The holidays are a major opportunity for brands to generate sales and increase brand exposure. One such tactic to do so is influencer marketing. In a saturated digital space, influencer campaigns help brands gain greater visibility, and promote products and holidays deals to target audiences by leveraging the credible and influential voices of influencers. Furthermore, partnering with the right influencers can build long-term relationships and brand loyalty among influencers’ audiences.
The reason influencer marketing works is simple: consumers like to buy from people they trust. An influencer’s endorsement or recommendation is often seen as more authentic than a brand’s paid advertisement on Facebook, for example. In the past year, 66% of consumers say purchase decisions are often driven by influencers and 64% say that influencers even help them discover new brands. Not to mention that Meta’s 2021 Holiday and Mega Sale Days report found that nearly 30% of U.S. holiday shoppers surveyed are more likely to trust a brand that partners with a trustworthy creator.
To help brands this holiday season, here are five tips on executing a winning influencer marketing campaign. Plus, be sure to register for our webinar on Developing Full-Funnel Paid & Influencer Campaigns, taking place on Wednesday, November 16th at 1pm EST.
While the right mix of influencer tiers is dependent on verticals, scope, budget and most of all, the goal of the campaign, we can assume most brands want to drive sales. If that’s the case, macro content creators (250K – 1.5MM followers) are the way to go. Macros are great for connecting your brand with a well-known name, creating top notch content and driving a majority of sales. If driving engagement and building brand loyalty is a key goal, then micros (10K-50K followers) are for you! They provide quality content and product reviews, and drive up campaign engagement rates due to strong trust and personal connection. This article offers a deep dive into determining the best influencer tier for every stage of the funnel.
Affiliate campaigns are a great strategy to drive sales. They leverage influencers’ valuable reach and clout to convert consumers. Simply give influencers unique discount codes to share with their audience and pay them commission for the sales they drive. The influencers’ followers will be excited to shop your brand at a discounted price, allowing your brand to boost sales. Affiliate links also help brands better track and attribute sales. It’s a win-win for all parties!
Live shopping is the future of eCommerce and a perfect example of how evolving technology is shaping the industry for brands. Livestream shopping offers consumers an entertaining and immersive shopping experience from the comfort of their home. Often hosted by a prominent influencer, livestream shopping promises fast-paced results, engages new customers, and gains extended loyalty and trust among current customers.
Black Friday and Cyber Monday are some of the biggest shopping days of the year. Influencers can promote brand discovery and build excitement about a brand’s products and holiday deals through gift-guides, unboxing, product reviews and more. By sharing products and deals early on, influencers are preparing their audience to be more receptive to sales-focused messaging leading up to the holidays.
Buyers are more cause-driven in their purchase decisions than ever before. With this in mind, brands should align themselves with influencers that support a social justice cause or environmental solutions the brand supports as well. Working with content creators can mobilize people to take action, raise funds for a cause and build a positive brand image.
The holidays are right around the corner! Influencer marketing is a great way to reach your target audience, drive conversions, and boost customer retention through authentic and credible voices that deliver festive and fun holiday content. Get in touch with our team of influencer marketing experts to plan your holiday campaign now and don’t forget to register for our webinar on Developing Full-Funnel Paid & Influencer Campaigns.
Written By: Leigh Poellmann, Associate Director of Influencer Marketing