Influence Marketing - Totem

Today’s world is undeniably one of stars and stardom. Indeed, 4.88 billion people, or 60.6% of the global population, use social media. This massive adoption has fueled the rapid emergence of a generation of influencers active on these platforms. Consequently, the global influencer marketing market has more than doubled since 2019, reaching a record value of $21.1 billion in 2023. In other words, the influencer is the new brand advocate. Thanks to them, companies can significantly increase their sales in a short amount of time. In return, the influencer receives compensation or a commission on each sale made.

Influencer marketing

Influencer marketing involves collaborating with opinion leaders, influencers, and content creators who use their social media presence to promote products and services. This strategy aims to influence the behaviors and purchasing decisions of the audience through engaging content. It is particularly effective in reaching discerning consumers who are resistant to intrusive advertisements, as the audience is more inclined to make purchases due to the trust and affinity they have for the influencer.

The benefits of influencer marketing

Increased brand awareness and enhanced credibility

The influencer plays a key role in introducing the brand, its new products, and its benefits to their audience through the creation of captivating and personalized content. This helps to increase the brand’s visibility and expand its community on social media. If a brand aspires to reach international audiences, it only needs to collaborate with an influencer who has a global presence. In fact, 85% of marketing professionals aim to increase their brand awareness through influencer marketing. By collaborating with an influencer, a brand can instantly gain credibility and trust among the influencer’s loyal community. Furthermore, 33% of participants consider influencer marketing to offer the best return on investment.

Precise targeting and increased engagement

Influencer marketing is one of the best strategies for instantly reaching a specific target audience. It involves selecting an influencer or expert recognized on social media for their rich and creative content, as well as their expertise in a field similar to that of the brand. As a matter of fact, 81% of marketing professionals prioritize the quality of content when choosing an influencer. This influencer must also have a strong connection with their engaged community. This approach allows brands to effectively reach their desired audience through the credibility and established influence of the chosen expert. Indeed, 92% of consumers trust influencers because this trust is built on a personalized and credible relationship between the brand, the influencer, and the consumers. Consequently, brands experience a more effective return on investment.

Quick implementation and access to valuable insights

In case of issues or the need for adjustments during the influencer marketing campaign, it can be quickly adapted and optimized in real-time thanks to its flexibility. The influencer provides direct and precise feedback on their community’s interactions, allowing for effective changes. In reality, 33% of professionals consider influencer marketing to offer the best return on investment.

Key success factors in influencer marketing

Choice of influencer

→ Authenticity and credibility

Choosing the right influencer is a crucial step in launching an influencer marketing campaign. It is essential that the brand selects an influencer or expert whose principles and values align with its own. Collaborating with an authentic person who has a large and engaged audience strengthens the brand’s positioning. When an influencer, known for their professionalism, creativity, authenticity, and credibility, is aligned with the brand’s field of activity, the brand directly benefits from this positive perception. The brand’s messages, associated with the influencer’s credibility and expertise, resonate more effectively with the audience. Consumers now trust authentic reviews and content shared by influencers more than direct messages from brands. According to a study, 94% of internet users state that a positive review encourages them to make a purchase, highlighting the importance of authenticity and trust in influencer marketing to reinforce the brand’s market positioning.

→ Profile and content Quality

The brand must choose an influencer who not only possesses great eloquence and obvious charisma but also has a talent for engaging dialogue and a convincing demeanour. It is also crucial that the influencer’s content is original and reflects their creativity. This originality and creativity are essential for capturing the audience’s attention and ensuring that the brand’s messages stand out. It is important that the influencer does not merely reproduce standard content but brings a personal and innovative touch to each collaboration. It is important that the influencer has a large subscriber base to ensure that the brand’s advertising reaches a wide audience. However, having numerous subscribers is not the only criterion to consider. The audience’s engagement rate with the influencer’s content is also crucial. It is essential to evaluate the influencer’s ability to generate real engagement and achieve positive results in their previous campaigns. Analysing the results and benefits of past collaborations ensures that the influencer will contribute effectively to the success of the campaign.

→ Long-term partnerships and active collaboration

It is important to ensure from the outset that the influencer is willing to commit to long-term partnerships, as this will enhance the brand’s credibility and trust. This explains why 56% of companies surveyed appreciate collaborating with the same influencers, and 44% report working with multiple influencers. Additionally, the influencer must be cooperative and active throughout the campaign process. This means they should participate, if necessary, in joint brainstorming sessions, share their feedback, and be open to constructive criticism. It is also crucial that the influencer respects agreed-upon deadlines and content usage rights. Such continuous and engaged collaboration helps optimize campaign results and establishes a lasting and fruitful relationship between the brand and the influencer.

