Influencer marketing: how can you run successful campaigns?

Without influencer marketing, there can be no performance today! It's a new-generation strategy that essentially uses social networks. In practical terms, influencer marketing brings together all the techniques that use the power of recommendation of opinion leaders. The aim is to encourage prospects to buy products or subscribe to services. Focus on best practice for successful campaigns.

Nearly 80 % of advertisers want to use influencer marketing in the next two years. This is the result of a study carried out in 2022 by Reech, an agency specialising in influencer campaigns, in partnership with the ARPP (Autorité de régulation professionnelle de la publicité) and the Union des marques. A number of factors explain this craze: the rise of social e-commerce, the redistribution of advertising budgets from television and offline to digital advertising, and the increased use of ad-blocks. Here are a few recommendations for an optimal influencer strategy.

1/Create clear and transparent contracts

Influencer marketing is increasingly being used by brands to boost their sales and brand awareness. But it is also increasingly regulated. Contractualisation is now the order of the day.

There are several types of commercial partnership: the influencer contract, the sponsored post contract, the advertising blogger contract, etc. There are legal obligations to be complied with, in particular regarding the mention of the remuneration given in return for the work carried out by the influencer.

And there are penalties for non-compliance with these legal obligations. As in the case of Nabilla: last year, the influencer was fined €20,000 for misleading commercial practices following a story published on her Snapchat account.

2/Consider influencer marketing as a tool with a positive impact

For successful influencer marketing, you should also avoid promotional strategies that rely solely on product placement content. The values of authenticity and transparency have never been more important to consumers than they are today. That's why it's a good idea to use influencer strategies to drive meaningful projects.

Ask yourself about the positive actions you have put in place, about your corporate values... Then think about your collaborations accordingly. Choose your ambassadors carefully. They will be the starting point of your community. A community made up of influencers, employees, customers and distributors with shared personal and professional values.

This is vital, because influencer marketing is first and foremost a question of trust. Particularly among younger people. Indeed, for 55 % of 18-24 year olds, a recommendation from a social networking star is THE determining factor in their decision to buy. This figure rises to 44 % in the 25-34 age group.

3/Amplify messages with media buying based on influencer content

When it comes to the content to be placed at the heart of an influencer campaign, this can either be produced by the agency running the campaign, or by the chosen influencer. In the latter case, a word of advice: don't hesitate to sponsor their posts.

By doing this, you express yourself through the content creator, a real user of your product or services. Inevitably, the interest of Internet users is increased tenfold.

It's no longer the brand's marketing department that speaks, but the influencer they follow on the networks. In doing so, you target a wider audience.

Harnessing the power of employee advocacy If you want something done right, do it yourself. This is also true in influencer marketing. Who would be better placed than employees to talk about their company? None other. That's why employee advocacy strategies are being developed. In practical terms, this involves mobilising employees who are active on social networks and encouraging them to relay information from the organisation. This can be done in a variety of ways: business videos, blog articles, posts on LinkedIn, etc. The aim of the game is to ensure that the content proposed engages discussion within the community with which the employee ambassador interacts. If that's the case, the performance is there to be seen: according to the France 2021 edition of the global Edelman Trust Barometer survey.

4/Opt for variety

Avoiding consumer fatigue is a basic rule of marketing. And even more so in influencer marketing. To achieve this, don't hesitate to mix influencers (macro-influencers, collaborators, brand ambassadors, nano-influencers, etc.) and formats. And when it comes to formats, video is on a roll. This is logical: videos are at the very heart of usage, particularly short vertical formats.

The meteoric rise of TikTok and Instagram Reels bears witness to this. One of the latest groups to venture onto TikTok is Europe's leading shopping centre operator, Klépierre. Its videos are following TikTok trends: sharing good tips, exploring behind-the-scenes shopping centres, discovering brands...

But we shouldn't overlook the contribution of live shopping either. This allows influencers to make their 100 % content instantly purchasable. This is done by means of live videos combining snack-content and promotion of products or services. Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, Tiktok, Twitch... all offer features that are conducive to instant shopping, which is very popular with consumers.

5/Collect data and measure the profitability of your campaigns

Unlike mass media, influencer marketing allows you to establish a special relationship with potential customers. Their feedback is a mine of information that should not be overlooked. You need to use it to adapt your products and/or services. This presupposes that you have the right tools to recover and process these large volumes of data.

The same goes for measuring the return on investment (ROI) of your campaigns. There are several key performance criteria (KPIs) for assessing the success of an influencer marketing operation. First and foremost is the volume of impressions, i.e. the proportion of followers exposed to content created about the brand. Next, their rate of engagement (likes, comments, shares). Lastly, there is earned media value (EMV), which calculates the equivalent amount of media buy required to obtain the same results.

In any case, to be profitable, influencer marketing must be part of an overall strategy that includes other essential levers, such as social advertising, SEO (natural search engine optimisation) and SEA (paid search engine optimisation).

6/Following the evolution of social networks towards Web 3.0

Emerging social networks continue to attract brands and influencers. If only to diversify their presence and meet consumer needs and expectations. Proof of this is the dazzling success of the TikTok network.

Will metavers be the next generation of social networks? Probably. Like them, they allow you to share, engage, buy, take part in events and entertain. But with one difference: everything happens in a 3D world, with virtual reality, avatars, etc. A recent example is Samsung, which presented its Samsung Galaxy S22 phone with a virtual influencer at an event in the metaverse co-hosted with the creator of TikTok. This is just one example.

It is logical to assume that in the future, brands will use virtual influencers as part of their strategy. Some agencies, such as Dentsu, have already set up a dedicated department. This division provides brands with a virtual face and personality for use on all digital platforms.

In short, influencer marketing, more than ever synonymous with performance, is gaining in maturity and professionalism. But a successful influencer strategy requires compliance with best practice, some of which is a legal requirement. These include drawing up clear, transparent contracts that meet these legal obligations, committing to more ethical marketing and taking account of metavers or Web 3.0. The key is to ensure a successful campaign.