5 Questions to Ask Before Launching an Influencer Marketing Campaign

If you’ve ever seen a sponsored post on your favorite Instagrammer’s feed or noticed product placement on your guilty-pleasure reality television show, you already know the power of influencer marketing. Influencer marketing is one of the most effective ways to reach your target audience and boost your brand’s visibility. But how do those partnerships come to fruition, and do they actually work? Here are the questions you should ask to find out how an influencer marketing campaign can work for your brand.

Which influencer should we partner with?

There are millions of influencers, so you should look for one who fits your budget and needs. There is a huge price difference between working with a celebrity with 7 million followers or a niche influencer with a following of 1,000. This decision will also be driven by whether you want to forge a deeper connection with current customers or broaden your audience.

After setting your budget and goals, you should identify your target audience and their interests. (At one50one, we do this by conducting extensive research on certain words and phrases, as well as engaging in deep social listening.) Then, look for influencers who authentically align with those interests.

Don’t forget to vet your influencers. The vetting process will dissect the influencer’s content, from their engagement rate to the type of content they are creating. It should also look for any problematic content that could cause issues for your brand.

What can influencers do for us?

When it comes to influencers, the possibilities are limited only by your budget and imagination. As such, the devil is in the details when working with an influencer. The contract should specify the goals of the campaign and address important issues, like if the content should be approved before it goes live, how many edits can be made beforehand, whether the content can be repurposed, and any other questions that will contribute to a smooth and successful campaign.

How do we measure success?

Every good influencer campaign ends with a wrap report that breaks down the duration of the campaign and its execution. This report should include links to all content and explain how it translated into earned media value. For example, a social media wrap report would include impressions per post (the number of times your content is displayed), reach per post (the total number of people who saw your content), and engagement rate on your post (how many times it was shared). A blog post wrap report would focus on how many people read the post (identify the time period used in the reporting) and the number of comments. This data will help you design and execute future campaigns.

What trends are emerging in the influencer marketing world?

In the ever-changing social media world, keeping up with trends is a must. Micro-influencers are a growing trend. Micro-influencers typically have between 5,000 and 15,000 followers. While they have smaller followings, they may already have a strong connection or compelling story tied to a particular brand. Sometimes, they can even be linked to a specific geographic region.

If your brand or campaign has a specific audience, chances are there’s a micro-influencer who already blogs or posts to social media about it. Capitalize on the trend.

Should we ask for help?

If moving into the influencer space seems overwhelming, hire an agency. Any agency with a background in influencer marketing will already have a full suite of tools and roster of influencers in place. These assets will save you time and make it much easier for your company to create a successful campaign that matches your brand and mission. In addition to overseeing the day-to-day of the campaign, the agency can offer expert guidance in an evolving industry.

What’s next?

Partnering with an influencer can be a great choice for your brand. Hopefully, these tips have given you some insight into how to enter the influencer game.