1. Think Long-Term
Like any type of marketing, influencer marketing takes time to take effect, and that’s for good reason: relationships don’t build themselves overnight, especially not relationships that last. So, think of this experience as a relationship-building investment, which will show results over time. These solid, long-lasting mutually-beneficial relationships not only produce ROI, but they also optimize rates and develop authentic ambassadors that will benefit your brand down the road.
2. Stay Stocked
Sometimes products are selected and shot by influencers but then quickly go out of stock before the content goes live. To combat this challenge, it’s helpful to suggest a product mix with a high inventory to ensure you have enough product in stock to meet the demand the influencer will drive. When possible, plan ahead, be overly communicative about inventory, and choose more prolific items.
3. Carefully Consider Casting
Today, casting is much more of a science, well-informed by data, which means you need to ensure that your influencer marketing partner has a deep, rich data set to inform your decisions. For example, with our insights into conversation rates, average order values, and competitive analysis, we’re able to identify the right influencers to deliver on your particular brand and campaign goals.
4. Choose Your Channels Mix Wisely
It is important to have a strong influencer marketing partner who can leverage their data to maximize your channel mix. Understanding what channels best convert will help you get the best value for your investment. For example, if an influencer’s primary conversion channel is LIKEtoKNOW.it and IG stories, then it does not make sense to spend on a blog post. This valuable information helps fine-tune performance and focus the campaign on true conversions across the right platforms.
5. Embrace Influencer Authenticity
Successful influencers are influential on sales because they are true to themselves, their interests, and their audience. As much as possible, allow influencers the flexibility to choose their own product and add their own creative voice to the post; they know what best resonates with their followers (and your potential customers).
6. Branch Out & Diversify
Not every influencer is going to deliver an immediate return on every post, so while you nurture your existing influencer relationships, it is equally important to allocate testing budgets to try new influencers and build up your portfolio. Prioritize diversifying your influencer marketing campaign by exploring new influencers to complement your current partners.
Influencer Marketing: Aiming Toward a Positive Return
Here’s the bottom line about improving your bottom line: investing in influencer marketing will ultimately lead to a positive return. It may not be immediate or on every post, but having a strategic partner with a deep, rich data set will increase the overall success of campaigns.
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