Influencer marketing. It has changed advertising as we know it, bringing brands closer than ever to the consumer. It has also changed the expectations of consumers. More than a product, social media users today want an experience. They want a story. They want authenticity.

According to Forbes, in 2019 the influencer marketing industry was valued at $8 billion. This is predicted to increase to $15 billion by 2022. This marks a growing shift, with more and more companies doubling down on an influencer marketing strategy. And for good reason. Influencer campaigns have been shown to generate 11x more ROI than other forms of digital marketing.

Define The Goals

The first step to running a successful influencer campaign is to define what that success is. In other words, what goals will it attempt to meet and how they will be measured. So, if you’re trying to increase conversion rate for example, a well defined goal should include how much the conversion rate will increase by and by when. With these parameters set, the success of the campaign can then be accurately measured.

Also, keep in mind that there is no single measurement for success, no tell-all metric. The goals you set for your campaign, will most likely have various metrics by which they can be measured, such as likes, mentions, or cost per engagement.

Define The Audience

Who is this campaign trying to reach? It may seem like an obvious question, but defining your audience is a crucial step in coming up with a successful and authentic campaign. Factors like demographics, location, social media usage all come into play here, and will help you get a clearer idea of your audience, not just as consumers, but as people you are trying to connect with.

Once you’ve figured out who your brand is trying to reach, you can figure out how best to meet them where they are. Defining your audience will also help you narrow down which social media platform to leverage as well as what kind of influencers to seek out.

Pick An Influencer

Picking the right influencer is not as simple as finding the one the biggest following. Various factors must be taken into account, not least of all, which tier an influencer falls into: micro, mid-tier, macro, or mega.

Micro-influencers are those influencers with less than 50k followers. Though lacking in terms of sheer numbers, influencers in this tier usually have higher engagement rates among their followers. Campaigns that utilize micro-influencers can benefit from the more personal connections they’ve cultivated across their platform and an air of authenticity.

On the other hand, mid-tier influencers are those who have between 50k and 500k followers. These influencers still generate high engagement among their followers while expanding the reach of their platform considerably. Content created by these influencers is less targeted than that of micro-influencers but takes advantage of the larger audience.

Beyond mid-tier influencers, we have the macro-influencers. These are influencers with a following between 500k and 1 million. Macro influencers command the attention of an incredibly large audience. However, their content usually reflects this by being much less targeted than both micro-influencers and mid-tier influencers. Nonetheless, macro-influencers can be useful for targeting larger, less niche demographics.

And finally, we have mega-influencers. Mega-influencers are basically celebrities. What they lack in being able to target specific demographics or niche topics, they make up for in sheer reach. When it comes to building brand awareness, it is hard to top an endorsement from a mega-influencer.

Research the Influencer You Want

Once you’ve selected the influencer you want to work with, it’s important to research them. It helps to think of influencers as independent contractors that command their own following. Brands should look into past content the influencer has produced as well as any previous sponsorships they’ve had. This will give a better idea of the direction any new campaigns should take.

Brands should also look into the influencers audience. Yes, you’ve narrowed down the target demographic you want to connect with and selected an influencer based on that, however it’s always worth a deeper dive to get a sense for who exactly they are reaching. Genuine content is more important than ever today, and in order to craft an authentic narrative around an influencers platform, it is important to know their story as well as the stories of the people who follow them.

Lastly, before making a final decision on an influencer, it’s important to note any controversies they might have had. Information travels faster than ever before, and partnering with an untrustworthy influencer can seriously damage your brand. It is important that any influencers you choose to work with have a history of professionalism.

Craft The Campaign Around Them

Influencers bring something unique to the space of digital marketing. It is not just the size of their platform or the demographics they appeal to, but an accessibility that is hard to replicate in traditional marketing. Whether micro or mega, the simple fact is that behind the content, the sponsored posts, the likes, and hashtags is a real person. While staying on brand is important, brands should take into account what the influencer is bringing to the table and how best to leverage that. Maybe it’s the nature of their content. Or maybe it’s the way in which they deliver it. Either way, a successful influencer campaign is one that highlights the influencers strengths while maintaining the brand’s identity. It tells a story that the audience can identify with.

The influencer landscape is still evolving, as are the influencers themselves. And while any strategies built around them will no doubt end up being as unique as they are, the above best practices aim to provide a sturdy foundation for brands to build upon.