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Here are a few things you should take into consideration before deciding where to focus your influencer campaign. 

Goals and Objectives 

A crucial first step to any influencer marketing campaign is setting your goals and objectives. These goals will ultimately determine how the success of the campaign is measured. Is your goal to increase overall brand awareness and credibility, drive traffic to your site, or increase conversions? Influencer marketing can contribute to each of these goals, but some social media platforms do favor certain goals more than others.

Increasing brand awareness not only involves building up the general knowledge of your brand, but it involves building excitement as well. The key metrics for measuring brand awareness of an influencer marketing campaign are reach, impressions, and engagement rate.

• Reach: The total number of “unique” users who view your content
• Impressions: The total number of times your content is displayed
• Engagement Rate: The number of total engagements divided by the number of total impressions

Instagram and YouTube are the top influencer marketing platforms due to the high levels of engagement with influencers on each app. Comparing an influencer’s mid-tier following vs. macro following becomes less important when they have extremely loyal audiences who are significantly engaged in their content. The higher the audience engagement, the higher the brand awareness. But there is another app surging in popularity for influencer marketing, specifically when it comes to increasing brand awareness: TikTok. With over 100 million monthly active users in the U.S. alone, we can expect to see a huge increase in influencer engagement on the platform this year. 

Increasing website traffic and sales involves consumers taking direct action. This is typically measured by UTM links, specialized codes, and the number of sales. The best platform for increasing website traffic is YouTube because of the long lifespan of the content. Instagram does have the option to include swipe-up links in stories, but they disappear after 24 hours. YouTube videos with custom links in the description can last forever, so it is possible you may even see results after the campaign has ended. 

Product 

Some social media platforms are better suited for certain products. Keep in mind that this could be the first time someone is exposed to your brand, so aligning the platform with the product is key. YouTube is the perfect platform for products that tell a story. Through product reviews, vlogs, and integrations, influencers are able to go into much more detail about a product than they can with just a photo and caption on Instagram. TikTok is also a platform that works well for visually appealing products that might require more detail. The platform involves shorter-form videos than YouTube, but it is similar in ways because the content is focused on storytelling. 

Instagram is still the most popular influencer marketing app and is a great way to showcase products and services in a quick and authentic way. With new creator tools like Reels and Guides, the app offers several ways for influencers to create content and showcase products. 

Audience 

Audience demographics are always necessary to consider, especially when it comes to selecting an influencer marketing platform. If your audience happens to consist of Gen Z, you should definitely consider TikTok. YouTube and Instagram users typically fall between the Gen Z and Millennial age demographics. If your audience skews towards older generations, however, don’t fret. Through a targeted search on each platform or by looking into other platforms like Facebook, you will be able to find influencers who reach your ideal demographic. 

Another thing to consider is what your audience enjoys doing because there are certain platforms that are geared towards particular hobbies and activities. Do you have a product relating to gaming or lifestyle? Maybe look at platforms like Twitch and Pinterest. Pinterest has some influencers who have millions of users that engage with their page in a single month. On Twitch, users tend to be highly engaged for lengthy time periods as they watch their favorite gamers stream live. While these platforms may seem more targeted than other influencer platforms, the more authentic and engaged an influencer is with their audience, the more likely they are to be successful.

Conclusion

By considering these factors when selecting social media platforms for your influencer marketing campaign, you will be more likely to achieve your marketing goals. Social media is constantly changing and evolving, but one thing that hasn’t changed is the power of influencers. With influencer marketing, you can leverage that power to enhance your brand. 

Ready to get started? Check out our influencer marketing services. Our Go Fish social media team is ready to help. 

The Best Social Media Platform For Influencer Marketing Campaigns is an original blog post first published on Go Fish Digital.

Earlier this year, our Senior Manager of Influencer Marketing, Jessie Butner, spoke about her A to Z approach to influencer campaigns at Triangle Marketing Club. After her presentation, the team at Marshall Video interviewed Jessie to find out more about her personal approach to influencer marketing. Below, you can find a video clip of Jessie’s three principles of influencer marketing.

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3 Principles of Influencer Marketing

“The first principle that I like to follow with influencer marketing is to make sure that authenticity is the backbone of your campaign. A lot of times, a brand will sign up to work with an influencer and they’ll say, “We have this entire script that we’re expecting you to then share with your followers.” That is a big red flag for the audience. They know their personality, their little quirks, if they’re funny, and if it’s a really dry piece of content they’re going to be like, “What is this?” And they won’t trust it and then they won’t follow through and make those buying decisions. You have to have authenticity, and you have to allow creative freedom when working with an influencer.

