Category: Social Media

Increasingly, influencer marketing has become an effective tactic for brand promotion as it reaches an established market demographic through a person the audience trusts. Influencers can easily give a face to your brand and serve as third-party advocates. While this can be beneficial, it’s important to fully vet any potential partner.

As time has shown, when a celebrity or public figure makes a mistake, personally or professionally, they face scrutiny from the media and their fans. Anyone associated with an influencer faces the same consequence of being viewed negatively in the public eye. So, how do you keep your brand safe in a world of influencers?

Choose Your Influencer Wisely

Picking the right influencer can potentially protect your brand down the road. Take the time to get to know your influencer and look at their follower base. The demographics which your influencer reaches should align with the demographics of your target audience. The influencer might be a male in his early 20s, but his follower base might not be similar to him.

In addition to knowing the demographics, taking a closer look at engagement rates is important. Unfortunately, click fraud is common even amongst influencers with a high follow count. As we mentioned in a previous blog, the ideal engagement rate is between 1.64 percent and 3.48 percent. Huffington Post provides some questions to ask when choosing an influencer:

• Are the influencers real people?
• Are they a good match for your brand?
• Does their niche fit with your brand?
• Does their type of content match your marketing strategy?
• Are they demographically a part of your target audience?
• What stories have they posted about in the past?
• Is their geographical location a good match for your product or service?
• Who is their audience—is it one you’d like to engage?
• Has their content engaged audiences in the past?

Brand Safety Online

Issues with brand safety is not only limited to influencers. Sites like YouTube can also be troublesome when an ad is placed in an undesirable spot. Because marketers can’t completely control the context in which their ads appear, some ads may be placed before controversial videos which fall under the same category as the ad. According to Mediakix, some ways to avoid being associated with negative content are to pay attention to your social channels, act quickly if your ad is associated with an offensive video, and utilize the brand safety tools YouTube offers.

Although influencer marketing does have potential risks, there is an upside to working with an influencer on YouTube. Sponsored content almost always warrants the approval of the brand before it is posted. This way, an advertiser can ensure that everything said in the video aligns with the company’s values and brand image.

With 60 percent of brands using influencer marketing, it is as important as ever to maintain your own brand image and not let your brand be defined by an influencer’s image. Choosing the right influencer and being vigilant of where your ads appear will help you to stay out of negative news. Audiences are more likely to remain loyal to a brand who can stay true to themselves and to their customers.

Searching for an influencer and monitoring ads can be a time-consuming task. Let our team of experts share our resources and keep your brand safe. Contact or stay social with us! We’re just one call, like, follow, retweet, favorite and DM away.

THE WORLD OF CELEBRITIES AS BRANDS AND INFLUENCERS AS CELEBRITIES

by Ceslie Armstrong, executive content producer for Noisy Trumpet and Quarter Moon Productions

The amplified consumer awareness of identifying a brand, and what it actually means to be a brand is here–to stay. Celebrity as an industry is nothing new and for many years an industry endorsement deal cut by said celebrity’s team resulting in a spokesperson role was easily digestible and understood by the consumer. Now, a celebrity as a mere spokesperson is not enough for the consumer unless the celebrity is tangibly authentic and generating content to prove his or her affinity for a brand. Savvy consumers also know that “their” celebrities are also brands. They feel a real connection to and varying levels of investment in the brands/celebrities they follow and adore. It’s time consuming. And by follow, I mean on whatever screen and platform they are interacting with to consume information and entertainment. The consumer knows a transaction has occurred and they are just fine with that. After all, it is show “business” but that traditional business model has changed and will evolve as the expanding FinTech and VR/AR landscapes continue to integrate into how we consume and transact as fans supporting brands.

“Having the right celebrity drive a ‘call to action’ is a great roadmap to monetize a product or service and drive data,” said entertainment industry veteran and CEO of the wildly popular company ScreenBid.com, Jeffrey Dash. ScreenBid’s online auctions including Breaking Bad, Mad Men, The Simpsons and more, are backed by the studios and networks that aired each show. ScreenBid has built a business model around the authenticity that consumer fans crave embedded in content and that results in recurring transactions. The consumer literally can own a physical piece of content that has been integrated into a show.

