HOW TO BUILD AN ENGAGING INFLUENCER PROGRAM
The 5-step playbook you need to get started…
I think you’ll agree when I say popularity doesn’t equal real influence. We all know that people buy from people they trust.
When it comes to influencer marketing (IM), brands should think beyond signing endorsement deals with overly paid celebrities and look at creating authentic relationships with the voices that matter. This is not to say that if the Kardashians fit your budget, you shouldn’t leverage their impact.
Of course, you should — but only if there is a genuine connection to your brand or product.
When it comes to influencer marketing and budget, the truth is you don’t need to worry. Some influencers might better fit your message and who won’t break your budget. Influencer marketing is one of the hottest topics of the new digital age, and there’s a reason for that. Because, when done right, it works.
Here are some reasons why IM can help build your brand:
- It works to develop authentic connections with the target consumers
- It works to bridge the gap between the brand and the audience
- It works to create a personal invitation and drive retention
So, how do you identify the right influencers for your brand? It depends on your strategy and tactics.
“Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory. Tactics without strategy is the noise before the defeat”. — Sun Tzu, Chinese Military Strategist
I promise you that a well-planned and well-executed influencer marketing program will help your brand cut through today’s madness and help you remain relevant amongst your audience.
WHY DO YOU NEED AN INFLUENCER MARKETING PROGRAM?
Brands today need to acknowledge that marketing has evolved from interruption to connections and genuine relationships, while advertising has evolved into a form of connective storytelling. In the past, brand stories built up to significant moments like placing an ad during the Super Bowl.
We are in an era where content is king — an ad film can be the ignition point for many moments in the consumer journey. It’s not just about the big ad or a big media moment anymore — it’s about all of the micro-moments along the way that connect the consumers to a personal journey with the brand.
The right influencer will play a significant role in helping build relationships. A couple of days ago, I read a LinkedIn Pulse article from Lindsay Odom, a rising marketing rockstar. She shared that she doesn’t follow brands. She follows bloggers [people]. This is how it is for consumers across the board.
Consumers are skeptical about brands and can smell BS from miles away, but it’s also worth mentioning that they have no problem calling you out on social media — creating an advocate against your brand. Not ideal.
Another critical part of this macro context idea is that people are more stingy than ever with their time — there is always something else to do, always another option (or 10) to choose from. Time is the most valuable asset in today’s busy world.
So, how does your brand cut through the clutter?
Brands are constantly vying for attention, so any barrier between your consumer and the access they want could be considered an automatic pain point, causing them to lose their connection with your story.
Consumers want frictionless access to what they need, when they need it, and how they need it.
Integrating influencer marketing as a core element of your brand narrative allows you, the brand, to become a trusted voice of the everyday conversation with consumers.
Yes, I get it. Everyone talks about this, but no one has shown you how to do it. Let me break it down into a 5-step framework that will help you structure your influencer marketing program.
START WITH YOUR GOAL IN MIND
As the title of this section dictates, you need to start with the goal in mind. Make sure that you don’t fall in love with an influencer or an idea when just getting started. Here are steps to set goals for the program:
- Align the program objectives to the brand goals — how will your influencer help you reach the business and brand goals?
- Identify and map the right influencers to support your goals — this is not just about an endorsement, think about a journey for your brand and the influencer.
- Reverse engineer to build the plan — start with where you want to end.
INFLUENCE IS CURRENCY [FORMULA]
The power of this approach is the multiplying effect of leveraging your influencer within the proper context, making sure they are relevant to your target audience, and identifying a moment that will give you the maximum reach. Hijacking sports and cultural moments are usually the best bet.
(CONTEXT X RELEVANCE X REACH) = INFLUENCE IS CURRENCY
After learning how to apply this formula to your program, it’s time to start profiling influencers for your brand.
PROFILING
First, find someone in your space who speaks to your consumer in a meaningful way, someone they care about will listen to, and will voluntarily engage with.
Let me share this creative framework to help you find the right voice for your brand.
- Are people engaging and willing to share? Your audience must see them in the message.
- Do consumers trust this person? People have to believe it’s real and not just an endorsement.
- Are consumers engaging with the content? Follow through with contests participation.
