5 situations when influencers do not completely suck

We always approach marketing trends with a skeptical eye and a triple measure, and influencer marketing is no exception. While some cannot imagine a future for brands without influencers, both live and virtual, we keep our enthusiasm in check. With a healthy dose of skepticism, we have summarized situations where influencers can truly bring business success. Yes, eventually, we found a few. Does this apply to you? Read on!

 

When does it make sense for a brand to collaborate with influencers?

Let’s get straight to it. Here are five situations when you might consider contacting your favorite influencer.

 

1. When you need to increase reach with a small budget

Collaborating with an influencer is an effective way to achieve a broader reach in your target group (thus increasing brand awareness), even if you are a startup with a small advertising budget. The prerequisite is of course a product or service attractive enough to convince an influencer to accept a barter or lower fee. In this context, some talk about influencers as a catapult that launches startups to their first customers.

 

2. When you want to reach younger generations (Gen Z, Gen Alpha)

These generations tend to trust content that is authentic and non-commercial. Conversely, they exhibit skepticism and aversion to advertising messages. Some even hardly open Google search and base most of their purchasing decisions on recommendations from influencers and creators on TikTok. If a large part of your target audience consists of these generations, you could consider engaging influencers.

3. When you need to create instant buzz

Short-term influencer campaigns are ideal for special events in your brand’s life, such as product launches. They create buzz among the target audience and support the trial of a new product.

4. When you have a niche target audience and no research

Sometimes influencers understand their audience better than brands understand their target customers. They know which type of content is not only relevant but also resonates on a deeper level. If you do not conduct market research, do not organize focus groups, and are not in daily contact with your customers, then an influencer can help you keep your finger on the pulse of the times, even in a very specific or dynamic segment.

5. When operating in a regulated segment

Collaborating with influencers may be one of the few ways to promote products in a regulated segment that otherwise does not allow paid advertising on social media. This is somewhat of a gray area, which can be utilized by brands with CBD products, electronic cigarettes, etc.

Paradoxes of influencer marketing

For an influencer collab to be really effective in business terms, two things are crucial. Yet they often contradict each other: the influencer’s reach and their authenticity.

The need for reach is obvious. Brands grow by regularly addressing the largest part possible of their target audience. And why is authenticity important? On social networks, first and foremost we all want to be entertained or educated, and if a brand’s message is overtly commercial, we automatically skip, scroll, and mute it. This is especially true for younger generations, who excel at ignoring advertising messages. Brands need to find ways to reach consumers on networks in a subtle or at least authentic manner – simply put, in a way that consumers are willing to pay attention to and from which they can feel positive emotions. Ideally, influencers and creators allow brands to do just that. Ideally, they also have an aura of authority that can influence the opinions, behaviors, and decisions of their audience. Particularly younger consumers trust them and consider them relevant sources of information that guide their consumer behavior.

Often, however, it ends up other than ideal – collaboration with an influencer is overtly commercial and lacks authenticity. If it is obvious that the product or brand does not really suit the influencer, it won’t be successful among fans and will lead to a loss of trust in both the influencer and the brand. The same applies to versatile influencers who promote everything that comes their way, from collagen to plastic surgery clinics. This often happens especially with larger influencers or celebrities, who are exploited by a large number of brands due to their extensive reach. Here, the reach and authenticity of communication do not work together.

Authenticity and credibility are, after all, things where influencers often have a weaker reputation than plain money-driven businesses, as demonstrated, for example, by Mark Ritson in his juicy experiment. A brand seeking suitable influencers balances primarily extensive reach with authenticity and trust in the influencer. And of course, the budget comes first. The solution for extensive reach while maintaining authentic communication might be so-called raids – at one moment, you select a larger number of small, specialized influencers or experts on a particular topic.

 

Setting up your influencer marketing strategy

Creating an effective influencer marketing strategy starts by setting goals. Do you need to build brand awareness in the long-term? Increase sales? Or create a short-term buzz around a new product? Your goals will determine the form of influencer collaboration, ranging from brand videos to influencer events to discount codes. At the intersection of goals, target group, brand image, and budget, you will find names worth approaching. It is crucial to select influencers whose values, content, and style align with your brand image.

The next step is to integrate influencer marketing with your marketing strategy and, ideally, create a comprehensive campaign with a broader media mix.

In the creative process, give influencers and creators freedom. Trust that they know their followers just a bit better than you do and that they have insights you have not yet gained from any research. Therefore, give them free rein and just ensure compliance with the main values of the brand. Authenticity and creativity are the main pillars of a campaign’s success.

And what comes in the end? What else than measurement. Choose KPIs as close as possible to your objectives: for the objective of building a brand, your KPI will be the influencer’s reach in the target group; for the goal of increasing sales, it will be conversions. The fewer KPIs and objectives monitored, the better for your results. Learn from the results and contact us for collaboration.