What is Influencer Marketing?

Influencer Marketing is when Brands collaborate with individuals who have large engagement and following rates to promote a company's products or services. To do this, Influencers would expect free products and/or payment in exchange for marketing of the company's product or service. Influencer Marketing is on the rise, as Social Media Users trust these influencers more than traditional advertising.

Why Influencer Marketing Works?

Influencer Marketing works due to their ability to create authentic content that can resonate with their niche audience. With excellent publicity from these influencers, can build a lot of trust faster on behalf of the company. This help with humanising the company and extent reach beyond the company's own channels. It has been evidently shown that influencers dedicate thoroughly to the content meaning that they can help the company receive User-Generated Content, Testimonials and Storytelling all in one package.

Types of Influencers

1. Mega Influencers:

   Celebrities with 1 Million+ Followers

   High Reach | Low Engagement | High Cost

   
   

2. Macro Influencers:

   Influencers with 100k - 1 million Followers

   Good for Visibility and Campaigns

   
   

3. Micro Influencers

   Influencers with 10k - 100k Followers

   High Engagement | Niche-Specific | Often More Affordable

   
   

4. Nano Influencers

   Influencers with Less than 10k Followers

   Small, but Highly Loyal Audience | Great for Local or Targeted Outreach

Best Practices for Collaboration

1. Set Clear Goals

   For Example: Brand Awareness | Engagement | Sales | User-Generated Content

   
   

2. Choose the Right Influencers

   You should always look beyond vanity metrics, prioritise your audience alignment, tone of voice, engagement rate and authenticity. Looking at these metrics will get you far greater results.

   
   

3. Establish Transparent Communication

   When looking for an Influencer, it would be best practice to provide a clear brief with Campaign Objectives, Creative Direction, Deadlines and the Do's and Don'ts.

   
   

4. Allow Creative Freedom

   Influencers know their audience best, you should allow them to put their own personal spin on the message for better engagement and to help increase sales. This may increase your sales as their audience has more time to learn about the product or service.

   
   

5. Disclose Partnerships

   Ensure that Compliance with UK Relevant Authorities are in place to ensure that there is no legal issues to occur in the future and disclosure of partnership between the company and the creator, such as #Ad, #Sponsored for transparency and trust.

   
   

   Examples of UK Relevant Authorities: The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) | Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) | Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) & Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).

   
   

6. Track Performance

   To track the performance of each campaign, every company should use Urchin Tracking Module's (UTM Links), Discount Codes, and Platform Analytics to measure the Return on Investment (ROI) of committing to Influencer Marketing. There are other metrics companies could track such as Engagement, Reach, Saves, Shares and Conversions. These are beneficial to identify how effective the Influencer Marketing is towards your brand awareness.

   
   

7. Build Long-Term Relationships

   One off collaborations with Influencers are okay, but ongoing partnerships create a deeper impact and authenticity over time. Regular Long-Term Influencer Collaborations may help with a reducing the fee due to consistent work provided to the Influencer.

   
   

Common Mistakes to Avoid

1. Choosing Influencers Solely based on Follower Count

2. Micromanaging Content Creation

3. Not Setting Expectations Up Front

4. Failing to Review Performance Data Post-Campaign

5. Ignoring Contracts or Payment Structure Clearly

Future of Influencer Marketing

1. Rise of AI-Generated Influencers and Virtual Creators

2. More Brands Investing in Micro/Nano Creators

3. Integration with Affiliate Marketing and Shoppable Content

4. Greater Emphasis on Authenticity and Long-Term Partnerships

Conclusion

When Influencer Marketing is done right, the sky is the limit. Just remember, track your campaigns, build long-term relationships and ensure that full disclosure is made to maximise your results.

If you need any help, reach out to us!