Effective campaign management

→ Key objectives of a successful marketing campaign

To launch a successful marketing campaign, it is essential to clearly define the main objective of the campaign. This objective will guide the implementation of the necessary strategies and procedures throughout the process. The objectives of a marketing campaign can vary significantly depending on the brand’s needs. Possible objectives include :

Increasing brand awareness : Making the brand or product known to a wider audience.
Generating leads : Attracting prospects interested in the products or services offered.
Boosting sales : Stimulating purchases and increasing revenue.
Enhancing customer loyalty : Improving the satisfaction of existing customers and encouraging their loyalty.
Promoting a new product or service : Launching and raising awareness of a newly available product or service.
Engaging the community : Creating interaction and engagement with the target audience.
Improving brand image : Modifying or reinforcing the brand’s perception.
Analyzing performance : Measuring the campaign’s effectiveness to adjust future strategies.

Each objective requires specific approaches to be achieved effectively, and a clear understanding of these objectives will help optimize campaign results.

→ Proactive management and coordination of the campaign

To ensure the effectiveness of an influencer marketing campaign, it is crucial to regularly check the compliance of content with established guidelines and maintain constant contact with the influencers. Developing detailed and well-organized schedules is also essential for structuring posts and campaign activities. Regular brainstorming sessions should be organized to stimulate creativity and encourage the marketing team’s engagement. Additionally, synchronizing content across different social media platforms must be carefully managed to ensure consistency and optimal visibility. Follow-up meetings should also be planned to quickly address any issues encountered and ensure proactive campaign management.

→ Performance analysis

This step plays a crucial role in evaluating the effectiveness of an influencer marketing campaign. It is essential to collect and analyze the results to understand the impact of the campaign and identify strengths and areas for improvement. This analysis provides valuable feedback, using insights from the influencer and other stakeholders. Feedback helps to assess what worked and what needs adjustments. By incorporating these insights, brands can refine their strategies and adjust their future influencer marketing campaigns to optimize results. This iterative approach ensures continuous improvement and makes each campaign more effective than the previous one.

Influencers in marketing

Types of influencers in marketing

Influencers are generally categorized into four types based on the size of their audience :

→ Nano-influencers
Nano-influencers, with fewer than 10,000 followers, are known for their high engagement and conversion rates. They specialize in specific niches and reach highly targeted audiences. These influencers are often more interested in the benefits of the partnership rather than high financial compensation, valuing the long-term advantages they can gain from the collaboration.

→ Micro-influencers
Micro-influencers, with between 10,000 and 500,000 followers, are known for their highly targeted audience and high engagement rates. They are distinguished by their close relationship with their community, which gives them great credibility. These influencers seek not only financial compensation but are also attracted to material benefits or other forms of reward, such as free products, exclusive experiences, or in-kind benefits.

→ Macro-influencers
This category of influencers, with between 500,000 and 1,000,000 followers, benefits from significant visibility. They generally seek high financial compensation but also appreciate other forms of rewards, such as free products, exclusive experiences, or in-kind benefits.

→ Mega-influencers
This category includes public figures and celebrities with more than 1,000,000 followers. The fees for these influencers are usually very high. However, partnerships with these influencers can be particularly advantageous for campaigns aiming to expand the brand’s community, even on an international scale.

Some influencers focus exclusively on a single social network, such as Instagram, TikTok, or YouTube, while others choose to share content across multiple platforms. Additionally, some influencers produce rich and varied content centered around the “lifestyle” theme, covering various topics. Others, on the other hand, specialize in specific areas such as sports, cooking, beauty, and many more.

Tools for discovering relevant influencers

With the global rise of influencers and the increasing importance of influencer marketing for businesses and brands, many influencer relationship management tools have been created. Here are some examples of these tools:

Kolsquare : Both an agency and a platform, Kolsquare aims to create the ideal match between brands and influencers.
Reech : An expert in influencer marketing, Reech supports brands throughout their projects and offers various tools to optimize influencer campaigns.
Dovetale : Dedicated to Shopify e-commerce sites, this tool is a community management platform that facilitates the recruitment and management of brand ambassadors and influencers.
Favikon : This software allows users to discover, audit, and analyze influencers through a database of 9 million profiles.
Skeepers : Specializing in micro-influencers and nano-influencers, this platform focuses on these segments of content creators.
Influence4You : Combining technology and expertise in influencer marketing, this agency and platform offers a wide range of services to brands.

