The key to campaign success: <Ross voice> Pivot. PIVOT!!

Hey there,

Something I’ve been thinking about a lot lately is the importance of staying flexible when planning influencer marketing campaigns. It’s easy to get caught up in the details—KPIs, budgets, platforms—and forget that the real magic happens when we put creators first. That’s something we’ve been focusing on more and more here at Sway Group.

When we put a program together, we always start with our client’s KPIs and budget. Those become our anchors, guiding us as we build a strategic plan that helps them achieve their goals within their means. For example, if a client’s main KPI is a large volume of content, we might recommend a Massive Sway nano program because it’s the best way to generate the most content for every dollar spent.

Now, some clients come to us with specific platform preferences. Maybe they’ve had success with Instagram in the past, or they’re interested in tapping into TikTok’s younger audience. Other times, they leave the choice up to us. If that’s the case, we consider the product and the audience carefully. With alcohol products, for example, it’s easier to market them on Instagram because TikTok has stricter regulations in that space. So, we’d likely stick to IG for that kind of campaign.

But here’s where it gets interesting: we’re finding that it pays to keep things fluid. Flexibility has become key in our approach. Typically, we’ll suggest a mix of platforms, say Instagram and TikTok, and a blend of creators across different tiers—nanos, micros, maybe a macro or two. But instead of locking everything down from the start, we’re leaving room to pivot as we go.

Once we begin recruitment, we might see that one platform is pulling stronger creators than the other. That’s when it makes sense to shift some numbers around. Or maybe a macro we didn’t budget for comes in with an incredible story to tell, and suddenly, it’s worth swapping out a few micros to make room.

We’ve been having more of these conversations with our clients lately, explaining that while we’ll recommend a certain combo of platforms and creators, we’ll often suggest tweaking things as we go. This approach is all about being responsive to what the market is offering and making sure we’re putting the best possible creators forward.

Ultimately, our goal is to create campaigns that don’t just meet KPIs but exceed expectations, and staying flexible is a big part of that. After all, the best plans are the ones that can evolve.