Insights & Strategies for Influencers, Brand Advocates & Content Creators in Social Media
Understanding the difference plus strategies for authentically powerful social media.
Influencers have taken over social media with the intent of providing “social proof” of brands, destinations and experiences to their followers. Every time you open your apps for TikTok to Instagram, YouTube to Facebook; they’re touting first-hand experiences with fashion, cosmetics and supplements to destinations, dining out or a night out at the movies.
They come with varied backgrounds, expertise, interests, genders and personalities – each with their own unique strengths and audience demographics. Understanding the different types of influencers and how brands can effectively collaborate with them is essential for a successful influencer marketing strategy.
When working with influencers, brands should prioritize authenticity, relevance, and mutual value exchange. Building genuine relationships with influencers, aligning their values with the brand’s mission, and providing clear guidelines and expectations for collaborations are essential for successful partnerships. Additionally, measuring and analyzing the impact of influencer campaigns through key performance indicators (KPIs) such as engagement rate, reach, conversions, and ROI is crucial for optimizing future collaborations and maximizing the effectiveness of influencer marketing efforts.
Here are some common types of influencers and an inside view as to how Into the Blue collaborates with influencers to amplify our clients’ brand awareness and sales.
- Mega-Influencers: are celebrities or public figures with massive followings exceeding one million on social media platforms. Typically best for national and international brands or those seeking to scale or expand rapidly. Brands can collaborate with mega-influencers for large-scale campaigns, such as product launches or brand endorsements. However, these collaborations often come with high costs, so it’s crucial to ensure alignment with the brand’s values and target audience. Keep in mind, the larger the following the lower the engagement rate. This is where having a highly strategic plan and goal is essential.
- Macro-Influencers have substantial followings ranging from 100,000 to one million on social media platforms. Brands can partner with macro-influencers for sponsored content, product reviews, or brand mentions. Since macro-influencers have a broad reach, they can help generate buzz, increase brand visibility, and engagement among a sizable audience. Being on a growth trajectory, they often are open to creating customized collaborations with brands, understanding the mutual benefits for both their profile and the brand’s.
- Micro-Influencers have smaller but highly engaged followings typically ranging from 1,000 to 100,000 on social media platforms. Brands can collaborate with micro-influencers for niche-specific campaigns targeting specific demographics or geographic locations. Micro-influencers as well as Nano-influencers (who have followings of 1,000 – 10,000), often have a more authentic connection with their followers, resulting in higher engagement rates and increased trust in their recommendations. Both types of influencers’ authenticity and relatability can lead to higher conversion rates and better ROI for brands but the best strategy is to work with a team of influencers at this level for optimal brand exposure and results.
Other Ways Brands Can Establish Marketing Partnerships or Collaborations with Influencers
Industry Experts or Thought Leaders are individuals with deep expertise and credibility within a specific industry or niche. For more serious topics such as dermatology & skincare (vs. makeup artistry) are the perfect strategy for working with experts. We often establish short or long term collaborations with industry experts for content co-creation, expert interviews, or thought leadership pieces. Partnering with industry experts can help establish the brand’s authority, affirm brand trust and credibility within a particular niche.
Brand Advocates & Ambassadors are often loyal customers or employees who passionately support and promote a brand’s products or services. Other examples are vetted respected influencers who authentically align with the brand, their products and mission. For example, a team of fitness instructors and competitors advocating for a natural supplement brand or exercise equipment in which they’ve tried the products in advance and have a strong belief in the brand. Brands can engage with brand advocates by encouraging user-generated content, running advocacy programs, or offering exclusive perks. Leveraging brand advocates can amplify positive word-of-mouth marketing and foster a sense of community around the brand.
What is a Social Content Creator?
Content creators are not to be confused with influencers. Essentially, they’re hired actors who utilize an influencer-style in the production of their content in order to introduce a brand, impart their experience with the products, and show how to use them. Again, at Into the Blue Agency we feel authenticity and integrity is key so we highly suggest brands use content creators after they’ve tried the products and confirm they believe in them before moving forward. Because when you lose customer trust, it can penetrate every aspect of your brand image.
How to tell the difference between an influencer and a content creator?
Influencers are recognized in the social media content and often post “collaboratively” by tagging the brand and vice versa in order to leverage the following of both. Content creators are often unnamed, never tagged. Each serves their purpose and can play an important role in your marketing strategy.
Choose Influencers Wisely With Intel
Whether or not an influencer is represented by a professional agent, it’s imperative to look at the data to obtain honest information and make an informed decision on who best aligns with your brand image and strategy. At Into the Blue Agency we’ve invested in some of the industry’s leading software platforms to evaluate this crucial data in order to make informed decisions on the best influencers to align with. This includes:
- True followers vs. fake followers
- Demographics of followers
- Geographic data: where their followers are located (regionally, nationally, internationally)
- Engagement rates
- And nearly 100 more data points that allow us to make highly intuitive decisions
Always have a clear mission, purpose, outlined initiative, compensation and agreement in place with influencers to protect your brand so you get what you’re paying for and can expect the best ROI for whatever your goal. Keep in mind each influencer has a unique niche, personality and audience and allowing them to stay true to themselves will look better on them and your products.
Best Practices with Influencers
Always follow the rule of repetition in advertising, with shortened attention spans and lower memory retention of today’s consumers, a single post will rarely deliver tangible results. Consider the “Rule of 7” and request a multipoint collaboration for more optimal results of your campaign which can include posts on the feed, stories, if they have a blog, their other social profiles, etc. which can be a 2-3 part series of content or repurposed repetition of the original. You can also ask them to leave a review on Google, Yelp, Facebook or similar.
The Rule of 7 asserts that a potential customer should encounter a brand’s marketing messages at least seven times before making a purchase decision. When it comes to engagement for your marketing campaign, this principle emphasizes the importance of repeated exposure for enhancing recognition and improving retention.
So get creative!
The social media landscape is ever-changing with new platforms, changes to their algorithms and features, best practices and, of course, user habits. Strategy is key to stay true to your brand voice and mission and generate optimal growth and ROI.
Remember to repurpose your influencer and content creator campaigns to utilize the media and collaboration on your website, in email marketing, text marketing, live meet n greets, as well as your own social media. Make sure you have the rights for usage in your original agreement to maximize the impact.
For questions, to schedule a consultation or to learn what’s possible for your business or brand’s social media, email or DM us at team@intotheblueagency or @intothebluecreative on Instagram, Facebook, Linked In or TikTok!