Andy Warhol brashly built an art factory and empire leveraging celebrity. He was the ultimate fan and other artists have followed in his footsteps building companies around celebrity because they had the access and the respect of the celebrities and their handlers. Take celebrity lensman, author, and contributor to Vanity Fair and New York Magazine, Patrick McMullan for example. Warhol gave McMullan his first camera and PatrickMcMullan.com has for many years been the go to destination for media and entertainment insiders–and the public who can’t get enough authentic celebrity access–first thing in the morning even before they log on to their trusted news source. The prolific celebrity documentarian is a pioneer in creating a recurring revenue B-to-B and B-to-C business model built on delivering fresh authentic content daily.

ENTER THE INFLUENCERS

The days of box office receipts, TV ratings, and star power solely determining the value of a celebrity endorsement of a brand are over. The non-household name influencers born through digital platforms and social media are such a tour de force in wrangling pop culture’s attention that they rank right alongside–and many times, much higher than–“traditional” celebrities. Just take the Digital Hollywood Influencer Awards as a stellar example. The media and entertainment industry’s venerable conference founded by Victor Harwood has mounted an impressive roster of “Immersive Entertainment Influencer Categories” culminating in an award event that is “Celebrating the ‘Cultural Influencers in an Expanding Digital Universe.’” You can see the long list of categories, advisors, and influencers here.  

There are sophisticated formulas and metrics used to determine an influencer’s value and data-driven companies and agencies representing influencers are the go-to advisors and solutions for brands needing advisement to mitigate risk on their large marketing spends. One example is Spotted, co-founded by the company’s CEO Janet Comenos whose mission includes the statement: “Our products and reports were created to ensure that celebrity recommendations and decisions at brands and agencies are rooted in data and logic.” According to Spotted, “an influencer is someone who becomes digitally relevant by building an audience online, typically via a social platform like Instagram, YouTube or a blog whereas a celebrity is someone who becomes famous for a talent outside of the digital world, such as a film or TV actor, athlete, model, comedian, chef, etc. Celebrities have intrinsic value beyond the promotion of a particular product.”

RISK VS. REWARD

As in any quickly emerging trend that is tied to high stakes marketing spends, banking on an influencer versus a bonafide artist and celebrity with a solid spokesperson track record is not without risk. There are many recent instances where stock has plummeted and sales have gone flat due to a social media post based on a whim or an arrest. In the near past, many C-suite decision-makers have banked on a spokesperson or influencer based on their own “gut” but there are companies, agencies, and advisors in place who have emerged as trusted experts in making brand building decisions and recommendations based on R&D, innovation and data. Of course, a healthy dose of seasoned industry experience provides a comfort level to the brands making the spend.

Music-centric NUE Agency helmed by CEO Jesse Kirshbaum connects artists, brands and technology and he recently told me that the music industry is back with more opportunities than ever to leverage the power of talent to engage audiences around the cultural topics they care about. Kirshbaum believes that every brand should have a music strategy to help them bring their ideas to life and add a new dimension to their brands.

Another trusted entertainment industry heavyweight that has created a solution for brands to integrate their products into content seamlessly is BEN, a Bill Gates Company (Branded Entertainment Network). You’ve heard of him, right? BEN’s vice president of brand partnerships, Shawn Kallet tells me that, “In a world where consumers are cutting the cord, skipping commercials and blocking ads, integrating into content is the best way to create meaningful moments for brand storytelling,” continues Kallet, “people remember stories and by empowering creators to tell stories, instead of disrupting them with commercials, brands add value for consumers to enjoy more of what they love.”

