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According to a recent study comprised of marketers from a variety of industries, 94% said influencer marketing was an effective campaign strategy. That's great news for marketers -- right? Not so fast. Even though a majority of marketers believe influencer marketing is a viable tactic, it's still incredibly challenging to report accurately on influencer campaign ROI. In fact, 78% of marketers said that determining the success of influencer marketing campaigns would be a top challenge this year....
I think it goes without saying that just about everyone in the digital marketing space is looking to become an influencer in one way or another. Whether you want to improve your authority amongst potential clients, find yourself speaking at a conference, or even publish your own book, you first need to build your overall authority and influence. Over a decade ago, I started off on a journey in digital marketing that was based almost completely on building my influence as an SEO and Social Media Marketer, so I wanted to share some of the things that have worked for me over the years. “Influence will lead marketing efforts by 2020,” according to Ted Coine. “It’s the most effective form of ‘advertising’ there is…”...
Businesses know that today’s consumers are knowledgeable and not easily swayed by traditional marketing. Consumers also look to peers to help them make purchase decisions. Influencer marketing can increase brand awareness, build an audience and help boost sales. Most importantly, it often costs significantly less than conventional advertising. If you’re looking ideas on how to work with influencers for your digital marketing campaign, you should learn from the best. So here is a list of some of the best innovative examples of companies that nailed their influencer marketing campaigns and what you can learn from them....
Chic packaging. A mysterious name. Millennial pink. Those factors all scream prestige beauty products. And that’s exactly what Suave, the bargain drugstore hair brand owned by Unilever, was going for when it went undercover and pretended to be a new luxury hair care brand, dubbed “evaus.” (That’s “Suave” spelled backwards.) In a clever marketing stunt, Suave sent beauty influencers packages of evaus, claiming it was a new hair care line. Then, it captured their reactions on camera upon revealing they were actually using Suave. The campaign received wide press coverage in both lifestyle publications like Teen Vogue, Glamour, and New York Magazine’s The Cut, as well as in industry sources, like Fast Company and Ad Age. Plus, hundreds of people across social media posted about the campaign. It’s an example of a successful marketing campaign rooted in content. Here, we break down the key elements of how Suave effectively used content to launch it, and then extend the messaging afterwards....
Whitelists have become of interest for brands looking to make sure their ads only appear in pre-approved places. Instead of blacklists, which can end up being a game of whack-a-mole, whitelists, while less scaleable and more expensive, can actually provide a better guarantee of not having an ad next to porn content — or worse. Now, a growing number of companies are testing influencer whitelists: Creating pre-approved lists of influencers that brands can work with, and in some cases, get unfettered, open access to their handles. Against the backdrop of brand safety, the issue becomes more prevalent. One marketing executive, who spoke to Digiday under condition of anonymity, said that he’s been “burned” by influencers who have taken his product, then posted content in “unsavory” ways that he said were “disgusting.” There have been flubs in the space. Perhaps the biggest one was when YouTube star PewDiePie posted videos with anti-Semitic jokes, costing him the business of brands including Disney and YouTube. Shortly after, in February, influencer and CoverGirl ambassador James Charles tweeted a joke about going to Africa and catching Ebola alongside a CoverGirl-sponsored tweet. And for influencers, it’s not just about so-called “brand safety” issues. Companies are also looking for influencers who haven’t worked with similar brands, or sometimes, haven’t worked with brands at all....
Over the past year, several companies and thousands of freelancers have signed on to a project aimed at helping both groups broaden their horizons, with marketers getting access to global talent while creatives get to travel the world. Wanderbrief is a creative network startup that lets writers, designers, videographers and photographers submit their portfolios to its website to apply for project gigs at agencies or brands. Instead of accepting money, they work in exchange for airfare, room and board. Last year, copywriter Mark van der Heijden and former Havas Boondoggle strategy director Valentijn van Santvoort started Wanderbriefto give other creatives the same shot at adventure that van der Heijden enjoyed as The Backpacker Intern, a two-year journey where he traded work for free lodging around the globe....
So where does this leave us in 2017? Has influencer marketing finally “jumped the shark,” or is it still a viable channel for the little guy to take advantage of? The answer to both is a resounding “yes.” The biggest mistakes in influencer marketing have turned into great learning opportunities, allowing us as marketers to enter the year with a fresh understanding of how to leverage this enormous social influence. And like all marketing, following a solid strategy is key to reaching the right audience and realizing the benefit of your spend. So, while it may have “jumped the shark” the moment Google entered the race, it’s still a perfectly attainable medium for most brands.That being said, here are a few simple guidelines that can help big players and small businesses enter the field, and shift their thinking in 2017 and beyond:...
Influencer marketing’s power has been touted time and time again. The engagement stats are stellar. The ROI is out of this world. Brand sentiment skyrockets. There is currently an abundance of tools and because this is our niche, our home, we have toyed with almost all the tools out there. Here is an honest assessment about what’s new and worthy...
