You might think yourself an expert on influencer campaigns. Or maybe your DIY campaigns aren’t cutting it anymore. Whether or not you’re hitting performance metrics, there’s always room for improvement.
Success isn’t a solo endeavor. In influencer marketing, it’s the culmination of hard work from the brand team and influencer partners. Content creators increasingly know their worth and what their collaboration can do for brands. As such, they want ongoing collaboration and monetary payment. Not just product.
These five critical tips can elevate both beginner brand partners and experienced marketers to trusted experts in influencer marketing. From things to look out for when selecting an influencer, to the best ways to execute a campaign, each tip offers something new that will ensure ongoing success in an influencer partnership.
Be Authentic
Brands typically seek influencers with high engagement rates to get the most bang for their buck. But high engagement comes from years of hard work cultivating an intimate relationship with followers. Compromising that relationship serves no one: not the creator, not the audience and not the brand. Creators want to work with brands that respect their craft.
That’s why rapper and celebrity influencer Lil Nas X partnered with Durex in his “That’s What I Want” music video. Durex wanted to expand its reach within the LGBTQ+ community. Who better than a musician known for his creative gender and sexuality expression? It was a natural fit for both—with Lil Nas X putting his own spin on the product and Durex gaining visibility during Sexual Health Awareness month.
From initial idea to nearly 30 million views on YouTube, this partnership came together quickly. It started with identifying mutual audiences and interests. Then, with excitement and engagement on both sides, it ended as a huge success.
Durex’s music video partnership with Lil Nas X was an organic pairing that generated buzz across social channels during Sexual Health Awareness month.
Think Outside The Box
Anyone who’s spent any time on social media knows there is no shortage of skincare products and beauty influencers. Makeup tutorials and skincare reviews flood TikTok and YouTube, making it difficult for brands to cut through the noise. But Neutrogena found a way.
Instead of taking the traditional path—having a beauty influencer promote their product as they show off their next makeup look—Neutrogena created its own series, Hydro House, on TikTok. The campaign paired recent dating show contestants like Harry Jowsey and Danny Padilla with TikTok creators such as Boman Martinez-Reid and Cyrus Veyssi. The series is a take on reality dating shows but, instead of competing for love, contestants compete for Neutrogena’s HydroBoost cleanser.
Beauty isn’t the only saturated industry. The internet is a crowded place. By trying out-of-the-box strategies, like a new series or an ensemble of influencers, brands can test the limits of their creativity. A variety of influencers offer new ideas and perspectives—as well as untapped audiences for your brand.
Neutrogena’s HydroHouse series was well loved by fans with their top video receiving nearly 40 million views on TikTok.
Tried and true works, too
While unconventional thinking can help brands break out of a box, don’t discount the tried and true influencer marketing methods.
On the surface, New Balance’s partnership with Eddie Win and similar footwear creators is your standard influencer marketing partnership. Brand releases product; creator endorses product; creator gets paid.
But this partnership is part of a much larger brand reinvention strategy, which includes collaborations with streetwear houses like Kith, Aimé Leon Dore, and Joe Freshgoods. Rather than just updated colorways, these new endeavors reflect diverse storytelling through design, giving creators like Win something to talk about. In his top shoes of 2022 roundup, he featured three New Balance sneakers.
New Balance’s transformation from the suburban dad’s shoe of choice to a streetwear fanatic’s fantasy was only part of its success. Partnerships with creators like Win build brand awareness. Though the strategy was pretty standard on paper, it went a long way in elevating the brand among the desired audience.
Be Adaptable
The path to success isn’t always straightforward. If an influencer drops out at the last minute, go micro and find someone new. If your latest ad wasn’t well received, adjust and try again. If you didn’t reach your target audience, study the data and pivot.
The ability to quickly change gears will pay off. Live TV streaming service Philo offers a low-cost, no-contract alternative to cable, so the brand naturally assumed college students would be a primary audience. But after digging into audience data, BENlabs found the biggest interest in Philo came from families, African American moms, and LGBTQ+ viewers. Instead of targeting the original audience, Philo and BENlabs developed a new strategy: Tapping celebrities and influencers to reach the newly identified cohorts.
This pivot ultimately saved Philo time and money that would have been spent chasing the wrong people. Their targeted influencer strategy improved campaign click-through rates by 172% and drove a 10x increase in conversion efficiency.
Scale Successes
Portable blender brand BlendJet was looking to kickstart awareness and drive sales. An initial partnership with YouTube’s Philip DeFranco—facilitated by BENlabs—did just that, garnering more than 1,000 sales while marking lifestyle creators as valuable brand partners. When BlendJet was gearing up to release its latest product, the brand turned where it had seen amazing results before: BENlabs and the smart scale that AI and a community of over 13 million content creators can deliver.
With an existing track record of influence marketing success with BENlabs, BlendJet increased its investment by 500% for a second round of partnerships that drove even more success. A range of macro and mega influencers, including Lauren Luyendyk and LivingMyBestStyle, promoted the BlendJet 2 on Instagram Stories by showcasing the product in action in their own homes. By the time it wrapped, 28,000 BlendJet 2 purchases and $1.7M in revenue were directly attributed to the campaign. And while this specific campaign has wrapped, the BlendJet BENlabs partnership continues.
Make It Happen
It can seem overwhelming to find an influencer marketing partner that ticks all the boxes. Be strategic in who you select, as every element of your strategy has the potential to make or break your campaign. But make the right choice, and you’ll see your hard work pay off.
Influencer Marketing Made Simple
There’s no need to go it alone. BENlabs smart creator pairing and predictive analytics help simplify every step of the influence marketing process and promise real results and ROI. This deep learning AI approach unlocks high-performing influencer marketing at scale.