CONTENT CULTURE

Ultimately, the fact that the consumer reigns is the never-changing constant in this ever-changing environment where expertly created content integrated with brands that deliver on the promise of authenticy will win. So how do brands leverage their content with celebrities as brands for long-term results and influencers to achieve immediate results? It really is about brands engaging innovators that are deeply rooted in marketing practices that continue to yield results and mitigate risk. Practices like listening to the the audience and creating meaningful content delivered by proven celebrities who actually care about protecting their own brand. When the celebrity has emotional “skin in the game” it can become a whole new game.

According to Jesse Kirshbaum, “Artists can lend their thinking to any brand seeking a better understanding of where culture and their consumers are headed. They are the cultural liaisons that can translate the nuances that–in reality may make no sense to any of us–but are at the core of culture,” continues Kirshbaum, “artists are to culture, what brand marketers are to brands. The same way that artists have to think like brands, brands must also start to think like artists.”

I have learned over the years that it is also about understanding and respecting the culture of a brand; the culture of the consumer; and the culture of the moment.

Gone are the days of brands depending solely on traditional marketing such as print advertisements, newsletters and billboards, to guarantee the success of a campaign. On a national and local level, businesses are thinking ‘outside the box’ and shifting to influencer marketing strategies to reach their target audience.

According to Adweek, “consumers are seven times more likely to trust someone they follow on social media over a traditional celebrity.” At a recent PRSA luncheon, two of San Antonio’s top influencers reaffirmed this notion and shared some helpful tips businesses should keep in mind when establishing new influencer partnerships.

Research and Selection

First and foremost, social media is an organic way to increase brand awareness and your audience. If you’re hyperlocal, social media is a community platform that can offer opportunities to network with other local businesses and influencers.

It’s important to identify the audience you are trying to reach when vetting collaboration opportunities with influencers. There is a fine line between a media outlet and a media influencer. Do your research and make sure that their brand and audience aligns with yours. Legitimate bloggers post with a purpose. If your content doesn’t apply to their audience, it won’t be beneficial to either party involved.

After you have selected the most appropriate influencers, set aside a budget. “Some common misconceptions about influencers is that they’ll do work for free,” said lifestyle influencer, Stephanie Guerra of Puro Pinche,  “Most of the time, influencers are trying to make a living as well. Consider trade-value items. If you offer nothing, the chances of them doing something for you are low.”

Nonetheless, don’t let a small budget discourage you from reaching out to influencers. More often than not, influencers will help you do the most with the budget you have to work with and offer some alternative options.  

Transparency

When developing an influencer marketing strategy, make sure to outline your objectives and specify the goals you have in mind for your business. Are you looking for sales, brand awareness or both?  When collaborating with influencers, it’s important to provide direction and be transparent in your expectations.

Once a partnership is finalized, trust your influencers. Although traditional influencer marketing heavily relies on brand-created content for campaigns, consider giving them some freedom. Influencers know their audience and allowing them to create original content for you can help them effectively promote your business while safeguarding their brand and audience. A Gartner analysis finds, “consumers who see a user-generated photo on their path to purchase have a 4.5 percent higher chance of conversion, which increases to 9.6 percent once they interact with the photo.”

Due Diligence 

Unfortunately, influencers with the largest following won’t always garner the most successful and legitimate results. As eager as you are to secure a successful marketing campaign, be cognizant of any dramatic fluctuations in your influencer’s channels. Has there been a noticeable decrease in followers? Are their posts not garnering impressionable likes?

“Engagement rates between 1.64 percent and 3.48 percent are considered to be good,” reveals influencer marketing platform, Scrunch. “An influencer with a good engagement rate on Instagram can expect between 16.4-34.8 reactions for every 1,000 followers.”

Lastly and most importantly, be responsive and provide timely feedback at the end of your campaign together. If there is something that the influencer could have done better, be honest and share constructive criticism. Ultimately, you are both running a business and any feedback you provide can be utilized to enable success and secure each other’s credibility.

With the proper execution, influencer marketing can effectively foster growth and help connect your brand with the right target audience.

If you’re interested in capitalizing on this growing trend, we can help you develop a successful influencer marketing strategy tailored to your business.