Currently, it’s estimated that there are more than 8 million blogging moms active in the world. 85% of them have already agreed to be sponsored to test and recommend products. Dozens of YouTubers and Instagramers have reached more than $ 1 million in sponsorship and advertising revenues. Today, it’s estimated that the market value of influence marketing is between US $10 and $15 billion and will continue to grow over the next few years. By 2016, Instagram already had more than 500,000 active advertisers, and next year Snapchat plans to make more than US $1 billion in advertising dollars. The most recent studies clearly demonstrate that a companies’ investment in campaigns on new platforms has also been very profitable. On average, they pocketed $6.85 in return for every dollar invested. There is no doubt, brands have found a golden vein to reach their customers.Can we really talk about influence marketing strategies, when in fact, they’re just advertising placements?...
Influencer marketing platform Tomoson recently conducted a survey and found that nearly 60% of marketers plan on boosting their influencer marketing budgets in 2016. That’s a pretty hefty percentage, and the newcomers are joining the ranks of major brands, such as Calvin Klein and Mercedes, who have been experimenting with influencer campaigns for some time. But what is an influencer? Today’s definition covers a lot of ground: it can mean anyone and anything from Justin Bieber to ‘King of Snapchat’ DJ Khaled to Loki the Wolf Dog. We tend to think of influencers in the digital content space as people who have a certain number of blog or social media followers – in reality, the definition is much more elastic than that. Brands are starting to understand that finding the right influencer is significantly more important than finding the biggest or most popular celebrities. Sure, you can get Kim Kardashian tweeting for you and pay her a millions of dollars to do it. But if you do that, are you really reaching the the audience you want? Once the buzz dies down, are you making the smartest long-term investment of your marketing dollars? Probably not. Pick more fruit from halfway up the tree and you’ll find that it can be even more bountiful than the stuff at the top. Another tactic? Focusing on platform-specific superstars, taking into consideration the unique pros, cons, and demographics of each social media site to let influencers do the legwork for you. When it comes to influencer marketing, one-size-fits-all is decidedly not the way to go.Here are 5 examples of on-brand influencer campaigns in 2016....
Have you tried to market your brand through influencers? Maybe you’ve failed to see positive results from your influencer marketing campaign. Or maybe you’re just new to this marketing method and you want to know how to make it work for you. There are several types of influencer marketing campaigns and the important thing is to find one that’ll be perfect for your brand and audience. Let’s first take a look at how exactly brands useinfluencer marketing based on an Augure study. The study shows that 93 percent of marketers report increased visibility from influencer marketing. Seventy-five percent use the channel to generate new leads, while 76 percent consider it an effective way to earn customer loyalty....
TapInfluence always knew influencer marketing was powerful and delivered results, but now they have the data to prove it. They partnered with Nielsen Catalina Solutions and WhiteWave Foods to conduct a study to prove their theory. The results were staggering. Check out the infographic to see the results and visit TapInfluence.com/ROI to learn more!
Our webinar on outreach and influencer marketing with Paul May, CEO of BuzzStream, created a lot of discussion this week. There were many questions about the right and wrong ways to approach influencer marketing. We have summarised below the key takeaways from the webinar and shared Paul’s practical advice on how you can use BuzzStream and BuzzSumo to maximise the success of your influencer marketing....
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Influencer marketing is now more common than ever. Businesses, both large and small, are tapping into this marketing strategy to help increase their online and offline presence by enhancing their brand awareness. However, you need to understand that influencer marketing is only effective when done in the right way. Difference between influencer marketing from other media platforms Influencer marketing is basically founded in the involvement of a renowned person with tangible opinions together with a personal brand. In this case, therefore, it is important to be careful in creating a balance between branding a product and capturing the audience’s trust. There are various elements of influencer marketing to be aware of and many brands seem to get some of the elements wrong....
One of the big issues for everyone in this space is measurement and Traackr allowed me to confront this issue head-on. It’s HARD establishing the value in a B2B setting since the sales cycle can be long, the decisions owned by different people on a purchasing team and other complications. And yet, progress is being made in this area. Do we aim for ROI? Yes. But that measurement may not always be accessible, especially in the short-term. The report looks at six different measurement alternatives.Maybe it’s not “marketing” The best companies are managing influencer relations in the same style as they would analysts or members of the press. Some of the experts I interviewed said we should not event call the practice influencer marketing any more, recognizing that the passionate experts in a field cannot be a marketing mouthpiece for a brand. The field is evolving to a more sophisticated level of engagement. The report contains some fascinating examples of the cultural transition needed to effectively make this change....
When I started experimenting with influencer marketing strategies for the HubSpot Sales Blog seven months ago, I was operating under a few key assumptions:If one influencer is good, 23 is better. A huge name on a standard quality blog post is better than an unknown name on a great quality post. Partnering with influencers is an efficient and scalable way to grow traffic. Turns out, those assumptions were mostly -- even completely -- false....
