Influencers. It seems that all social media campaigns and results depend on them. In part, this is true, but let's not forget that “influencer” is a term used to describe today's opinion leaders.
Before the dominance of social media, the media (and the audience) was controlled by major media outlets, and their figures (actors, actresses, musicians, and presenters) were the opinion leaders. Just as today, brands relied on a celebrity's relatability and persuasive power to promote their products, but they aired their ads and content in newspapers, magazines, television, radio, and outdoor media in search of an audience. Today, each influencer has their own audience: their followers.
The study
Understanding this scenario, the consultancy L2 Inc conducted a study on the influencer selection strategies adopted by brands. Here are the main findings:
- In 42% of cases where an influencer was tagged on a brand's Instagram, an increase in engagement was observed, mainly in actions involving micro-influencers and major celebrities
- Despite the generally weak performance of macro-influencers, there are several accounts that have high engagement and generate results 2x higher than the analyzed average
- The traditional partnership with celebrities for brand endorsement can generate a boom on social media, provided there is a long-term partnership with constant content generation
Risk vs. Reward
Despite the heavy investment in influencer marketing in 2017, most of the results have not been so positive for brands. Using influencers with accounts of under 100 thousand followers can greatly help with engagement, as can accounts of major celebrities. The main goal in choosing who should talk about your brand is the alignment of the product with the influencer's own naturalness. You should look for people and communities that truly have a common interest in your product.
The study analyzed 837 brands in 11 different verticals, taking into account 8000 influencers on Instagram.
What brands should think about
- Find the diamonds: while some levels of influencers generate, on average, low results, the best accounts are found exactly in this range. Look for the diamond in the rough for your audience.
- Identify an archetype: brands need to select influencers with clear marketing goals in mind, so that the selection can be done more objectively.
- Brand involvement: to maximize the results of a partnership with major influencers, brands need to coordinate the creation and publication of content on both networks for a significant period to ensure the transfer of qualified followers.
How to do it?
What questions should you answer to get the strategy right:
- How to use the influencer's networks and type of content to generate results for my brand?
- How will the structure, promotion, and support of the action with the influencer be? (don't leave it to God!)
- How to use the influencer's content and image on the brand's own networks?
Good luck with your campaign!
