Influencer Marketing Part 2: Challenges and Strategies in 2024
@ASK Training
Specialised in providing Digital Marketing, ICT and Soft Skills training to Corporate clients in South East Asia.
In Part 1 of this series, we explored the exciting world of influencer marketing, unpacking its core concepts and uncovering its effectiveness in driving brand growth. But even the most powerful tools have their complexities.
Today, in Part 2, we'll delve into the challenges you might encounter in influencer marketing and equip you with winning strategies to overcome them.
What are The Challenges with Influencer Marketing?
Influencer marketing has become a powerful way for brands to connect with people online. But it's not all easy – there are challenges to face.
From keeping up with social media changes to figuring out if it's working, and even making sure influencers stay excited about what they're doing, there's a lot to consider.
We'll break down these challenges and offer tips to help beginners manage the world of influencer marketing successfully.
Navigating Platform Changes and Algorithm Updates
Social media platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube frequently update their algorithms, affecting how content is prioritised and displayed to users.
This can impact the visibility and engagement of influencer content, making it challenging for brands and influencers to reach their target audience.
Platforms often introduce new features and formats, such as Instagram Reels or YouTube Shorts.
While these features offer opportunities for creativity and engagement, they also require influencers to adapt their content strategies to stay relevant and capitalise on emerging trends.
Measuring Return on Investment (ROI)
Measuring the ROI of influencer marketing campaigns can be complex, as it's often challenging to attribute specific actions or sales directly to influencer content.
Additionally, traditional metrics like follower count and likes may not accurately reflect the true impact of an influencer campaign.
Despite these challenges, there are emerging tools and methods for measuring the effectiveness of influencer marketing, such as affiliate tracking, coupon codes, and unique URLs. We’ll go through some useful tools and techniques in the next section.
Brands are also taking advantage of data analytics and attribution modelling to better understand the impact of influencer content on consumer behaviour.
Dealing with Influencer Fatigue
Influencers often face pressure to consistently produce content, engage with their audience, and collaborate with brands.
This can lead to influencer burnout, where influencers feel overwhelmed, uninspired, or fatigued by the demands of their platforms and partnerships.
To combat influencer fatigue, brands and influencers can prioritise quality over quantity, establish clear boundaries and expectations, and provide opportunities for influencers to take breaks and recharge.
Collaborating on meaningful and authentic campaigns can also reignite enthusiasm and creativity.
Maintaining Authenticity and Credibility
In the age of influencer marketing, maintaining authenticity and credibility is crucial. Audiences value genuine recommendations and transparent disclosures from influencers.
Brands and influencers must be mindful of maintaining authenticity by only promoting products or services that align with their values and interests.
Additionally, transparent disclosure of sponsored content helps to build trust with followers and ensures compliance with regulatory guidelines.
Understanding and addressing these challenges is essential for brands and influencers to navigate the complexities of influencer marketing successfully.
By staying informed and adaptable, you can overcome these obstacles and connect with your target audience authentically and effectively.
What Strategies Are Effective in Influencer Marketing?
Influencer marketing can feel overwhelming, but with the right strategies, it becomes much easier to navigate. These strategies help you and your brands connect with your audience in genuine and effective ways.
From using data and analytics to building long-term partnerships, diversifying platforms, and repurposing content, we'll break down each strategy with simple tips and examples to help you get started!
Using Data and Analytics to Your Advantage
Importance of Data-Drive Decisions
Before partnering with influencers, you need to conduct audience research and segmentation to understand the demographics, interests, and behaviours of your target audience. [A1]?
For example, a skincare brand might use data to identify that its target audience is predominantly women aged 18-35 interested in cruelty-free and sustainable beauty products.
By analysing data, you can identify influencers whose followers match your target audience profile, ensuring your campaigns resonate with the right people and drive meaningful engagement.
Additionally, it's crucial to assess influencers' engagement rates to ensure that their audience is actively interacting with their content, further maximising the effectiveness of your influencer partnerships.
For more detailed information, you can explore further in this Benchmark Report 2024.
Tools and Techniques for Effective Analysis
Tools like Hootsuite, Sprout Social, and Google Analytics provide insights into audience demographics, engagement metrics, and campaign performance.
For instance, if your client is a fashion brand partnering with an influencer, you can track website traffic and sales attributed to the influencer's promotional posts using Google Analytics.
You can also utilise influencer marketing platforms like AspireIQ or Influencity, which offer detailed analytics and reporting features to measure the impact of influencer campaigns and optimise strategies based on data-driven insights.
If you’re looking to target more local audiences in Singapore and its surroundings, here are a few tools that can benefit you:
1.?Collabstr
A Singapore-based influencer marketing platform that connects brands directly with influencers across Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. It offers a user-friendly search tool, secure purchases, high-quality content delivery, instant chat with influencers, and secure payment handling for a smooth influencer marketing experience.
2. Starngage
An influencer marketing platform for Instagram that enables brands to launch and measure digital campaigns. It empowers brands to partner with everyday influencers, offering services like Targeting, Identifying, Amplifying, and Tracking. StarNgage also guides setting influencer marketing goals and KPIs for effective campaigns.
