Huda Kattan’s story of success from being a beauty blogger to starting a $ 2.1 billion-worth beauty line, is one that speaks for every influencer out there. Moreover, it also indicates how crucial a social media influencer campaign is for a brand. Influencers being avid content creators have become an indispensable part of every brand’s marketing strategy.
These numbers are evidence that influencer partnerships are going to become central to brand marketing campaigns. The HUDA Beauty story is only one of the many examples of influencers’ success stories. Many influencers have collaborated with brands to build powerful social media marketing campaigns.
But what makes for a successful influencer marketing campaign! An influencer strategy is more than just about roping in influencers. It is also about targeting the right audience, framing relevant content, and choosing the right platform.
So, before we move on to the best influencer marketing campaigns let’s see the most common mistakes made by brand marketers.
1) Focusing only on the influencers’ follower count
Selecting influencers solely based on their followers is the most common mistake brand managers make. Just having a high number of followers doesn’t make them fit for your campaign. There are several other aspects that require your attention like-
- Audience quality
Check the quality of your influencers’ followers. See to it that they have a genuine audience who is interested in their content and is engaging with the same too. Influencers with fake followers will not give you any outcome for your social media influencer campaign.
- Not monitoring the influencer’s content
It is the content that will represent what your brand wants to convey to the audience. Before opting for influencers make sure to monitor their content quality and style. See the kind of content they are posting, their style of presenting the content, and past collaborations. Checking these aspects will help you decide whether a particular influencer is fit for your influencer campaign.
- Not paying attention to the reactions on the influencers’ content
The last thing you want from your influencer marketing campaign is bad publicity. Make sure to check the reactions on the influencers’ posts. This will tell you whether the influencer is relevant for your campaign objectives. The reactions will also help you gauge the sentiment of the audience. Take note of any controversial posts that may influence your brand campaign in any way.
2) Marketing on platforms which are not relevant
Just because your competitors are using a particular social media platform does not mean you necessarily need to market on the same. Analyse what your marketing objectives are and then choose the platforms for your influencer marketing campaigns. Additionally, plan your content type and check where most of your target audience is active and accordingly decide on the platforms.
3) Expecting quick results for influencer marketing campaigns
Sure influencer marketing takes the cake when it comes to marketing strategies. However, it takes time for people to take notice of your campaign and then act upon it. Also, it is necessary to note that though influencer marketing is the quickest way to reach your audience it takes a lot to come up with a successful influencer campaign. Not every campaign clicks with the audience and guarantees quick results.
4) Curating content which loudly says its for selling
Brands should avoid planning content that has no emotional value to it. Social media marketing is different from traditional advertising and it requires uniqueness and relevance. See to it that your influencer marketing strategy does not sound spammy and forceful. Take help from influencers because they are eventually content curators in their way.
5) Not measuring your influencer marketing campaigns
Just checking the number of likes on your campaign posts is not enough to measure the performance of an influencer campaign. Make sure you track your campaign using the right metrics. Keep in mind your campaign goals and accordingly choose the metrics to calculate. Brands can also use platforms like Unbox Social to get data-driven reports on their influencer campaigns.
Let’s look at some of the best influencer marketing campaigns!
1) Daniel Wellington
The success of Daniel Wellington can be hugely credited to influencer marketing. The luxury watch brand entered the market through social media and roped in influencers from every tier. The brand was all over Instagram and generated humongous sales solely through its effective influencer strategy. Right from giving free watches to influencers to offering unique discount codes to influencers, the brand brilliantly managed to attract the audience. Not just that, Daniel Wellington also features Instagrammers who post pictures of their watches with their hashtags. Many a times, the brand has also given free goodies to its featured Instagrammers.
2) OnePlus
The popular cell phone brand has an amazing number of followers on Instagram thanks to its picture-perfect feeds. The brand is known for roping in influencers and celebrities for its new model launches. With the OnePlus 8 too, it has continued with the same and has gained credible response. When OnePlus encouraged Instagram users to send pictures with a creative representation of the letter ‘T’ for its 6T launch, it received tremendous participation. Well, with the OnePlus 8 too, the strategy has worked. The brand has yet again applied the same marketing plan; this time to represent the number 8.
3) Audi
Luxury brands that refrained from traditional advertising are heavily marketing on social media platforms. Audi roped in Virat Kohli for its flagship SUV Audi Q8. The brand made Virat Kohli the first customer in India for Audi Q8. The captain’s popularity on social media is unbeatable and gave the brand amazing visibility for its launch. The post received a magnificent engagement!
4) Clinique
Skincare brands are also not behind when it comes to roping in mega influencers for their social media influencer campaign. The popular skincare brand Clinique that offers both makeup and skincare products collaborated with Emilia Clarke and Radhika Apte for the launch of its one-of-a-kind custom-blend skin hydrator. The stars enjoy a great fan following on Instagram which worked for their product launch.
5) Nescafe
The beloved coffee brand is stepping up high in the influencer marketing game in the lockdown phase. The brand banked on the Dalgona Coffee trend and featured Instagrammers and influencers who made the coffee and tagged them with the necessary hashtags. The brand received a great response on the same and its feed is decorated with mind-blowing photographs!
6) Johnnie Walker
Johnnie Walker collaborated with several influencers to spread the word about its new cocktail launch Johnnie Ginger. The influencer campaign for the same was simple. It required influencers to post pictures with the newly launched cocktail with the required hashtags. All the posts revolved around the idea of having a good time with your pals and Johnnie Ginger!
7) H&M
The popular clothing brand often features influencers wearing its collection. The brand gains a lot of attention on social media because it is also active on Instagram stories. Here is a brand post by H&M that features an influencer. Even when it comes to unveiling new collections H&M collaborates with fashion influencers on a large scale.
8) Mia by Tanishq
The new age jewellery brand Mia launched by Tanishq targets millennials. The brand curates lightweight jewellery that can be worn everyday. Mia has been collaborating with influencers since quite some time now. The brand usually ropes in influencers for days like Women’s Day, Mother’s Day, Friendship Day, etc. Here is one such campaign by Mia wherein an influencer has taken up a style challenge.
9) Gillette India
The well-known shaving goods brand Gillette lately had to compete with a lot of new players in the market. The brand implemented several influencer marketing campaigns to get on the map again. Gillette majorly ropes in mega and micro-influencers for its campaigns on Instagram. Here is one influencer marketing campaign by Gillette India that focused on supporting barbers in the lockdown phase.
10) Urban Decay
Urban Decay is a makeup brand that is popular for its wonderful eyeshadow palettes. The brand instead of simply collaborating with influencers and posting their pictures makes it a point to roll out valuable content for its audience. The brand often collaborates with makeup influencers to host tutorials which keeps their audience engaged. Here is one such post from the brand.
The above-mentioned influencer marketing examples will definitely give you some inspiration! The success of every influencer marketing campaign depends largely on the content and the influencer representing that content. See to it that you use a professional platform to find relevant influencers like Unbox Social. Our platform not only helps you search for influencers but also gives you their details! Take a look.
