers for your brand and goals, such as:
- Using online tools and platforms, such as Moz, BuzzSumo, and Embold, that can help you search, filter, and analyze influencers based on various criteria, such as keywords, topics, location, and social authority321.
- Researching industry events and publications, such as conferences, podcasts, blogs, and magazines, that can help you identify and connect with influencers who are thought leaders, speakers, authors, and media personalities in your niche.
- Asking for referrals and recommendations from your existing network, such as your customers, employees, partners, and peers, who can help you discover and reach out to influencers who have a personal or professional connection with your brand.
- Browsing social media platforms, such as Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and Twitter, that can help you find and follow influencers who create and share content that is relevant and engaging to your audience.
How to create and execute a successful influencer marketing campaign?
Creating and executing a successful influencer marketing campaign requires a clear and comprehensive plan that covers the following steps:
- Define your goals and objectives: You need to define what you want to achieve with your influencer marketing campaign, such as increasing brand awareness, generating leads, driving sales, or building loyalty. You also need to set specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) goals that can help you track and evaluate your progress and performance.
- Define your budget and resources: You need to define how much you are willing and able to spend on your influencer marketing campaign, and how you will allocate your budget and resources among different activities, such as influencer research, outreach, compensation, content creation, distribution, and measurement.
- Define your target audience and message: You need to define who you want to reach and influence with your influencer marketing campaign, and what you want to communicate and convey to them. You need to create a detailed buyer persona that describes your ideal customer’s demographics, psychographics, behavior, and pain points. You also need to create a compelling and consistent brand message that highlights your unique value proposition and differentiators.
- Define your influencer selection and compensation criteria: You need to define how you will select and compensate your influencers, based on the factors mentioned above, such as relevance, reach, engagement, and reputation. You need to decide whether you will work with micro-influencers, macro-influencers, or a mix of both, and whether you will pay them in cash, products, services, or other incentives.
- Define your content strategy and guidelines: You need to define what type of content you want your influencers to create and share, and how you will collaborate and coordinate with them. You need to decide whether you will provide them with a brief, a script, or a storyboard, or let them have creative freedom and control. You also need to provide them with clear and consistent guidelines on your brand’s tone, voice, style, and values, as well as the disclosure and compliance requirements.
- Define your distribution and promotion strategy: You need to define how you will distribute and promote your influencer marketing content, and how you will leverage your own and earned media channels. You need to decide which platforms and formats you will use, such as blogs, videos, podcasts, or live streams, and how you will optimize them for SEO, social media, and mobile. You also need to decide how you will amplify and extend your reach and exposure, such as by using hashtags, mentions, tags, or paid ads.
- Define your measurement and optimization strategy: You need to define how you will measure and optimize your influencer marketing performance and ROI, and how you will report and communicate your results and insights. You need to decide which metrics and tools you will use, such as web analytics, social media analytics, influencer marketing platforms, or surveys, and how you will align them with your goals and objectives. You also need to decide how you will test and improve your campaign, such as by using A/B testing, feedback, or best practices.
How to measure and optimize your influencer marketing performance and ROI?
Measuring and optimizing your influencer marketing performance and ROI is essential to ensure that your campaign is effective and efficient, and that you are getting the best value for your money. You need to monitor and analyze your campaign data and feedback, and compare them with your goals and objectives, and your industry benchmarks and standards.
There are different ways to measure and optimize your influencer marketing performance and ROI, depending on your goals and objectives, such as:
- Brand awareness: You can measure and optimize your brand awareness by looking at metrics such as impressions, reach, views, followers, mentions, and sentiment, and by using tools such as Google Analytics, Moz, and BuzzSumo. You can optimize your brand awareness by increasing your visibility and exposure, and by improving your brand image and reputation.
- Lead generation: You can measure and optimize your lead generation by looking at metrics such as clicks, conversions, leads, and cost per lead, and by using tools such as Google Analytics, HubSpot, and Mailchimp. You can optimize your lead generation by creating and offering valuable and relevant content, offers, and incentives, and by using clear and compelling calls to action.
- Sales: You can measure and optimize your sales by looking at metrics such as revenue, sales, orders, and return on ad spend, and by using tools such as Google Analytics, Shopify, and Embold. You can optimize your sales by creating and offering personalized and customized products, services, and experiences, and by using social proof and urgency.
- Loyalty: You can measure and optimize your loyalty by looking at metrics such as retention, repeat purchases, referrals, and lifetime value, and by using tools such as Google Analytics, LoyaltyLion, and ReferralCandy. You can optimize your loyalty by creating and offering exceptional customer service, support, and satisfaction, and by using rewards and recognition.
CITATION
1. embold.co2. influencethis.ca3. moz.com4. madeinca.ca5. statista.com6. canada.ca7. hbr.org8. forbes.com9. wpp.com10. launchmetrics.com11. theguardian.com12. digitalagencynetwork.com13. incrementors.com