4 expert tips for authentic influencer marketing campaigns

Are these 4 influencer marketing tactics on your checklist?

Branded content is everywhere. It’s no secret that when you open Instagram and TikTok, you will come across, at the very least, one piece of branded video content. As the digitally native consumers’ buying power rises, brands have inevitably learned to adopt new methods of influencer marketing that move past traditional marketing practices such as billboards, serial publication spots, and television commercials, which have now translated into vertical, snackable, and short-form video ads that engage the younger demographic.

Given that 79% of people say UGC highly impacts their purchasing decisions, brands have quickly adapted to this model of providing UGC including short-form videos to the customer journey experience. What continues to evolve is the type of branded content that has the power to turn views into conversion. Influencer marketing has always been widely accepted as an effective marketing branch. With the great power they have to influence social commerce, they are the perfect marketing asset to reach your brand’s target consumers.

Without rest, it has become increasingly apparent that in our day and age of social media, authenticity is the key to ensuring any brand’s success and social proof with consumers. 90% of consumers say authenticity is important when deciding which brands they like and support — it’s clear that in order to retain the attention of consumers, content needs to be authentic to fuel the checkout funnel. While the key to authentic brand campaigns is ever-evolving, these are 4 tactics that permanently remain effective and should be considered when implementing any influencer marketing campaigns.

Tap into your brand’s personal messaging, whether it be education, helpful, or funny — leverage your brand’s voice to reflect in your influencer marketing campaigns and the influencers who will reflect your brand in the content they create. Remember: the influencers you choose are an extension of your brand, therefore it’s essential that you choose influencers who resonate with your company values and messaging.

Calvin Klein, one of the biggest fashion houses, rose to fame in the 90s and has since then established itself as one of the most notable and iconic aesthetics of the 90s, which has led a new generation to emulate the Calvin aesthetic. Taking inspiration from the ongoing Y2K trend, Calvin Klein is leveraging its brand personality and merging it with the Y2K aesthetic to create short-form videos inclusive of 90s elements like heavy grain, static videos, and camcorders — all while remaining true to the brand’s personality.

The idea that follower count will carry out a successful partnership has been toppled time and again. Social media leaders including TikTok and Meta are adopting new models where their algorithms are prioritizing view rates over follower count. There is a market for all creator sizes when the algorithm favors engaging content over a user’s follower count. That is not to say follower count isn’t valuable. Follower count will, undoubtedly, always serve as a large social proof; in fact, it has become a second target point for brands who are prioritizing the essence of the campaign and engaging consumers to personify the brand’s humanness.

Airbnb, the largest online marketplace for homestays and tourism activities, targeted a younger demographic by formulating three campaigns focusing on micro and macro creators for their influencer marketing activations. This is a perfect example of leveraging influencers of all sizes. Take a look below, we have one video from a micro creator (1,000 followers) and another from a macro creator (99K followers), can you tell which video belongs to the micro and macro creator?

The myth that micro creators can’t create high-quality and high-performing content remains debunked. Remember that old saying: “quality over quantity?” Well, this is a prime example of how the prominent leaders with reputable and high media value now focus and seek out influence with a high engagement rate rather than simply a high follower count.

Many of the time, we’re consumed with controlling the outcome of our content. Whether it be reaching KPIs or achieving a certain look, over-controlling a creator is a recipe for disaster. In very few instances it can definitely be a good idea to actually have little to no guidelines; Now we’re not saying this as an act of rebellion, but rather, we’re saying that this is an instance where you need to master the complicated art of broad and specific guidelines. Giving influencers the freedom to get in touch with their creativity, calls for innovation; innovation not only allows brands to learn and adapt to new practices but also promotes social and economic growth, which is the final result most want.

When writing guidelines it’s easy for a brand to look at their inspiration board and become oblivious to expecting an exact copy of said inspiration. It’s important to let inspiration remain as inspiration.

While some influencer marketing campaigns certainly call for a more rigid set of guidelines, if possible give creators to do what they do best. Creators know their audience best- and as consumers, they have insights that we as marketers can often overlook. Influencers truly know best when it comes to creating content that drives consumers to engage and convert. After all, they are consumers and are constantly engaging with social media and branded content. Let creators create!

It should go without mention, but experimenting with new channels like TikTok should be embraced. A few years ago TikTok was dismissed by companies and marketers as a temporary fad; fast-forward to 2022, and well, if you’re not on TikTok, you should be (since yesterday). We’ve learned that having solid content helps garner those strong connections and trust with an audience, which is why it is important to not dismiss any one single form or content, as it can be just the next big phenomenon such as in the case of TikTok. A victorious marketing strategy will be inclusive of diversity and openness to going outside of the normal box because it can be what will define its success in a competitive market.

Nothing excites a creator more than when a brand asks them to join in on a viral trend. Promoting your product and services never has to be without fun. Joining in on trends, especially video ones, creates engagement and lets consumers know that your brand is trying to keep up with pop culture, which is a big plus to the younger generation. Brands may stray away from this tactic due to the fact that not all viral trends remain evergreen, but if your budget allows for it, always choose to do something extraordinary and let creators have fun. Executing experimental moments is essential for keeping your brand at the top of consumers’ minds.

Now that you know what to be thinking about when creating your guidelines for your influencer marketing campaign — set yourself up for success with an all-in-one platform like Social Native. Every one of their 2 million plus creators has been vetted and registered to the platform, making Social Native’s marketplace a serious competitor to existing creator marketplaces that practice influencer scrapping. With Social Native, you will be paired with authentic creators who deliver high-quality and high-performing content to global brands like Adidas, IKEA, Cetaphil, Crocs, and many more.

Why brands choose Social Native:

• Social Native offers an all-in-one content solution that allows brands to unlock high-quality social content to power e-commerce, build consumer trust, social proof, and drive revenue. From the selection process of the most qualified creators around the world to the final creative deliverables – brands get authentic, unique content fast.
• We pair brands with our global creator network to create authentic content optimized to drive performance on major social platforms like TikTok and Instagram. We have exclusive insights into performance and best platform practices.
• Over 1,500 top brands trust us to automate UGC across e-commerce, driving users from discovery to checkout. All content is enabled via our proprietary technology from AI image recognition, and rights management, to 9:16 vertical video shoppable galleries.

Ready to take your brand to the next level?