According to Twitter, if you really only trust your friends and family for this information, you’re part of the majority. But if you also have the highest trust in influencers for these recommendations, you’re far from alone -- 49% of survey respondents are right there with you. But what is an “influencer”? According to NeoReach, it’s “an individual with an online presence who has the potential to influence the opinions and behaviors of your target audience.” Because these folks -- like bloggers and social media personalities -- build a following over a long period of time by producing interesting, quality content, people begin to trust them. They’re relatable, and their opinions become respected. That’s why brands see the value of turning to influencers to reach or engage new audiences -- it’s a way to broadcast their messages as told by an authoritative source that people actually pay attention to. And no matter your industry, there’s likely an opportunity for your brand to connect and collaborate with influencers. Below, we’ve outlined seven tactics to try....
During Wednesday’s Snap earnings call, chief strategy officer Imran Khan name-dropped L’Oreal as a brand that was reaping the benefits of his company’s vertical video ads and sponsored lenses. His company, which owns Snapchat, has long espoused that the app is not really an influencer-focused platform because it doesn’t want to differentiate celebrity from regular users. L’Oreal’s Paris U.K. division wouldn’t necessarily disagree, though it’s evidently found an ad-free, influencer-heavy formula on Snapchat to complement its paid campaigns. Working with BzzAgent, a network of so-called everyday influencers owned by shopper data company dunnhumby, the cosmetics giant deployed 2,000 U.K.-based women who were 20 to 55 years old for an endeavor that ran across Snapchat, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter and YouTube. “They are regular people who are socially savvy,” said Brian Covali, global head of marketing at BzzAgent. “[Their] campaign activities emphasized Snapchat, which is where most of the activity occurred.” ...
A newer concept known as micro-influencer marketing recently joined the social media scene. It’s the same concept as influencer marketing, but on a smaller scale: Brands partner with individuals with smaller followings on social media to promote products with authentic, visual posts instead of sponsored ads. In this blog post, we’ll tell you everything you need to know about micro-influencers, including what brands are using them successfully and how you can connect with these individuals to promote your brand....
According to a recent study comprised of marketers from a variety of industries, 94% said influencer marketing was an effective campaign strategy. That's great news for marketers -- right? Not so fast. Even though a majority of marketers believe influencer marketing is a viable tactic, it's still incredibly challenging to report accurately on influencer campaign ROI. In fact, 78% of marketers say that determining the success of influencer marketing campaigns will be a top challenge in 2017. So even though the tangible benefits of influencer marketing -- follower engagement, driving traffic, and creating more authentic content -- seem clear cut, there's still a lot of progress to be made in making this form of campaign measurable for agencies and marketers....
Want to promote your small business on a budget? Have you considered partnering with less famous influencers? Highly targeted micro-influencers can help your small business gain visibility, engage an audience, and promote your products. In this article, you’ll discover how to find and connect with micro-influencers who can promote your small business....
Finding the right influencers and building relationships is hugely important for your brand. It will help you reach a wider audience, target ideal customers, and create more trust between you and your social following. According to a McKinsey Study, marketing-inspired word-of-mouth generates more than twice the sales of paid advertising and customers have a 37 percent higher retention rate. For every dollar spent on influencer marketing, marketers see a $6.50 return.You can understand why 84 percent of marketers expect to launch at least one campaign involving an influencer in the next 12 months. However, finding the right influencer marketing tools can be a major challenge. That’s why we’ve provided a list of tools to help you develop your influencer marketing strategy. Bookmark th...
I tried a whole host of things to get relevant influencers to notice me and share my marketing-industry-related content to their large online audiences. In January, I had a lightbulb moment. I decided to use BuzzSumo to find and curate the most viral marketing content created by the influencers in 2015. I put together a round-up post, 15 Most Viral Marketing Posts From The Pros in 2015. I then reached out to those influencers on Twitter, letting them know that they had made it into the “most viral marketing posts of 2015” post. I got an awesome response. Three of the influencers I featured shared the post to their audiences of 683,000-plus on Twitter and Facebook. One influencer even wrote about my post....
Pity the advertiser looking to hook up with an influencer on YouTube, Facebook or other platforms. The marketer might be able to see generically how big the creator’s audience is — followers, views and likes — but important metrics like watch time and audience demographics aren’t readily available.
That’s because YouTube, Facebook and Instagram make only some of their engagement data public. An advertiser can see number of followers, views and engagements, but more in-depth information around how much time is spent with content only goes to account holders. That means advertisers are not only having trouble measuring influencer marketing campaigns, but also understanding which influencers to work with in the first place.
“When I walk into pitch an advertiser, I don’t show them our data and then four other people’s [audience makeup],”said Andy Tu, CMO of Defy Media, which oversees top YouTube channels like Smosh and Screen Junkies. “I don’t have access to their data and they don’t either. They have to take us at face value.”...
A recent Tomoson study found that marketers are seeing a $6.50 return on every dollar put toward “influencer” marketing. That supports a claim from another recent study from Schlesinger Associates, which reported that 81 percent of marketers said that engagement with brand advocates was effective.Identifying the right brand ambassadors to use in your campaign is still the biggest challenge to this tactic....
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"Influencer marketing" is a popular, but often misunderstood term. So, what does it look like? Let these 10 examples from HubSpot explain and inspire.