How Long Does It Take to See Influencer Marketing Results?
Are you worried that your previous Influencer Marketing strategy failed based on the results? Before you panic, check a number of things beforehand. First, determine if you worked with the correct influencers. Second, examine if the strategy you applied was timely and relevant. Lastly, assess if you have been posting consistently and strategically. If you think you did all of these, then the problem may not lie with the campaign you previously launched. Perhaps, there is no problem to begin with. Just like other marketing strategies on the internet, Influencer Marketing might need time to take effect. The waiting game can be different for every brand or campaign activation.
Influencer Marketing can help you achieve many goals. It can strengthen your brand credibility, increase awareness for your brand, get people talking about your brand, drive conversions, etc. However, unless you know what you want it to do, your time, energy, and resources are going to be drained very quickly without seeing results.
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How To See Results from an Influencer Marketing Campaign
There is no definite waiting period to know whether or not an Influencer Marketing campaign was effective. However, the most generic answer is about three to four months. According to Get Hyped, it is best to wait a few months because typical Influencer Marketing campaigns happen in phases. Each phase may focus on different products, clients, and market trends. One of the biggest mistakes brands make is to stop running Influencer Marketing campaigns after seeing the initial results—whether they are good or bad. By stopping the campaign, a brand owner cannot thoroughly assess its growth and might miss future market trends.
When it comes to Influencer Marketing, have you ever been tempted to skip right over the planning and start brainstorming your next sure-to-go-viral campaign? If you have, then you are not alone. Talking tactics is a much sexier albeit distracting first step than, say, waiting around to come to consensus on goals and budget.
Phase 1
That brings us to the first phase, better known as the pre-campaign phase. What sets apart one brand from the next when it comes to Influencer Marketing is its ability to develop quality content (e.g., articles, social media posts, videos, etc.) that drives measurable results. And that requires planning. So, not skipping the critical first step and, instead, creating a solid influencer marketing strategy is the key to developing campaigns that have the best chance of moving the needle for your business. It is wise to allocate one to two weeks of preparation to plan your Influencer Marketing campaign strategically. In doing so, you must determine your key performance indicators (KPIs).
More so, list realistic goals and identify the corresponding tactics you will initiate and launch to achieve the same. Use this time to study your competitors as well. As much as possible, analyze their previous strategies and implement the strategies that may work for your brand and goals.
Check out these four steps to help you create a winning Influencer Marketing strategy.
Phase 2
The second phase involves finding the right influencers for your brand. For another two weeks or so, you need to spend time finding the right influencers. With no signs of slowing down, Influencer Marketing will continue to grow along with the number of influencers in the social space. With 2.5 billion+ monthly active users on Facebook, 1 billion+ monthly active users on Instagram, 800 million+ monthly active users on TikTok, and 330 million+ monthly active users on Twitter, the numbers will only continue to increase. Those incredible stats are filled with countless influencers who are ready and willing to represent your brand. So, how can you identify the right influencers for your brand? Here are seven ways to help you find the right influencers.
Reaching out to influencers is a tedious process. Although influencers are scattered everywhere, finding the one that will represent your brand well will be challenging. Also, every influencer will have unique sets of terms and conditions. Although you need to respect them, never put yourself in a disadvantaged position.
You may also partner with Influencer Marketing agencies. Indeed, you will invest more money but having professional assistance in finding the right influencers is a total lifesaver. Besides having technical knowledge about Influencer Marketing and partnerships, they can also judge good influencers from bad ones. These agencies will be good at recommending influencers that would be compatible with your brand.
Phase 3
The third phase centers on handing the products to the influencers. In this stage, be sure to send out your best batches of products. Further, thoroughly review the shipping process. Your products must be secured and protected to avoid being damaged during the shipment. Also, it is crucial to look over the influencers’ addresses to make sure that no product is sent to the wrong address.
After the packages leave your warehouse, create a tracker report detailing the transit of every parcel. In case of delays or lost packages, always coordinate with your influencer partners. Being responsive to their needs and queries will help build your professional relationships with them.
Phase 4
The fourth phase is about the creation of the marketing materials and their publication to different platforms. Before publishing the marketing content, you may require your influencer partners to submit a draft for your approval. In reviewing the draft materials, refrain from being controlling. What is essential is that the influencers are featuring your products substantially and respectably. Using their own voice creates authenticity which is huge for engagement.
Engage with the influencers’ content after they post it on social media. By doing so, you will expand the brand’s exposure to the influencers’ audience. Engagement does not have to be complicated. You may opt to express your gratitude for featuring your brand or create witty remarks that grab the audiences’ attention.
Phase 5
During the final stretch, you will have to gather and analyze relevant statistics. Depending on your goals, you might want to check trends such as website traffic and social media engagement. Other than that, be mindful of KPIs such as earned media value, engagements, impressions, link clicks, and return on investment. For the next month or so, keep on gathering and analyzing engagement data. If you wish to continue making more marketing placements, coordinate with the influencers and set agreements once again.
At the end of the final phase, make an overall evaluation of the campaign. Determine what strategies worked for you and what did not. Also, select who among the influencers you are willing to work with again. To aid you in the selection process, study their engagement reports. For the chosen influencers, continue to build strong, long-term relationships with them.
Influencer Marketing Results Warnings
Let’s face it, Influencer Marketing is the “new normal” when it comes to spreading a brand’s message and creating awareness. However, Influencer Marketing can be a tad more complicated. This complexity often manifests in measuring the success rates of Influencer Marketing campaigns.
Important Metrics
How do you determine whether or not a campaign was successful? Are you part of the “good vibes” club? If so, it’s time to take a good hard look at, you guessed it, marketing metrics. Yes, times they are a-changin’ thanks to APIs, metrics tracking platforms, and engagement (to name a few). Numbers can be deceiving to untrained eyes. But, now it is more important than ever to get your stats and metrics reports in order to set campaign goals and prove ROI.
Metrics prove a campaign’s success and determine the campaign’s success rates. Without planning and tracking up front and accurately reporting throughout and at a campaign’s conclusion, knowing what is working, what isn’t working, what needs to be modified, and what could be improved is difficult.
Viral Campaigns
Aside from the fact that all these phases may vary since products and services have unique selling capabilities, brands should not obsess over going viral. According to Forbes, failing to go viral does not mean that an Influencer Marketing campaign is ineffective. Again, products and services react differently in the market. Even without reaching the majority of the market, promotional or informational messages can get through the right audiences. After all, it is useless if a brand gets millions of impressions from uninterested consumers. Sure, the campaign could entice new consumers, but the likelihood of successful sales would be lower.
Engagement Rates
However, to succeed in Influencer Marketing campaigns, brands should not only focus on data and estimates. More than reach and engagement, brands must assure their consumers that they offer quality products and services. Regardless of marketing efforts, consumers will always fall in love with brands that justify their money’s worth. In addition, brands should maintain clear communications with their market. By having responsive customer service, brands create an impression that they are attentive to their consumers’ concerns and that they are willing to provide solutions.
Wrap It All Up
As a recap, Influencer Marketing programs should not be rushed. At the very least, you should wait for at least three to four months before making any future judgments about whether or not a campaign was successful.
Campaigns last this long because they are typically divided into five phases. The first phase is about strategic planning. The second phase centers on creating relationships with influencers. The third phase involves the sending of the sample products to the influencers. The fourth phase refers to the publication of the influencers’ content to social media. Finally, the fifth phase is the evaluation phase. At the end of the campaign, brands should study what works for them and strategically implement successful tactics for the next campaign.