Are you interested in influencer marketing? Good! It has worked for all kinds of brands. You can use influencer marketing to raise brand awareness, increase sales, boost traffic or grow your following.
However, it is not always easy to map out an influencer campaign. An influencer strategy is like any other marketing campaign: it requires a lot of thoughtful planning. The first thing you need to do is decide on which network your campaign will run in. Do you want YouTubers to collaborate with? Do you want to work with Twitter influencers, Instagrammers, or TikTok influencers?
We’re here to guide you through the important criteria to pay attention to when selecting the right network for your influencer-marketing campaign.
1. Consider your goal
First, think about what you want to achieve. Next, consider which network could help you accomplish that. All networks can help you achieve your branding goals or increase web traffic. That just depends on how and where your target audience spends its time (see point 2)
But if your goal is new followers, which network or social media platform are you trying to grow on? For sales-oriented goals, you should also consider which platforms give consumers the most convenient shopping experience. Instagram Shopping, for instance, allows users to shop seamlessly on the platform.
2. Identify your target audience.
Next, think about your target market. Who are you looking to connect with? Take into account their ages, genders and locations. What languages do they speak? What are their interests?
Once you’ve identified your target audience, do some research on where they spend their online time. TikTok is one of the best platforms to reach teenagers. On the other hand, Instagram’s main age demographic is in the 25-34 range, making it a good fit for a millennial target audience.
Remember some countries have banned certain social media platforms, or they have their own social networks that hold much more influence than the biggest ones we usually think of. If you want to do influencer marketing in China, for example, you’ll have a hard time being successful with an Instagram campaign. Always look into restrictions on social networks in your target area.
3. Define your category
Think about what your brand offers and what category it falls into. You should look for influencers in that same category. And the category also affects which network is the best fit for you.
TikTok and Instagram may work well for visual topics, such as fashion, beauty or traveling. But Twitter and LinkedIn are better for marketing, technology, and health. You should also consider Twitch and YouTube if your industry is gaming.
Likewise, your category affects what type of influencers you should aim to contract. For consumer-oriented products with little learning curve, there are influencers from the nano to mega tier who you can choose to collaborate with. For example, someone doesn’t need special skills or education to be able to review your vegan food products.
But if your company targets the B2B arena, or if your products require specialized experience, you might be better off looking into a KOL, or key opinion leader. KOLs are highly respected in their fields, and usually have education or experience to justify their reputation. For industries like health, technology, or business, you’ll make more of an impact working with a KOL than any old influencer.
4. Find out which content works best for each network.
Different networks can allow for different types of content. This is something you should consider along with your goal, target audience, and industry.
What content type will help you best connect with your target audience? What do they prefer? Photos? Text with graphs or charts?
Consider the content that you are planning to share and which social networks will work best. These are the top social networks, which work well for the following:
- Instagram – Stories, photos, and livestream
- TikTok – short-form video and livestream
- YouTube – long-form videos, livestream
- Twitter – Text, photos and video, as well as sharing links
- LinkedIn – Text and photo, video, and links
5. Learn the disclosure guidelines to ensure you are able to meet them
Regulators in many countries worldwide require that influencers and brands declare when they are participating in social media collaborations. The FTC, for example, regulates this in the United States.
Know the regulations that apply to your collaboration. Then, create a plan to explain how influencers must disclose their collaborations in order to avoid any doubts in the eyes of authorities. Do not launch your influencer campaign only to find out that you have run into legal problems.
Different networks let you share collaborations in various ways. Instagram, for instance, offers a “paid partnership” option that is not available on other networks. It is important that you can disclose the collaboration to the appropriate network.
Consider drafting a contract to ensure that there are no disputes later. An influencer contract template is a good place to start. Then, you can edit it according to the details of the collaboration and the network that you have chosen.
Conclusion
There are many social media networks, but the one that is right for you depends on your brand, your goals, and your needs. When planning your campaign, keep these five things in mind. Select the network that helps you reach your target audience in the most effective manner.
