Trends came and went, new technology emerged, and many brands taught us what to do (and what not to do) in today’s quickly changing marketing space. We know that influencer marketing can boost your website traffic and increase the number of brand conversations happening on social media. They can provide this link between the brand and the consumer to show the actual positive effects that the business is making, and they can build audience awareness about specific campaigns or causes that the brand is supporting. Pedigree’s “Buy a Bag, Give a Bowl” campaign did a great job of linking influencers to their good cause. Pedigree partnered with several micro-influencers including lifestyle blogger Amanda Blakeman who shared a blog post and Instagram picture talking about her work with local shelters and how Pedigree donated food supplies. They partnered with some style influencers to get the ball rolling, and the campaign resulted in $16,000 being donated. Authenticity is EVERYTHING Building trust with your customers is incredibly important, especially with increasingly skeptical consumers. As you look for opportunities to connect with influencers, make sure your product meshes with the lifestyle of both the influencer and their audience. Clearly, this strategy is working to build amazing connections between businesses and their customers when executed correctly. Take these lessons into the new year and see what new trends will make your influencer campaigns even better.
As 2018 quickly comes to a close, many marketing teams are reflecting on everything that happened over the past year. Trends came and went, new technology emerged, and many brands taught us what to do (and what not to do) in today’s quickly changing marketing space.
Of course, one of the biggest trends that seems to only be getting more and more popular is influencer marketing. According to Linquia’s report on the State of Marketing in 2018, 39% of businesses increased their budget specifically for influencer campaigns this year, and the majority of teams ran more than five influencer programs per brand throughout the year.
We know that influencer marketing can boost your website traffic and increase the number of brand conversations happening on social media. But just because a lot of brands are using this type of strategy doesn’t mean that they are all getting it right. Being that social media has taken center stage of this tactic, and it’s changing at such a fast pace, there is a lot left to learn about how and why it works.
While 2018 hopefully taught you many things, there are three clearly valuable lessons that we can take from some of the year’s most successful influencer campaigns.
Let’s discuss.
1. Cause marketing has never been more powerful
Today’s consumers are becoming increasingly concerned with not just what they are buying, but where their money is being spent. More and more customers are reporting they would be willing to switch to a brand that supports a good cause, such as a non-profit, one that uses sustainable manufacturing practices, or even one that takes a strong political or social stance. However, it is important to note that 58% of consumers agree that they want to see the tangible impact that the brand is making – rather than just being told that a percentage of their payment is going towards a charity.
Influencers play huge roles in shaping the perception that both businesses and consumers can work for something greater than themselves. They can provide this link between the brand and the consumer to show the actual positive effects that the business is making, and they can build audience awareness about specific campaigns or causes that the brand is supporting.
Pedigree’s “Buy a Bag, Give a Bowl” campaign did a great job of linking influencers to their good cause. Pedigree partnered with several micro-influencers including lifestyle blogger Amanda Blakeman who shared a blog post and Instagram picture talking about her work with local shelters and how Pedigree donated food supplies. The brand also encouraged shelters and dog owners to include the branded hashtag #PedigreeGives to share their own personal…
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