My second principle is to go in with realistic expectations. A lot of times, people think, “Well, I’m going to start influencer marketing, and I’m automatically going to make all of these really big sales and have all these social followers coming after me.” And those are results that you can get, but you have to have your website and your social channels ready before you launch influencer marketing. If an influencer is tagging you on social media, and their followers are interested enough to go look at your social profiles and it’s just a terrible social profile, they’re going to immediately leave and nothing is going to come of it. So, have those tools set up before you start with influencer marketing.

My third principle would be to think outside of the box in influencer marketing. You don’t have to just assume that because you’re a fashion brand, you only want to go for fashion influencers. I work with a photo printing company where you can print your photos on a blanket. We’ve worked with food bloggers, and they created cutting boards and towels that they put printed photos on, and then they shared that with their audience alongside the recipe, and it was a really successful campaign. So, just thinking creatively and outside of the box is another important aspect of influencer marketing.

What do you think about Jessie’s principles of influencer marketing? Let us know in the comments below!

3 Principles of Influencer Marketing Every Organization Should Follow is an original blog post first published on Go Fish Digital.

Instagram has come a long way since launching in October 2010. A tool that used to be for amateur photographers turned into a stepping stone for countless creators to become “insta-famous” and make a living as an influencer.

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Every once in a while, the beloved social platform announces major changes. Some of those changes catch like wildfire (Instagram Story, for instance) while others are shot down by the users who make the platform what it is.

2019 has seen many changes already that will impact not only the “average Joe” of Instagram but also brands and influencers. There are three major changes creating a buzz in the industry:

1. A new “creator” profile option
2. Shopping tags that allow influencers to directly sell products through posts
3. The testing of hiding like counts

What will these changes mean for influencers? Some updates are exciting and could lead to potential income increases while others are seen as red flags that could hurt the engagement rates of influencers.

Let’s dive into the changes further.

Creator Profiles

Previously, a content creator had two options: making a business profile or a personal profile. Now in 2019, there is an additional profile type available called “creator”.

The creator profile allows a user to get more insight into their audience and the performance of their content. For example, a business profile already provides audience demographic information such as gender, age, and location. With a creator profile, influencers can also see net follower changes. Creator profiles will also get access to the Instagram Creator Studio which provides a further range of audience insights.

Creator profiles are able to filter their DMs to prioritize by contact, date, or relevance. This allows influencers to more easily sort through the numerous messages they receive and know that they are never missing an important note.

For influencers who are wondering whether they should make the switch to a creator profile, Instagram explains the simple process below.

There are some aspects to the creator profiles that cause concern, however. For now, anyone who has elected to set up a creator account will not be able to schedule posts through third-party tools. And, there is the likelihood that anyone with less than 10k followers will not have the option to self-identify as a creator. Creator profiles are still in beta testing and only time will tell if this option is a better fit for all influencers.

Shopping Tags and In-App Checkout

Until recently, there was no direct method for an influencer to sell a product through their Instagram profile. Swipe-up links, profile links, and outside affiliate programs such as LIKEtoKNOW.it allowed creators to more easily track the sales they made for a brand, but all sales took place outside of the Instagram platform.

Now, influencers are able to use the dedicated shopping tag in both stories and feed posts as a way to make their posts more shoppable. With a simple tap of the screen, a user can see the product name and price as well as easily clicking through to the brand’s website.

These tags aren’t the only improvement. Instagram is also introducing in-app checkout. The tool, which was announced in March 2019, was originally only available to a handful of brands. Approximately one month later, though, checkout was available for a small selection of top-tier influencers such as Kim Kardashian West and Gigi Hadid.

In-app checkout allows a user to buy directly from their favorite brands without ever leaving Instagram. This is clearly beneficial for influencers as they’re able to directly track sales and further monetize their accounts.

There have been concerns raised across the globe regarding what type of data is tracked and collected through the checkout system. As this feature was rolled out to a limited quantity of users, it’s up in the air whether in-app checkout will stick.

Hiding Like Counts

The most recent update that influencers and marketers alike are tracking is the new hidden like count feature. This change was implemented in Canada initially and there are no set dates to roll out the change to the rest of the world.

“Hidden likes” means that while a user will be able to see the number of likes received on their own photo, the count of followers who double-tapped their posts will be hidden from view.

Instagram claims that this change was a response to recent social pressures of users receiving high engagement rates on their content. The likes are hidden to allow more creative freedom and reduced emphasis on views and likes.

Currently, an influencer’s engagement rate is one of the top metrics taken into account when setting up a brand collaboration. While it’s likely that third-party tools will still be able to track these metrics, manually identifying influencers with high engagement will be a thing of the past.

Influencers and brands are also worried that users may take the “out of sight, out of mind” approach. If the likes are not displayed, will double-tapping photos become less common? Engagement has already gone down on Instagram and this could lead to even lower rates.

Of course, these concerns could be a moot point if the rollout never makes it beyond Canada. Some are thrilled at the idea of less pressure to be perfect and feel that this change will help in the mental health of our society, but others are hoping that this change will only be a temporary glitch.

Conclusion

Each of these changes will impact the way that marketers and influencers conduct business. Will they help or hurt? There’s no way to fully predict the results. For now, the industry will continue to buzz and keep a close eye on this popular platform.

How are you feeling about Instagram’s recent changes? Share your opinion in the comments below!

Instagram Updates Bring Both Fear and Excitement to the Influencer Industry is an original blog post first published on Go Fish Digital.

1. Preparation (this includes the identification of influencers, competitor research, and setting a budget)
2. Campaign Management (agreement forms, campaign briefs, approval processes, and monitoring content)
3. Reporting (both as an on-going basis and as a wrap at the end of a campaign)
4. Maintaining Relationships

Unfortunately, to my complete shock, I’ve seen too many marketers taking the easy way out and skipping phases three and four entirely.

How can you consider your work complete if you haven’t taken the time to analyze the results? And, if influencer collaborations are most successful when there is an authentic relationship between the brand and the content creator, shouldn’t you keep that door open?

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Sometimes, the answer to these questions boils down to just plain laziness, but recent studies have shown that marketers are reporting that one of their biggest concerns with influencer collaborations is not knowing how to measure influencer marketing. So, perhaps it’s not always that your marketing team is dropping the ball. It could just be that they truly don’t know how to report on these campaigns.

I’m here to tell you that while it is difficult to monitor the success of influencer campaigns from end-to-end (as with any kind of marketing), there are many statistics and numbers that can be used in your reports to guide you in your future influencer endeavors.

The most important key performance indicators (KPIs) to include in your influencer marketing reports are:

• Engagement Rate
• Website Traffic
• Impressions or CPM
• Audience Growth
• Conversions, Sales, and Lead Generation
• Search Volume

Let’s dive further into these six essential KPIs for influencer marketing so that you aren’t making the fatal mistake of quitting after the aforementioned phase two.

Engagement Rate

One of the most important metrics in influencer marketing is the engagement rate. I’m sure that any brand would be disappointed to find that they’ve invested time and money into an influencer whose audience has tuned out. If your content has been successful, the influencer’s audience will engage with the sponsored content and be eager to learn more about the brand.

Measuring the engagement rate on social content is simple. Follow this formula:

Website Traffic

Chances are that you’ve already set up a Google Analytics profile for your business and closely monitor the traffic to your site. The easiest way to ensure you’re able to attribute traffic from an influencer is to provide a trackable link such as a UTM or CID. In addition to looking at the total number of sessions from the campaign and each individual influencer, you should take into consideration other RankBrain signals such as:

• Pages / Session
• Average Session Duration   
• Bounce Rate
• New Users

Impressions or CPM

In addition to the number of users actually engaging with the content, you should be measuring the number of people who have seen the sponsored content. These impressions directly correlate to brand awareness.

To take this metric a step further, you can also calculate the CPM or cost per thousand impressions. This will show you exactly how much your brand is spending to earn 1,000 impressions. The average CPM will vary by platform, but the formula is as follows:

Audience Growth

When you’re targeting the correct audience, some of the influencer’s followers will likely become your followers as well. It’s relatively simple to track audience growth on various social platforms as the data is directly available in the platform when you have a business account. If you want to attribute audience growth to specific influencers, you must be acutely aware of day-to-day changes in followers and correlate those changes with dates of influencer content.

Conversions, Sales, and Lead Gen

Of course, everyone wants to know how a campaign is directly affecting their bottom line. While there are ways to find these numbers, it is important to note that buying decisions are made after multiple points of contact.

Additionally, buying habits change from person to person and while one user may immediately swipe-up from an Instagram Story and purchase an item, another may see an influencer’s suggestion and google the product a week later to purchase. For this reason, not all sales from an influencer collaboration can be directly sourced.