Influencers and fraud

Influencer marketing has become a potentially relevant strategy for brands aiming to achieve various objectives. However, this field is also exposed to several types of fraud that can harm the effectiveness of campaigns and brand performance. Some of the most common types of fraud include :

Fake follower purchase : Some influencers buy followers to artificially increase their popularity.
Fake engagement : Some influencers purchase likes, comments, and shares to create the appearance of high engagement. In fact, 50% of fake engagements on influencer posts have been reported daily on Instagram.
Identity theft : Some individuals impersonate influencers by using other people’s photos and content.

Prevention measures

To ensure that the brand never falls victim to fraud, it is essential to implement rigorous verification procedures and work only with authentic and transparent influencers. Additionally, one should :

Use analytics tools to examine the influencer’s followers, engagement, and the quality of interactions.
Research the influencer’s history to check if they have been involved in controversies or accusations of fraud.
Establish contracts that clearly outline expectations, deliverables, and consequences in case of fraud. In reality, 15% of influencers collaborate and receive a brand’s product without ever posting content.

Successful outreach

After selecting the relevant influencer for the brand and defining the campaign objectives, it’s time to proceed with outreach. This step involves crafting a reasonable proposal and highlighting the benefits of a long-term collaboration for the influencer. In fact, 57% of influencers prefer to appreciate the brand before collaborating. It is essential to formalize all aspects of the collaboration from the start, which is why 70% of brands sign a contract with their influencers. This contract should cover key elements such as the campaign duration, the number of posts, the posting frequency, the formats used, the publishing platforms, the message to be conveyed, and other important details.

Examples of successful campaigns

Influencer marketing campaigns can vary in form and impact. Over the past few years, several memorable campaigns have made a significant impression due to their scale and success. Here are some examples of successful influencer marketing campaigns :

Burger King and Arkunir

Arkunir, a young French influencer and active Twitter user, is known for his original projects and notable interactions on social media. Through creative and innovative actions, such as exploring the virtual world on Google Maps, sending tweets into space, and collaborating with personalities like TK13, Arkunir has developed an engaged community. This influence was evident in the great success Burger King experienced after launching its customized burger recipe. This event did not go unnoticed by his community. “A manager told me that he sold more than 300 in a day and even received calls asking if they were still in stock,” says Arkunir.

Adidas and Lena Situations

Lena Mahfouf, a fashion content creator, became the first French influencer to sign a capsule collection with Adidas Originals in 2021. Named “We are Team Situations,” this collection pays tribute to her community. It includes four pairs of sneakers designed by Lena for Adidas, which achieved great success thanks to her loyal following.

Lancaster and JusteZoe

Zoé Tondut, an ultra-trendy and highly invested French influencer, collaborated with the Lancaster brand in 2021 to create her own collection of bags. Zoé generated a significant amount of additional content by constantly wearing her bags and sharing numerous behind-the-scenes moments. The collaboration focused on maximum authenticity. She also created a limited edition pack with a dedication for the first 50 buyers. This approach allowed Zoé to truly capture her community’s attention, and the collection quickly became a huge success, selling out over a weekend. This collaboration was renewed in 2022 and 2023.

Glossier and micro-influence

Cosmetics brand Glossier leveraged micro-influence by partnering with various influencers on Instagram, YouTube, and other platforms to promote its products. By sending its products to a community of over 500 superfans who shared the same audience as their target market, Glossier encouraged these influencers to post freely on their personal profiles. This user-generated content strategy helped reduce campaign costs while expanding the reach. Glossier also launched an affiliate program to offer promotions to the micro-influencer community. The campaign led to a significant increase in sales, with some products selling out within hours, and the brand’s Instagram account grew to over 2 million followers.

In conclusion, influencer marketing has become an essential strategic lever for brands looking to achieve various objectives, whether it’s increasing awareness, boosting sales, or strengthening customer loyalty. Campaigns can vary widely in form and impact, leveraging the power of influencers to capture the attention of specific audiences. However, this field is not without challenges, particularly concerning fraud and the evaluation of campaign effectiveness.

Source : hubspot