The Subtle Art of Influencer Marketing // Part 4

Welcome to Part four of The Subtle Art of Influencer Marketing. So far we have discussed what is effectively an influencer and what is the importance of constructing a partnership. We talked about why and how to build a budget for marketing influencer, including distribution of costs. And now is the time to commit to dive into and create marketing plans for influencers. This is the next step in constructing relationships with influencers: taking on a fresh attitude and a bright marketing horizon.

If you've done so far, you've got an idea of the value and effect that marketing can have on the influencer. You need to comprehend and get your team on board with your objectives in pitching for a campaign to an influencer before you fully dive in though. You need to get an understanding of what you want and the goal of generating marketing plans for an influencer.

Will you pitch out of peer pressure to an influencer or because someone said it's what all the cool kids are doing? In order to expand your client base, are you at the end of your trip? Are you just tired of traditional marketing and maybe make a highway billboard the hopeful feeling? All of these are excellent reasons to learn how to pitch an influencer and generate convincing marketing plans for influencers, but the campaign will be a dude unless you are sold on the concept and dedicated to making it work.

We'll figure out this together and get to the bottom of WHY you're moving towards influencer marketing. I'll use the example of hot sauce and cooking to get to the bottom of it.

Change your marketing strategies with peer pressure

You traditionally appreciate dinner soup, but it's just lost its flare and you think it's no longer worth the health advantages and cost savings of soup. During lunch, your friend sits down to chat and says, "If you're bored with your soup, why don't you spice it up a little bit. Add a little Frank's Red Hot and you're going to like it, I bet. "You're just adding a little bit of Frank's Red Hot and taking a few bites. You see that your soup has a new complexity and the heat dash is a little interesting.

While much peer pressure is bad in life, there are also excellent kinds. If your peers constantly tell you that they have succeeded in altering from X to Y and you ought to, perhaps you ought to listen. Thinking about the analogy of soup, that buddy may have attempted some other kinds of hot sauce before landing as the winner for him on Frank's. If someone has a success or a favorite hot sauce, they are usually more than ready to share a little about their trip and why they recommend a shift. Using your brain and be open to hearing why you feel the way you are doing.

Tip: just as not every hot sauce is correct for everyone, not every niche of influencer or campaign-style is correct for every product or brand.

Changes to a new base of customers

The world is soup weary. It's everywhere and it's engulfed. When you take it to the office potluck, no one pays attention to your soup. You understand your soup is good for warming up the soul and nourishing the body... but individuals are not digging it as they used to. So you're jumping online and seeing news about cooking and trends in restaurants. For the first moment you find pho... and it's very comparable to the kind of soup you're already making, but on the side, it has some jalapenos and is often served with chili paste or sriracha. You take your cue from the accomplishments of the trends and bring some good condiments with your same soup and make the soup experience enjoyable.

The same goes for achieving a fresh base of customers. You have a strong product or brand that is fantastic and that really meets customers ' requirements, but there are new choices or individuals just forgot that they enjoyed what you're offering. Change your strategy and work with an influencer to share with THEIR network and boom your brand: you have a fresh perspective client base. If you're not sure how to produce influencer marketing campaigns that will suit your brand well, browse the internet and social media to see who features or uses the same genre of goods... or is your client already. You will revive brand recognition and gain new eyes.

Tip: many bloggers and influencers tag social media brands and goods when they feature them, whether or not it's a paid marketing campaign. See who is actively shouting outs and is already your brand's spokesman. They are a genuine voice for you so it could be a breeze to create influencer marketing with them.

Creating marketing plans for influencers

Now that you know why you are working with bloggers and influencers, the next aspect is to develop marketing plans for influencers. For each brand or company, this will look distinct. We've done influencer campaigns that are as basic as creating an individual blog post, and we've done campaigns that include long-form written blog content, live social media activations, event participation, Twitter chats, crafted social media series, video content, and more.

You need to consider the following when assessing what kind of marketing you want an influencer to be part of:

• What is the target demographic and where are they MOST ACTIVE?
• Is there greater value in static, evergreen content or sensational social media content plans?
• Should you be creating influencer campaigns for short terms or planning for potential long term partnerships?
• What does your budget allow for?

Creating focused and deliberate influencer marketing plans enables you to more directly affect the content to be crafted by the influencer.

Who is your demographic target?

We all want our products and services to be relevant to everyone, or at least to a bigger group of individuals than we realize our brand already supports. So, how do you pick a demographic target as you create marketing plans for influencers? These are the four steps in which a campaign should catch the crowd effectively:

1. Use current sales tools within your business to determine WHO your CURRENT customer base it
2. Research your direct competitors and glean what you can from social media and web content about WHO is USING or SHARING their product
3. Critically look at the difference between these two groups and see where you’re currently missing the mark
4. Broaden your research and find another target group that is drastically different from your current customer base but clearing engages with a product or brand that is VERY SIMILAR to your own

Reviewing your present client base versus other prospective clients provides you an excellent insight into everybody's lifestyle and expenditure ability to target your marketing influencer campaign.

When you've hammered out your demographic target, you can begin planning what kind of material you believe is going to get the biggest reaction or commitment.