- How often does the audience come back for more? Retention, frequency, and advocacy are the right metrics to look for here.
Are you with me? We still have two critical steps to take! Doing the homework gets you ready for your finals, so don’t skip the steps and obsess over the details. It would help if you didn’t overspend on signing the talent, then not have the money to activate the asset.
IMAGINE, IDENTIFY AND INVEST
Now we can let the fun begin! This is where creativity will come into play — think big about the possibilities that your influencer can deliver for your brand.
Here are the key steps to inspire creativity for the program:
Before identifying any influencer, you must first imagine the many possibilities of what you want to do with them.
Ask yourself a few questions:
- What mediums are suitable for the consumer?
- What channels will allow us to build the most profound connections?
- What do our consumers care about?
- Think of integrated ways to elevate your key influencers — this is a two-way relationship.
Now that you have a better idea of what your dream scenario looks like, who could seamlessly fit the profile? Map your influencer to the key moments you want to build. Is it an up-and-coming Instagram comedian? A makeup artist with 30,000 heavily engaged followers? Think outside the box. Your influencer can be anybody who aligns with your brand story.
INTEGRATED INFLUENCER FRAMEWORK
Here is the last step to building an integrated influencer marketing program. Get tactical! Sweat the details, obsess the journey, and focus on your consumer.
Build a plan for the program, figure out your budget and who on your team will reach out, and start to build a relationship with your influencer. Then, once it is all done and dusted, you can rinse and repeat.
When paired with the right person, influencer marketing allows brands to reach their consumer in a more profound way, but it also allows them to react faster. Social media is instant, and if your influencer is present on many different social channels, they’ll be able to seamlessly break down the silos by engaging with your consumer via their channel — straight to the consumer’s, with an authentic voice for your brand.
POPULARITY DOES NOT EQUAL INFLUENCE
Many marketers think influencer marketing is a mysterious concept, a digital fad, and are not quite sure how to tackle it from a strategic standpoint. To reiterate my earlier point, influencer marketing is not about getting the most notable celebrity, it’s about getting the right person who authentically aligns with your product and message.
No one wants to buy a product from a celebrity if it doesn’t feel authentic. The key will always be authenticity, and being authentic is the most powerful way to build meaningful connections between your influencer and your brand, product, or message.
QUICK CASE STUDY: UNPACKING SERENA WILLIAMS X LINCOLN NAVIGATOR
My favorite recent example of Influencer Marketing done right is Lincoln Navigator’s new campaign with Serena Williams. Yes, Sere is a big celebrity, but her connection to the message is authentic and goes way beyond a basic celebrity endorsement deal.
Serena’s series with Lincoln was social media-based and launched in late February. The first installment feels like an unscripted interview with Serena sharing the story of buying her first Lincoln Navigator at 19. She shares a lot of personal anecdotes about the first car, including that it was her first big purchase, she had personalized playlists just for the car, and she even named it Ginger. It’s personal, quirky, relatable, and accurate.
The series continues in a few more installments on her social media channels and a few watered-down spots that have aired on TV. The partnership on social media creates a deeper connection and allows the consumer to get a fuller back story than the spots on TV.
Instagram is the perfect channel for Serena to share these personal stories — whether they’re paid for by Lincoln or not, these are things her community cares about because they care about her. They make her more relatable and allow the consumer to connect. It’s a win-win for Lincoln, Serena, and the consumer.
This is influencer marketing done right!
OVER TO YOU
Everything is moving at warp speed, and there is too much at stake to depend on a single creative genius for your brand. We must embrace shared creativity with a community mindset to create value for our readers. So, I turn it over to you with an invitation to share your thoughts and ideas…
Here are a couple of questions to help you get going: Have you activated an influencer marketing campaign for your brand? What have been some of your hurdles along the way?
Share your learnings in the comments or send me a direct message if you want to learn more about this framework.
ABOUT ME
I’m a modern marketer building and growing brands in today’s fast-changing digital landscape. My leadership and ability to define clarity in chaos are rooted in teamwork, discipline, and strategic thinking. They are grounded in my experience as a soccer player throughout my youth in Brazil and as a Division-I student-athlete at Clemson University.