3. Influence.co
A directory and portfolio site designed for influencers to showcase their work and collaborate with brands. It features a content library showcasing past collaborations and provides comprehensive details for evaluation. This platform is particularly beneficial for small businesses seeking to connect with relevant influencers at no cost.
Fostering Long-Term Partnerships
Long-Term Collaborations
Long-term partnerships allow brands and influencers to develop a genuine connection with their audience over time, fostering trust and authenticity.
One example of a long-term partnership between a brand and an influencer is the collaboration between Lanc?me and lifestyle influencer Emma Chamberlain, initially for skincare product promotion and later for co-creating a makeup collection.
Their ongoing partnership extends to seasonal campaigns and community events, fostering brand loyalty and engagement among Emma's younger audience while embodying Lanc?me's values.
Through consistent collaboration, influencers become brand advocates, seamlessly integrating products into their content, and sharing authentic experiences with their audience, resulting in higher engagement and brand loyalty.
Mutually Beneficial Relationships
Brands invest in building strong relationships with influencers by offering them exclusive perks, access to new products, and opportunities for creative input.
For instance, Nike's long-term partnership with professional athletes like Serena Williams and LeBron James goes beyond sponsorship deals, with athletes actively involved in product development and marketing campaigns.
By fostering mutual respect and trust, brands and influencers create beneficial partnerships for both parties, driving sustained success and impactful storytelling that resonates with audiences.
Diversifying Platforms and Formats
Exploring Beyond Mainstream Platforms
Brands recognise the value of diversifying their presence across various social media platforms to reach different audience segments.
For example, Glossier successfully expanded its influencer marketing efforts to platforms like TikTok, leveraging the platform's short-form video content and Gen Z audience to drive brand awareness and engagement.
By exploring niche platforms like Twitch for gaming enthusiasts or LinkedIn for professionals, brands can tap into specialized communities and connect with audiences in more targeted and meaningful ways.
Utilising Various Content Formats
Influencers utilise diverse content formats to engage audiences and tell compelling stories. Such as fitness influencers may host live workout sessions on Instagram or Facebook, providing real-time interaction and motivation for their followers.
Brands collaborate with influencers to create podcasts or audio content that resonates with their audience's interests and preferences.
For example, Sephora partnered with beauty influencers to launch "Sephora Sessions," a podcast series discussing skincare, makeup tips, and industry trends.
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Content Repurposing to Maximise Effort
Brands repurpose influencer-generated content across multiple channels to extend its lifespan and reach.
For example, a travel influencer's Instagram photos showcasing a hotel stay can be repurposed into blog posts, Pinterest pins, or Facebook ads to target different audiences and drive traffic.
By repackaging and repurposing content, you can maximise the impact of influencer campaigns and create a cohesive brand experience across various touchpoints, reinforcing key messaging and driving engagement.
In implementing these strategies into your influencer marketing, you can optimise your influencer marketing efforts and achieve meaningful results in engaging your target audience while driving brand awareness and loyalty.
Case Studies
To help you understand how these strategies work in the real world, let’s take a look at some real influencer marketing campaigns – the ones that worked well and the ones that didn’t. Think of it like learning from other people’s successes and mistakes.
This will provide you with a well-rounded perspective, equipping you with the knowledge to effectively navigate the world of influencer marketing, whether you're a beginner or looking to refine your approach.
Successful Campaigns
DBS Singapore TableTok Series
In 2023, DBS Singapore, a leading bank, launched a successful influencer campaign on TikTok to promote its digital banking services.
They partnered with popular TikTok creators to create a series of engaging and informative videos showcasing the convenience and benefits of using DBS's mobile banking app.
Execution:
The campaign featured a variety of content formats, including comedic sketches, tutorials, and challenges, tailored to resonate with TikTok's predominantly young and tech-savvy audience.
Creators shared their experiences using DBS's digital banking features, such as instant transfers, contactless payments, and budgeting tools, in a fun and relatable manner.
Outcome:
Through strategic collaborations with influencers who had a strong presence on TikTok, DBS effectively increased brand awareness and engagement among millennials and Gen Z consumers. The campaign's creative and authentic approach resonated with the audience, resulting in over 10.5 million views and nearly 9,000 engagements across 18 episodes.
These metrics reflect the campaign's effectiveness in sparking conversations and genuine interest in financial planning among viewers. Additionally, the influencer collaboration extended to the personal platforms of the TikTokers, generating an additional 200,000 reach and 10,000 engagements across Instagram and TikTok.
This showcases the campaign's broad impact and success in reaching and engaging the target audience.
Lessons Learned and Best Practices:
From DBS Singapore's TikTok campaign, we can derive several valuable lessons and best practices:
HelloFresh
HelloFresh, a meal kit delivery service, implemented a highly successful influencer marketing campaign focusing on micro-influencers to promote its convenient and nutritious meal solutions.
