It’s no enigma that the marketing landscape is constantly evolving. Chances are what worked yesterday or even today’s morning will get outdated tomorrow. For example, are Facebook influencers still relevant, or have they become unnecessary in the ever-changing world of digital marketing? Let’s try to understand together.
The Role of Influencers
The role of influencers in marketing is great. They are effective or detrimental depending on the target audience and the platform you choose. Practice shows that powerful individuals are still relevant, though the way they are used may have changed in recent years.
Two central metrics that really matter today are reach and impressions. It might be helpful to use Facebook monitoring software and the like to monitor your performance across those metrics. Besides, brands are now more likely to partner with everyday people rather than with celebrities. That is because micro-influencers typically have higher engagement rates and resonate better with the audience.
8 Examples of Successful Influencer Marketing Campaigns
Now, what does a successful influencer marketing campaign look like today? Here are a few examples worth considering!
1. GoPro
The company ran a hugely successful campaign around the release of its new action camera, the Hero4. They partnered with top-tier influencers to create original content around the product, and the campaign generated over 1.3 billion impressions.
2. Samsung’s Galaxy S6 Edge
It was one of the most anticipated smartphones of 2015, and Samsung ran a smart campaign to generate buzz around its release. They recruited top tech bloggers and YouTubers to do unboxing videos and product reviews and generated millions of views that way.
3. Beats by Dre
It is a classic example of a brand that’s built its success on influencer marketing. From early on, they’ve partnered with celebrities and trendsetters to endorse their headphones, and the strategy has paid off with time – Beats is now a multi-billion dollar company.
4. Mercedes-Benz
The company wanted to launch its new CLA model in the UK, so it turned to social media influencers to help get the word out. They partnered with 10 top lifestyle bloggers who created content about the car, and the campaign brought over 8 million impressions.
5. Red Bull
In the spring of 2014, Red Bull ran an epic powerful campaign around the Red Bull Stratos jump – Felix Baumgartner’s record-breaking leap from space. They recruited some of the world’s biggest social media stars to document the jump and create original content. The campaign was a huge success, generating over 1 billion impressions.
6. Nike
In 2012, Nike launched its FuelBand fitness tracker and turned to social media influencers to help promote it. They recruited some of the biggest names in fitness and healthy living to share their tips for staying active. The result was over 2 million website visits and 14 million Facebook interactions.
7. Pringles
In 2013, Pringles ran an ingenious influencer marketing campaign around Super Bowl XLVII. They recruited six famous foodies to create custom recipes using Pringles as an ingredient and then shared them on social media. The campaign generated more than a million Twitter impressions and helped increase sales by 20%.
8. Halo 4
The game was released in 2012, and Xbox turned to social media influencers to promote it. They partnered with six famous gaming bloggers to create original content.
How to Know if an Influencer is Right for Your Brand
From the standpoint of social media marketing, working with influencers can significantly expand your reach and build brand awareness. But how do you choose the right person? After all, your purpose is to build a smart influencer marketing campaign and ensure the investment is worth it. Here are a few aspects to consider in this regard:
- One of the best ways to identify an influencer who is right for your goals is to look at the audience. Is the audience engaged and interested in what the solid influencer has to say?
- You’ll also want to consider the tone and messaging. Do they correlate with your brand’s culture?
- Finally, it is essential to ensure that the influencer has a good track record. Can it be trusted to produce high-quality, engaging content?
The Dos and Don’ts of Working with Influencers
When working with influencers, remember a few dos and don’ts. Here are some tips to help you with that:
Do:
- Be clear about the campaign’s parameters – what are the goals, who is involved, and what are the expectations?
- Make sure your offer is appealing and worth the influencer’s time.
- Provide all of the necessary information upfront.
- Follow through on your promises.
Don’t:
- Assume that just because the influencer has a large following, he or she will be a good fit for your campaign instead of doing your research!
- Contact an influencer and then disappear instead of answering the questions and collaborating.
- Expect an influencer to do all the work for you instead of providing creative direction and required support.
The Benefits of Turning to Micro-Influencers
In the past, businesses relied on large-scale celebrity endorsements to create awareness for their product or service. Today, however, we see a shift towards working with micro-influencers and there are several reasons for that::
- They are a lot cheaper.
- They have a higher engagement rate because they tend to be more personal and authentic in their posts.
- They have a wider reach than traditional advertising methods, such as TV commercials or print ads.
Therefore, it is no surprise that businesses are shifting away from celebrities and focusing on micro-influencers to promote their products and services.
