Using influencer campaigns for real-time amplification

By all accounts,

influencer marketing will continue to be a hot topic in 2017. One of the most common ways to approach influencer marketing is as a standalone product endorsement campaign — but it shouldn’t stand alone in a silo. When planned and executed strategically, influencer marketing can be a powerful tool to amplify all types of real-time marketing initiatives, including live television.

With a well-timed campaign, content creators can call attention to your newest campaign or share a branded message or hashtag at the exact moment your audience is most likely to be paying attention.

For example, Avocados From Mexico amplified its 2017 Super Bowl ad by recruiting thousands of brand ambassadors to share its campaign content in the week leading up to the big game, in exchange for points and the chance to win awards.

Tide amplified its #BradshawStain Super Bowl stunt and corresponding commercial with tweets from influencers that included not only the ad’s stars Terry Bradshaw and Jeffrey Tamboor, but also NBA player Joel Embiid, and even Grumpy Cat.

A layer of influencer amplification could support any number of marketing initiatives, for example:

1. Participation in live TV broadcasts (an ad spot, sponsorship, product placement, press coverage, etc.)

2. Activation at a trade show or large event

3. Event promotion or coverage

4. Earned media coverage

5. Launch of a new website, app or social channel

6. Facebook Live broadcasts

7. Product updates/launches

When does it work? As a rule of thumb, any time you as a brand are creating shareable moments for your consumer, think about how those moments could also be shared by the content creators who influence them.

First things first: Know your audience

To determine if influencer amplification makes sense for your next campaign, start with your audience. Where do they spend their time on the internet? Which influencers do they trust? Does that combination of platform + influencer make sense as a place to amplify your campaign?

For instance, Twitter tends to lend itself to live coverage, particularly with appointment television like sporting events and award shows, while Instagram works well with highly visual content that can be organized by hashtag. Pinterest is best to support evergreen inspiration and how-to content, and Snapchat provides highly authentic real-time content with loyal digital natives.

Timing considerations

Timing is key for getting the most impact out of your amplification efforts. If, for instance, your influencers are amplifying your brand’s appearance on live television, there may be a one- to two-minute window where their tweet makes the most impact on your potential consumer. (No pressure.)

You’ll want to carefully coordinate so influencers know exactly what, when and where to post content, including proper FTC disclosures. Make sure any needed guidelines and brand approvals are communicated well ahead of the go-live date.

If the influencers’ content will change based on the outcome of a live event, have your influencers create backup versions for every outcome (and compensate them accordingly for the additional content).

Paid vs. unpaid influencers

Unpaid brand ambassadors don’t require monetary payment, but it does take considerable time to recruit and nurture relationships with them. In the Avocados From Mexico example above, the brand invested a year-long campaign and $100,000 in ad dollars to build their initial ambassador program.

Also keep in mind that you’ll get more traction recruiting loyal customers to serve as unpaid brand ambassadors if you’re offering something in return for their efforts — whether that’s amplification on the brand’s social channels, brand rewards, free products or branded swag. (Note that giving away free product still necessitates an FTC disclosure.)

Paid influencers can often be recruited with quicker timelines, but keep in mind that building brand trust is key to authentic endorsement. Even on a tight timeline, don’t compromise your creative brief; this can be the best tool possible for efficiently communicating the brand voice and goals to your influencers in order to build authentic buy-in.

For particularly quick turnarounds, consider going back to content creators you’ve worked with in the past whom you trust and who understand your brand.

Internal/agency coordination

Make sure your internal teams and agencies are communicating across silos so everyone is informed on the latest developments.

What SEO keywords should you be incorporating? How is the social team sharing on organic channels? What are the latest developments that may affect content timing?

In conclusion

Take your influencer campaigns to the next level by looking for ways influencers can be an amplification layer for other marketing initiatives. With careful planning, even real-time events can benefit from influencer amplification.