HelloFresh conducted thorough research to identify micro-influencers whose values and interests aligned closely with their brand. They looked for influencers who were passionate about cooking, meal preparation, and healthy eating, as these topics resonated with HelloFresh's target audience.
Additionally, they considered factors such as engagement rates, audience demographics, and the authenticity of the influencer's content to ensure a genuine connection with their followers.
Execution:
HelloFresh strategically identified micro-influencers whose values aligned with their brand. These influencers, although smaller in reach, had highly engaged audiences, making their endorsements more impactful.
Instead of scripted ads, HelloFresh empowered influencers to create authentic content. This included cooking tutorials, recipe inspiration, and genuine reviews, fostering a deeper connection with their audience.
HelloFresh also asked influencers to chat with their followers and share their cooking adventures. This made everyone feel like they were part of a community!
And to make sure everything was working well; HelloFresh kept an eye on how many people liked and shared the influencer's posts. This helped them make changes if needed to make their ads even better.
Outcome:
HelloFresh's collaboration with micro-influencers resulted in heightened campaign effectiveness, leading to increased engagement and conversion rates. By working with over 1,200 influencers, HelloFresh acquired more than 10,000 new customers and attracted an additional 2,700 sign-ups.
This cost-efficient approach to customer acquisition allowed HelloFresh to maximise their marketing budget. Additionally, their partnerships with micro-influencers enabled them to engage with new audience segments, thereby expanding their reach and increasing brand awareness.
Lessons Learned and Best Practices:
Unsuccessful Campaigns
Shein
Shein, a fast-fashion giant, has faced considerable backlash in its influencer marketing efforts, primarily due to issues surrounding transparency, sustainability, and ethical standards.
What Went Wrong:
Firstly, the brand was criticised for its perceived lack of transparency and ethical standards in influencer collaborations. Many influencers were accused of promoting Shein products without disclosing their paid partnerships, blurring the distinction between authentic recommendations and sponsored content. This lack of transparency eroded trust among consumers, who felt misled by influencers' endorsements of Shein products.
Secondly, Shein was condemned for promoting unsustainable fast-fashion practices, including excessive consumption, low-quality products, and exploitative labour practices in its manufacturing processes. Influencers who partnered with Shein were accused of perpetuating these issues by glamorising and normalising fast fashion without addressing its environmental and ethical implications.
Lastly, Shein faced backlash for its insensitive marketing campaigns and controversial product offerings, including accusations of cultural appropriation, body shaming, and promoting harmful stereotypes.
Lessons Learned:
Shein's influencer marketing debacle highlights the importance of transparency, sustainability, and sensitivity in brand collaborations. Brands and influencers must prioritise transparency and authenticity to build trust with their audience.
Additionally, brands should consider the environmental and social impact of their actions, promoting more sustainable and ethical practices. Lastly, brands must be mindful of cultural sensitivities and avoid perpetuating harmful stereotypes or offensive messaging.
Pepsi x Kendall Jenner
Kendall Jenner's partnership with Pepsi in a 2017 ad campaign sparked significant backlash and is often cited as an example of failed influencer marketing. In the ad, Jenner is depicted as joining a protest and diffusing tension by handing a can of Pepsi to a police officer.
What Went Wrong:
The Pepsi ad featuring Kendall Jenner faced significant backlash for several reasons. Firstly, it was criticised for trivializing serious social justice movements like Black Lives Matter by suggesting that a can of soda could solve complex issues of police brutality and activism. This approach was seen as insensitive and disrespectful to the struggles of marginalized communities.
Secondly, the ad lacked authenticity, with Jenner's involvement appearing more as a commercial opportunity rather than a genuine commitment to social change. This lack of authenticity undermined the credibility of both the brand and the influencer, leading to widespread criticism and backlash.
Lastly, the ad failed to connect with its audience. Instead of inspiring positive sentiment or brand affinity, the ad reinforced negative stereotypes and perpetuated a sense of corporate exploitation of social causes.
Lessons Learned:
The backlash against the Pepsi ad with Kendall Jenner offers valuable lessons for brands and influencers alike.
Firstly, it underscores the importance of authenticity. Brands and influencers must prioritize authenticity and sincerity in their partnerships and campaigns to build trust with their audience.
Secondly, it highlights the importance of understanding social context. Campaigns should be sensitive to broader social issues and avoid playing down or exploiting important social movements for commercial gain.
Lastly, it emphasises the need for responsibility and accountability. Brands and influencers have a responsibility to use their platforms responsibly and ethically, ensuring that their messaging aligns with values of social responsibility and inclusivity.
By reflecting on these lessons and applying them to future campaigns, brands and influencers can avoid similar pitfalls and build more meaningful and impactful partnerships with their audiences.
Excited to Start Influencer Marketing?
By understanding the challenges of influencer marketing and implementing the strategies outlined in this series, you can navigate the ever-evolving landscape and leverage the power of influencer partnerships to achieve your brand goals in 2024.
So, are you ready to take your influencer marketing game to the next level? Remember to subscribe for more insightful content!
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