Crafting Influencer Campaigns For Every Stage Of The Buyer's Journey

Rodney Mason is Head of Marketing Brand Partnerships at LTK with extensive creator, marketing and research experience for leading brands.

Succeeding with creator marketing means knowing what will resonate with your audience and keeping trends in mind. It also means partnering with creators to generate quality content that meets your goals at the appropriate stage of the buyer's journey.

Let's explore how you can align your influencer campaigns with the buyer's journey to drive results.

Awareness

PROMOTED

Creators can become incredible brand champions, motivating consumers to engage with and advocate for your brand. My company partnered with Northwestern University's Retail Analytics Council to survey 164 marketing leaders in large and medium-sized companies, and we found that the majority believe consumers trust creators more than social media ads and celebrities. Furthermore, creator ads have a 1.3-times greater impact on inspiring brand advocacy compared to other advertising mediums, according to an IAB report.

Consider forming awareness collaborations with these influential voices to tell captivating stories and scale your reach through traditional creator channels, but also through connected TV and other more awareness-focused media.

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Consideration

Have you ever been moved to try a product after seeing a creator's post? HubSpot found that 21% of social media users between the ages of 18 and 54 made a purchase based on an influencer's recommendation within three months before the survey. This number rose to 32% for Gen Zers.

Some of the most impactful campaigns leverage video and livestreaming to pull in consumers who are debating a purchase. Consider working with influencers on live product demonstrations or product releases for real-time consumer engagement via social media platforms.

Purchase

It's been a long time since consumers thumbed through catalogs, and they don't head to brick-and-mortar stores as readily either. These changes in shopping behavior provide opportunities for brands and creators, especially since 47% of U.S. consumers have made a purchase through social media, and 58% have expressed interest in doing so.

Consider the value of shoppable posts to offer convenient recommendations and guide consumers through their buying journey.

Retention

You're always looking for the biggest bang for your buck, and sometimes that means maximizing what you already have. Customer retention typically costs less than acquiring new customers, and creators promote your brand and reinforce its value among your existing base.

In another study my company conducted, we found that 49% of shoppers on our platform want to see creator content on TV, while 34% of the general population wants the same. Give the people what they want—consider incorporating creator content into your in-store and TV mix to engage with customers, nurture loyalty and gain a competitive edge.

Advocacy

You want staunch customer support—customers who say, “I recommend this product, bar none.” Consider working with creators on advocacy campaigns to not only drive customer feedback but also cultivate a culture of transparency and responsiveness. By soliciting customer input, you can isolate exceptional experiences and their accompanying positive reviews from negative experiences and create opportunities to improve and show consumers that you care about their satisfaction, which in turn fosters long-term loyalty.

Best Practices For Branded Influencer Campaigns

The most effective influencer campaigns are backed by a solid process that takes you from ideation to completion. Follow these best practices to elevate your brand's creator campaigns and drive meaningful results.

Define Goals

Are you aiming to generate awareness, conversions, engagement or something else?

Base the goals of your influencer marketing campaigns on historical data and industry benchmarks, as well as the stage of the buyer's journey you wish to target:

• Awareness: Let consumers know you exist and what you offer without selling.

• Consideration: Reach consumers who may be actively looking for a product or solution to fulfill their needs.

• Purchase: Provide transparent information for consumers who are primed to purchase to get them to the finish line.

• Retention: Keep the customers you have happy to maintain cash flow and keep customer attrition low.

• Advocacy: Foster loyalty so that both your team and consumers champion your brand and share positive experiences.

Establish Key Performance Indicators

How will you know whether you're hitting the mark? KPIs including follower growth, engagement rate, click-through rate, conversion rate and other metrics help you measure success, but they don't all make sense for every campaign.

Choose KPIs that match your goals. Let's say your goals are awareness, conversions and engagement. You should track the following KPIs:

• Awareness KPIs: Impressions and reach.

• Engagement KPIs: Engagement rate, quality of engagements and brand follower growth.

• Conversion KPIs: Click-through rate, sales, subscriptions and increased leads.

Plan And Execute

Once you know what you wish to achieve and how to measure success, pave the path through influencer campaigns. Take a 360-degree view, and factor in everything from your timeline and budget to best-fit platforms and influencers for the content you want to create—aligning with your goals the whole way.

As you consider influencer partners, conduct research to find those who align with your brand, produce quality content and have credibility. These elements will play a crucial role in your campaigns, so be sure to align on expectations, timelines and quality standards.

Measure Results

Step back and see how your efforts are working. Monitor your campaigns and KPIs, and make adjustments to keep moving toward your desired results. After your campaigns are over, examine performance to identify how to improve for next time.

Continuously Improve

While each campaign has a finite duration, don't just put it to bed when it wraps. Instead, refine your efforts by talking to both your influencers and your audience. What worked and what didn't? Use these insights to forge stronger relationships and increase your success.

Take A Full-Funnel Approach To Influencer Campaigns

Your brand has potential customers and current customers in every stage of the buyer's journey, and you need to bring them into your world to join your journey. Influencer marketing campaigns have the power to provide authenticity, engagement and the proof that consumers need to buy into your messages, but it takes intentional efforts to drive results.

Will you opt for video or social media? In-store or TV content? Through a mix of content generated by trusted influencers, you can take audiences from “I've heard of them” to “I love them!”