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While you can use many software tools to help manage and scale influencer marketing programs, don\u2019t forget to look back.<\/p>\nWhile you can use many software tools to help manage and scale influencer marketing programs, don\u2019t forget to look back.<\/p>\n
Old-school methods \u2013 alongside the tools \u2013 can mitigate the common pitfalls of influencer marketing. I asked six experts in the influencer arena for their best technique, and they went retro with their recommendations.<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s explore:<\/span><\/p>\n John Andrews<\/a>, president, The Katadhin Company, says: <\/strong><\/p>\n When we were starting Collective Bias (a shopper-focused influence marketing firm), we had a general rule: Someone on our team had to personally know the influencers we worked. This got harder as we grew, but we typically hired our influencers to manage our programs and influencer relationships. We called this approach influence by influencers.<\/p>\n Hire #influencers to manage your programs and influencer relationships, says @Katadhin via @SarahLParkerUK @CMIContent. <\/a><\/span>Click To Tweet<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n The best part was we had a real understanding of the influencer process and virtually instant feedback when our business approach or messaging wasn\u2019t connecting with their goals. We also implemented a hand-raising model where influencers chose the programs that were right for them. They knew their audiences better than any data set ever could. The analytics then built themselves as we measured the impact from campaign to campaign and captured the audience metrics along the way. Over time, we built a great understanding of what groups of influencers were the best for any given campaign.<\/p>\n Justin Levy<\/a>, director of social and influencer marketing, Demandbase, says:<\/strong><\/p>\n One of the best resources for influencer marketing is asking your employees who they find value from. When identifying someone as an influencer is often based on similar criteria, such as the number of followers, topic, location, etc., learning from your employees is even more important.<\/p>\n One of the best resources for #InfluencerMarketing is asking your employees who they find value from, says @justinlevy via @SarahLParkerUK @CMIContent. <\/a><\/span>Click To Tweet<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n We are working on a campaign focused on the sales persona (sales leaders, account executives, sales development reps, sales ops, and rev ops). Beyond influencers with whom we already have relationships and newly researched influencers, I\u2019m meeting with members of our sales team to find out who they follow and what communities they find valuable. It\u2019s also important to focus on online communities<\/a> where niche conversations are happening and who is leading these conversations.<\/p>\n Rand Fishkin<\/a>, founder, SparkToro, says: <\/strong><\/p>\n Oddly enough, I actually don\u2019t love the \u2018influencer marketing\u2019 model nor most influencer tools for two reasons:<\/p>\n Instead, you should focus on whether the audience of a given person or publication is relevant to your message. Are these followers really the people you want to reach? And do they trust this source to give them information about this topic? This is why I\u2019d rather be featured in a small email newsletter that reaches my target audience than go viral on TikTok or Instagram from a highly followed but irrelevant account.<\/p>\n Focus on whether the audience of a given #influencer or publication is relevant to your message, says @randfish via @SarahLParkerUK @CMIContent. <\/a><\/span>Click To Tweet<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n Johanna Voss<\/a>, founder, Johannavoss.com, says: <\/strong><\/p>\n The best influencer marketing tool for driving great outcomes is communication, luckily, it\u2019s something we all have available to us. When an influencer is partnering with a brand\/agency for a campaign, understanding the campaign\u2019s goals is incredibly helpful so that the influencer can best figure out on their end what set of deliverables would achieve that goal.<\/p>\n The best #InfluencerMarketing tool for driving great outcomes is communication between the influencer and the brand, says @JohannaVoss via @SarahLParkerUK @CMIContent. <\/a><\/span>Click To Tweet<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n Perhaps the campaign goals are app downloads or new user signups. For an influencer who does more education and brand awareness than conversions, it\u2019s in their best interest to pass on the project versus committing and failing to meet expectations, leaving a bad taste in everyone\u2019s mouth.<\/p>\n Conversely, if an influencer is great at converting and they know their winning combo of making that happen is through storytelling via Instagram stories and links to click, they can put together a scope of work to do just that.<\/p>\n From the first moment of connection between an agency\/brand and an influencer\/manager, asking questions from the talent side to get the full perspective of the project gets everyone on the same page from the get-go. Questions about timing, exclusivity, expectations, goals, and creative vision from the brand side and open-ended questions such as \u2018Is there anything else I should know about this project?\u2019 will be insightful and helpful to achieving the goals and knocking the campaign out of the park.<\/p>\n Hilary Thompson<\/a>, off-page SEO and digital PR team lead, Portent, says:<\/strong><\/p>\n Relying on one tool to attain success in influencer marketing is not ideal. The key to success is building relationships, and that can easily be done without complicated or expensive tools.<\/p>\n Email and Zoom have been our favorite platforms for building relationships and establishing trust. Nothing beats a face-to-face conversation, even a remote one.<\/p>\n The key to #InfluencerMarketing success is building relationships. You don\u2019t need expensive tools, says Hilary Thompson of @portent via @SarahLParkerUK @CMIContent. <\/a><\/span>Click To Tweet<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n Authenticity<\/a> is the key to successful influencer partnerships, and when an influencer can meet you, exchange ideas, talk about the product or brand, and receive feedback directly about their integrations, there is a connection, a level of trust and authenticity, and engagement in each ad that is irreplaceable.<\/p>\n Trevor Oldham<\/a>, founder, Podcasting You, says:<\/strong><\/p>\n The best influencer marketing tool for driving robust outcomes from collaboration comes from podcasting. This can be either hosting a podcast with guests or guesting on other people\u2019s podcasts. Where else can you spend 30 minutes with someone where the only task at hand is to have a conversation?<\/p>\n The best #InfluencerMarketing tool for driving robust outcomes from collaboration comes from podcasting, says Trevor Oldham of Podcasting You via @SarahLParkerUK @CMIContent. <\/a><\/span>Click To Tweet<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n From these conversations are built collaborations beyond your wildest dreams. If you do not have your own podcast or not guesting on other people\u2019s podcasts, you are missing a gold mine of collaboration.<\/p>\n True influence doesn\u2019t start with tools. It begins and ends with a network of influencers who drive valuable conversations within your chosen audience.<\/p>\n Some tech tools are necessary for scaling your influencer marketing strategy, especially around process, data, and content analysis. But never forget to integrate old-school \u201ctools\u201d into your influencer strategy. The goal of influencer marketing is always to get a return on the relationship.<\/p>\n Cover image by Joseph Kalinowski\/Content Marketing Institute<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n1. Influence through influencers<\/h2>\n
HANDPICKED RELATED CONTENT: Calculate Your Influencer Marketing ROI in 5 Steps<\/a><\/strong><\/div>\n2. Ask employees for their picks<\/h2>\n
3. Focus on the audiences<\/h2>\n
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4. Communicate<\/h2>\n
HANDPICKED RELATED CONTENT: What Influencers Wish Brands Knew About Sponsored Content Partnerships<\/a><\/strong><\/div>\n5. Be authentic<\/h2>\n
6. Do podcasts<\/h2>\n
HANDPICKED RELATED CONTENT: How To Get Great Guests for Your B2B Podcast [Outreach Templates]<\/a><\/strong><\/div>\nMake sure to integrate your old-school influencer tools<\/h2>\n
HANDPICKED RELATED CONTENT: Influencer Marketing Experts Pick Their Favorite Tools To Manage Their Programs<\/a><\/strong><\/div>\nWant more content marketing tips, insights, and examples? <\/em>Subscribe<\/em><\/a> to workday or weekly emails from CMI.<\/em><\/em><\/div>\n