Their powerful presence and exalted status on social media platforms make influencers — second only to friends and customer reviews — the most reliable source of product recommendations. But how can influencer marketing be a real opportunity to generate additional sales?
influencer marketing
How does successful influencer marketing work?
To ensure success in working with influencers, it is best to follow these steps: The first goal is to define your target group and their preferred social media channels. A detailed study of the influencers is then carried out, with follow-up methodologies, qualitative and quantitative based analysis of the influencers, and evaluation of advertising density and ad recognition. Even fraud in the form of fake reach, engagement rates, or clicks can be exposed. Ultimately, a clear goal should be defined for the influencer and a collaborative communication agreed upon that is clear to all parties.
The top three goals of an influencer campaign include:
Improve brand reputation
raise popularity of brand
Develop new target groups.
The influence of an individual influencer affects the relationship with the community. Lower overall reach tends to indicate a more relaxed relationship between an influencer and its community. So-called micro-influencers are often booked to generate large pieces of content that drive brand awareness.
So-called mid-sized influencers (those with 100,000 to 500,000 followers) are considered close to the everyday reality of consumers. This increases the chances of improving ROI (return on investment) while increasing the overall scope of the collaboration. Influencers with a very high total reach are often seen as testimonials or role models, and thus the only spokespersons for collaborations. It’s important to be aware of the high network density that comes with celebrity endorsements, which can lead to less authenticity for influencers to present products to their communities. Still, despite the large number of followers, since communities tend to be broad-based, one can notice a high rate of trash coverage.
[Translated into English:] Social Media Kanäle
Which channels are relevant for influencer marketing?
Four social media platforms are considered mature channels for influencer marketing: blogs, Instagram, YouTube, and Pinterest. Market newcomers like TikTok have perfected this.
A blog attracts a larger target group, which differentiates itself by subject area. Bloggers associate brands or products with topics to form a personalized and comprehensive feature, which can generate strong interactions between readers and bloggers.
80 million photos are shared every day and Instagram gets 3.5 billion likes every day – a significant added value for influencer marketing. Whether it's a post, a video or a story, everything can be used to showcase the product and introduce it to the community.
YouTube is an audiovisual channel that makes it easy to emotionalize the content. It helps a company reach its target group on another level. YouTube helps communicate messages clearly and creatively, with implementation and impact.
Pinterest is a digital search engine that can generate up to 80% of blog post traffic. Blog posts from influencers are pinned with images and compiled on topic-related Pinterest boards. Thus, each pin is associated with the original contribution of the influencer and is retrievable in the long run due to the added value based on the content.
Is the success of working with influencers measurable?
To measure the quality of cooperation, a variety of factors need to be considered. It is crucial to set the profile conditions, establish influential management and integrate the communication method and predict the success of the campaign and optimize its net coverage.
The rate at which success is measured varies by channel. Therefore, the chosen platform must fit the campaign goals. If the right choices are made here, the success of the partnership is easily measured by the relevant performance metrics of the respective platforms.
Stationery product cooperation specific instructions
The focus of retail influencer campaigns tends to be on product ranges rather than individual products. Influencers often incorporate discount codes or offers into their posts to draw attention to special events or new seasonal product lines. Additionally, collaborations tend to focus primarily on value-add and unique selling propositions for retailers. Listings and long-term, diverse collaborations to showcase the diversity of stationery offerings can lead to positive results here. Even stories where influencers combine their respective product lines with their personal accounts can have a very positive effect.
What does an influencer collaboration on stationery look like in practice?
Best Practices: arsEdition - new premium product line deluxe
In an editorial, the blogger introduces arsEdition's new luxury premium line. The purpose of the campaign is to place a new series as a gift idea within the blogosphere to generate coverage and attention and inspire a readership.
After the Frankfurt Book Fair in October, the blogger introduced some luxury series of products, which are simply perfect gifts. The products to be introduced are either from arsEdition, or the blogger has picked two or three products himself. Influencer posts cover gifts and quotes, for example, from "Special Booklets." The blogger then detailed who she would be giving the set to and why. She also offers packaging tips and ideas for making particularly appealing Christmas card content. The campaign continues on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest.