Leveraging Influencer Marketing for Your Good Works
Over the years influencer marketing has become a key component of modern advertising – so much so that a recent study found that 94% of marketers believe influencer marketing is effective. The reason influencer marketing works is simple. People are more likely to be influenced by an individual they can personally connect with than by a brand they don’t know much about. An influencer’s fans trust their endorsements and value their opinions. Ready to make it work for you? Here’s how to leverage the power of influencer marketing for your good works:
Find the Right Influencers
Taking the time to research the best influencers for your brand is going to be key to your success. Some brands make the mistake of working with someone just because they have a lot of followers and this is ineffective. In fact, research has found that micro-influencers provide a bigger payback. When conducting research, pay close attention to who the influencer’s audience is and how much their followers engage with their content. Also ensure that they have a legitimate connection to your brand.
Have a Separate Budget
Influencer marketing should have a separate budget that is used exclusively for this type of advertising. In a recent survey, it was reported that the majority of marketers are increasing their budgets for influencer marketing. You should never expect an influencer to promote your brand for free. Some influencers have a set rate, while others work in exchange for something, but either way, you must make working with your brand mutually beneficial. When you have a budget to build these type of relationships they are more likely to show results!
Follow FTC Guidelines
The Federal Trade Commission recently updated its endorsement guidelines, and it’s crucial that you follow these rules. For instance, some influencer partnerships tried switching up hashtags to look less like ads, for example, using #sp instead of #sponsorship. The FTC is cracking down on this type of behavior, so make sure to have the influencer disclose your relationship in a legal way on all related content.
Evaluate Success
Like every advertising campaign, it’s important to spend the time evaluating and measuring results. With influencer posts you should not only measure the click through rate and number of engagements, but also the cost per post engagement (CPPE). For example, if you spent $500 on the influencer post and it received 5,000 engagements, that’s only $0.10 per engagement! It’s also important to track the links that the influencer posts with Google Analytics. Tracked links will give you insight into how much traffic your website received from the influencer posts and how their audience engaged on your site.
Success Story: Cavities Get Around Influencer Campaign
Amélie works with the Delta Dental of Colorado Foundation on eliminating tooth decay in Colorado children. Recently, we launched an influencer partnership campaign to push the Foundation’s message out to even more parents in the region. The first influencer we worked with, Laura Funk from We Got the FUNK, posted about her children’s experience with oral hygiene, providing a personal story about her children’s dental journey for readers to relate to. Her Facebook post alone received 30,661 impressions and 640 clicks to her blog! In total, the blog got 8,133 views. Delta Dental of Colorado also shared the blog on their own social channels, benefiting both parties and extending its reach.
Need some help with leveraging influencer marketing for your campaign? Our social media team is here for you! Contact us here.