However, you can find transactions and conversions in Google Analytics as long as you’ve set your parameters correctly. One good way to increase sales numbers and the ability to track influencer sales is through unique promo codes or affiliate links.

Search Volume

As mentioned above, some of the traffic and sales your business may earn from influencer campaigns may not be immediately trackable through specialized links. An added bonus of influencer campaigns is that your organic searches may increase. Search volume is the total number of searches for a keyword in a set timeframe. To monitor search volume in correlation to influencer campaigns, you’d need to note any other marketing changes that are occurring at the same time as the influencer content and the dates of each influencer post. SEMRush is a good tool for tracking search volume.

Conclusion

Knowing how to measure influencer marketing efforts is the key to getting the most out of your influencer collaboration efforts. It may not be necessary to report on every one of these KPIs for each influencer campaign, but it is important to at least track the results of your collaboration in some way so you can know if you’re spending time and money as efficiently as you could be. The KPIs you use will depend on the goals you’ve set for your influencer campaigns during the preparation phase.

How do you measure the results of your influencer campaigns? Share with us in the comments below!

How to Measure the Success of Your Influencer Campaigns is an original blog post first published on Go Fish Digital.

The influencer marketing campaign process is more than research, execution, and reporting. It’s a multifaceted process consisting of countless moving parts. Overlooking even one small step can place the campaign’s success in jeopardy.

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It’s important to identify and avoid pitfalls before they happen. Below are the three silent killers of influencer marketing campaigns brands and marketers often fall victim to.

Identifying the Wrong Influencers

Aside from campaign preparation, one of the very first steps of an influencer marketing campaign is identifying the influencers. And contrary to what you may think, identifying and vetting influencers is more than just a few clicks on Instagram. In fact, 67% of brands say finding influencers is the biggest challenge of influencer marketing.

Choosing influencers that aren’t the right fit means the campaign will not flourish to its fullest potential. Think of it like trying to stick a puzzle piece into the wrong spot: it just doesn’t work.

Here’s an example: a local shopping center wants to implement an influencer marketing strategy to drive foot traffic. The most important metric for this campaign should be the influencer’s audience demographics, more specifically, their local audience. An influencer with a strong following but a relatively low local audience would not be a good fit for this campaign because, of course, the shopping center won’t see meaningful growth in foot traffic.

Improper Communication

Much like newsjacking content campaigns which are incredibly time-sensitive, influencer campaigns must be kept to a schedule, especially when you are trying to align with a product release or event. As a campaign manager, it’s important to keep a consistent line of communication open between you and the influencer before, during, and after the entirety of the campaign. And if you’re part of an agency, it’s even more important to be an accessible liaison between the brand and the influencer to address anything that needs your attention.

Needless to say, the influencer marketing campaign process consists of countless moving parts. More than likely these moving parts will come with hiccups, some of which are unforeseen and, unfortunately, out of your control. Whether there is a delay with a shipment, need for content approvals, or an incomplete and unclear contract and campaign guidelines, addressing and rectifying these challenges in a timely manner is crucial. If neglected, one problem can turn into two, resulting in a domino effect that could spiral out of control.

Not Allowing the Influencer Creative Freedom

The last, and quite frankly most detrimental, campaign killer is not allowing room for your influencers to have creative freedom. Don’t get me wrong, it’s fine to provide guidance and set guidelines to an extent, but you have to trust your influencers to convey your brand’s message in their own voice. Without this, your influencer can come off as insincere, and even worse, deceitful to their audience thus negatively impacting the way they view the influencer AND your brand.

If you’re as immersed in the world of pop culture as I am, you may remember Scott Disick’s celebrity endorsement blunder. Disick copy and pasted email instructions from the Bootea marketing team to his 15+ million Instagram followers to his caption that read as follows, “Here you go, at 4pm est, write the below. Caption: Keeping up with the summer workout routine with my morning @booteauk protein shake!”

The caption itself isn’t the problem. Had he not made this mistake, nobody would have taken a second look. But it’s not about that. It’s the principle of letting an influencer use their own tone of voice without putting words in their mouth. To avoid this faux pas, make sure to allow your influencers to use their unique perspective to promote your product or service.

While influencer marketing isn’t rocket science, it shouldn’t be viewed as a walk in the park either. An influencer campaign gone wrong can steer an audience away from your brand and right into the hands of a competitor. However, by avoiding these three common campaign killers, you can count on an influencer marketing strategy to help your brand reach your goals.

The 3 Silent Killers of Influencer Marketing Campaigns is an original blog post first published on Go Fish Digital.