Types of Marketing Content

If your demographic goal is part of the Instagram generation, will you develop an influencer marketing plan that focuses on podcasts and content on YouTube, or will you make a strategy that focuses on Instagram stories and static content? Are you planning a media event or Instagram worth a cocktail party if you want to appeal to a client base that statistically engages with consumer product blogs and actively publishes reviews?

Blog Content

Blog content is a favorite when creating influencer marketing plans, as Google favors it if the SEO is executed properly and it can be made to be evergreen. Evergreen content that connects back to a brand or product is a excellent way to create a powerful internet presence that can be searched long after the marketing campaign for the original influencer is over. Brand embassies are a excellent way to generate evergreen content.

The content of the blog can also be shared. How often do you jump on Facebook as a customer and see one of your colleagues sharing blog posts about something, whether it's a product, a destination or a social issue? The whole time. Partnership with a blogger who is competent in creating evergreen content is a big investment in your marketing budget because it has long-term importance.

Note: most bloggers are also active across all social media platforms, so intelligent planning is to create influencer marketing plans that take into consideration the social presence.

Featured below: Heydipyourtoesin

Instagram Posts and Stories

Anyone can build an Instagram account and post anything they want about any kind of pictures and stories. Engaging an influencer of Instagram for a campaign is, I think, a greater danger than any other sort of influencer. Why? Here are the main dangers of concentrating on an influencer campaign for Instagram:

• Live engagement is difficult to manage in terms of the content produced/approved
• Static content can produce CTR but there are multiple steps a user must go through to click through to a link or brand profile
• Instagram influencers with exorbitant numbers of followers or unrealistic levels of engagement are often working the system, sometimes in an unethical way This is a big statement, I know, but it is often the case. There are ethical ways to garner great numbers of followers and engagement too, but a little digging around and genuine engagement becomes clear. Check out this article from Forbes that totally agrees with me.
• Getting a team to stand behind an influencer campaign living primarily on one platform is an uphill battle that’s easy to regret

Having said all that, when you develop an influencer marketing plan, there is clear value to include Instagram. Depending on trending hashtags and other associated material gaining momentum on the platform, the content has the ability to be seen by all kinds of consumers.

Having said all that, there is a clear value to include Instagram when you create an influencer marketing plan. The content has the capacity to be seen by all types of customers, depending on trending hashtags and other related material gaining momentum on the platform.

Featured below: Captain Potter

YouTube Videos

A very specific strategy is to create an influencer marketing plan with a powerful YouTube or video content component. The magic skill of creating compelling visual AND story content that viewers don't readily click away from has been found out by influencers with a big YouTube. Whether it's because they can demonstrate a captivating view of activity or destination or because they can weave personality into an informative presentation, a video-based influencer can hold a lot of significance for a campaign.

If this is the route you would like to go, make sure it fits with the product or brand you’re trying to promote. Video reviews and highlight reels are easy to share across multiple platforms. If you’re creating an influencer marketing plan that involves video, be sure to incorporate a call to action (CTA) in the campaign scripting so you don’t lose that captive audience before they’ve moved onto the next shiny video in their feed.

Featured below: Mr. Ben Brown

Podcast Episodes

A podcaster has a very niche skillset, much like working with a video influencer. When considering engaging with a podcaster, you open the content of your campaign to reach a completely distinct crowd and cross platforms that are not even on other influencer kinds. Via websites, iTunes and Google Play Music, a podcast is accessible. Roku and Fire channels can take content from the podcast. Amazing how you might have just tapped into media streams to which you never even imagined a second!

Another advantage of working with a podcaster is that as they generate their audio material, they often either transcribe their podcast in its entirety or make comprehensive show notes accessible. This is an opportunity to work on your influencer marketing strategy with evergreen SEO friendly content.

All of this sounds very doable, isn't it? It is! Getting a strong knowledge of why you want to start with influencer marketing and then establishing an influencer marketing strategy carefully will make sure you can start with confidence and succeed.

Featured below: Blog - The Budget-Minded Traveler

Sources:

“14 Best Travel Instagram Accounts to Follow.” 2018. Joonas Linkola. https://joonaslinkola.com/blog/14_best_travel_instagram_accounts_by_trekbible/(August 22, 2019).

“15 Top Travel Vloggers on YouTube | The Planet D.” 2016. The Planet D: Adventure Travel Blog. https://theplanetd.com/youtube-travel-vloggers/ (August 22, 2019).

“I Was Going to Write a Post Ripping the Current State of Influencer Marketing, But I Wrote This Instead.” Business 2 Community. https://www.business2community.com/social-business/going-write-post-ripping-current-state-influencer-marketing-wrote-instead-01698793 (August 22, 2019).

Travel, Intrepid. 2018. “10 Awesome Travel Podcasts That You Should Listen to Now.” Intrepid Travel Blog. https://www.intrepidtravel.com/adventures/best-travel-podcasts/(August 22, 2019).

I appreciate for sharing my Influencer Marketing series with colleagues, friends, and leadership wholly or in part that you feel would either appreciate the insight or benefit from the information. Please send me a note if you have any questions or feedback. Also, if this is something you think would be an optimal presentation at a forthcoming conference or workshop event, I'm pleased to speak about it too.

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