Four Influencer Marketing Tips to Start 2018

2018 is nearly upon us. Not only is the new year the perfect time for marketers and brands to get a fresh start, it’s also a great time to lay out a vision for a comprehensive influencer marketing strategy. Here a few tips to help make sure your 2018 influencer marketing efforts get off on the right foot.

1. Figure out your goals: Like any good business strategy, how you approach influencer marketing in 2018 will ultimately depend on your goals. Are you hoping to build awareness for your company or a new product? Encourage potential customers to give it a try? Boost sales with a special discount code? Depending on what you’re hoping to accomplish, there are different influencer-focused tactics that are likely to put you on the right path to success.
2. Figure out a budget: The next tip for 2018 is to determine the right influencer-focused budget. Given that influencer campaigns can range from as little as the cost of a few products needed for a giveaway all the way up to the hundreds of thousands of dollars, it can be hard to know how much to allocate. What guidelines can you use? Start by analyzing your potential influencers’ reach, engagement and follower demographics using a social insights tool like Captiv8. This will at least give you a sense of the potential “bang for the buck” for different creators. This post includes some further tips to help price your 2018 campaigns.
3. Figure out a content strategy: Will 2018 be the year your brand starts with a new content approach? The new year is the perfect time to collaborate with your creator partners and start experimenting with new content calendars and key themes. But how do you figure out what to post? Once again, do your research into popular hashtags using an insights tool like Captiv8, which will help to provide some inspiration. For further suggestions on what you might post, check out this post outlining content strategy tips, along with this post on how to ensure your content is effective.
4. Figure out how to measure success: Last but not least, the start of 2018 is a great time to rethink how you’re gauging the ROI of your influencer campaigns. Is it enough to focus on your chosen creator partners’ social reach? Should you consider their engagement or frequency of posting? Asking the right questions when setting up campaign measurement can make all the difference.

It’s time to start the new year with a new influencer marketing approach, and with a clean slate. By following these simple-to-remember tips, you can help ensure that your 2018 influencer marketing efforts are set up for success. Want to brainstorm some additional ideas to kick of 2018’s influencer efforts? Reach out the Captiv8 team today.