The Art of Executing Successful Influencer Campaigns

Influencers and influencer campaigns, two words/phrases I’m sure you’ve heard a good amount of times over the past 5 years or so. Arguably one of the biggest assets right now for brands and Destination Marketing Agencies, influencers hit that sweet spot between organic content and paid advertising allowing viewers and followers to feel a genuine connection to the content they are creating and the brands/destinations that they are highlighting. These creators do offer an added layer of credibility that the brand/Destination Marketing Agency can not create on their own without risking an inherited feeling of bias often attached to in-house promotional efforts.

I may be biased or I may have just been lucky to work with some wonderful creators over the past couple of years, but influencers have single handily played a monumental role in the growth / overall awareness of thousands of brands and destinations since their arrival on the digital scene.

Below, I’m sharing my top SIX tips for running a successful campaign that is mutually beneficial and fosters a long-lasting relationship between your brand/destination, the influencer(s) and their followers!

  1. VET, VET AND VET SOME MORE…

Authenticity and connection play major roles in whether or not an influencer campaign is successful. Make sure you are working with those in the space that are legitimate, in it for the right reasons, speak/resonate with the audience you are trying to reach and care about their content connecting with their followers. Followers can see right through those campaigns that are thrown together and do not feel genuine.

  1. Diversify your influencer base and spread the love.

Humans come in a wide variety of colors, sizes, genders, sexual orientations and more, so build an influencer base that reflects this! People want to see people who look like them and messaging targeted at them. This means including those of all backgrounds in your collaborations to foster inclusivity. Furthermore, make a genuine effort to work with more than just the big-name influencers that everyone happens to be working with at the time. Consider micro-influencers or those new to the industry as well to utilize as brand ambassadors – there is a major place for them, too!

  1. Set measurable campaign goals and deliverables.

What are the goals of your campaign? You need to know this or else you are simply shooting in the dark. Whether it is general brand awareness, follower growth, engagement increase, views, impressions or what have you, every single campaign you do should have a clear and realistic outline of MEASURABLE/REALISTIC goals/KPIs and deliverables. Based on the goals and KPIs, develop a list of deliverables for the selected influencers that will help you best achieve these goals and inevitably help them in the end as well. Tailor the deliverables based on the influencer and what best interests or generates engagement among their following to guarantee the best ROI. Need analytics from the influencers in order to set some of these i.e. key target markets, demographic profiles, follower interest, etc.? Simply ask for them.

  1. Reach out with a PERSONALIZED pitch on the campaign/collaboration with details but keep it brief and easily digestible.

Please if you do nothing else, do not get their name wrong! Pay attention to their interest, background, etc. Do a little stalking (in a non-creepy way). Do they have a family, did they recently announce a big milestone (engaged, just married, just moved, just had a baby, etc.)? Acknowledge this in your email and talk like a REAL person, not a salesperson. Create a genuine connection like you would do with anyone else and offer room for creativity, suggestions based on previous campaigns they have done and leave room for feedback. I would recommend also hoping on a quick phone call to discuss the nitty-gritty. This will give you the opportunity to “meet” them and get to know more about them/each other before proceeding to guarantee it is a good fit.

  1. Get down to business!

At this point, campaign details should be nailed down with the influencer(s) in question, payment should be agreed upon and they should be ready to go. Make sure they have signed an agreement of some sort outlining ALL items discussed and agreed upon i.e. timeline, deliverables, payment schedule, handles, hashtags, coverage/copy details, etc. and give them any and all collateral they may need to proceed/execute the campaign.

  1. Keep the relationship alive.

This may seem obvious, but I’ve seen many a brand and destination forget about this major part and it makes me cringe. Make sure you are following them and interact with their content during the campaign and after. This is a relationship and to maintain that relationship, you need to invest in the person just as much as they and their followers are investing/have invested in you!