The Engagement Excursion – how far can an influencer campaign go?
There’s no hiding from it: the success rate of an influencer campaign has been on the rise for a while now. But has anyone considered how far the engagement between a creator and a brand can go? Far beyond the content that is created, the mind share theory is real.
The Engagement Excursion – how far can an influencer campaign go?
Having an influencer strategy within your marketing mix can be highly beneficial. 170 marketers participated in an influencer marketing survey and in fact, 94% agree that it is effective. This digital form of paid for, authentic content advertising can far exceed the marketer’s expectations; there is more than meets the eye when it comes to the audience engagement.
A view, comment, like or share on the brands sponsored social content helps to justify the success rate of this advertising method, but an engagement that takes place outside of the sponsored content can feel far more valuable, and if done correctly, the power of this advertising strategy can help to encourage the audience to engage away from the creator’s content. This provides a rationale on our thinking of an Engagement Excursion, which we define as a response to a brands messaging that doesn’t just sit inside the influencer’s social content.
Creators know exactly how to produce sponsored content that captivates their audiences. Their channels are built on trust and honesty, so it’s paramount that the creative ideas work well for both the brand and the influencer. Authenticity has to be considered from start to finish to ensure the engagement is effective so the brand feels the benefits of the sponsored content, as well as our Engagement Excursion theory.
The journey of the influencer’s audience that are engaging with the sponsored content is often on-going. This can be leaving comments on the brands official Facebook page or even stamping purchasing decisions in store and online. The reaction of the audience influenced by the content that they have viewed can happen in many forms. This helps to produce a fully rounded influencer marketing campaign.
A great example of this is our previous seasonal work with Ebony Day:
Ebony’s integrated approach included her own twist on decorating her Christmas tree with the Instax film. The impact this had on her audience proves our Engagement Excursion theory, with fans purchasing the product and tweeting the exact same idea themselves. A prime example of a relevant audience that’s being influenced!
If the brand/product is naturally placed within the influencer’s content and style like Ebony & Instax above, the fans reactions can help to establish this as a much more measurable and successful means of advertising in comparison to what traditional media has typically offered.
Another prime example showing a journey of engagements is our work with dodie and Chupa Chups Airheads:
dodie’s fans never cease to amaze us when working on sponsored content. Their dedication and loyalty proves our case for influencer led advertising. Her cover of Mika’s well known Lollipop song drove them to watch the original hit on YouTube and they made it very clear why they were there, becoming one of the highest liked comments on the 47.5m+ viewed music video:
On top of this, her fans found themselves liking the brands official UK Facebook page, interacting with their posts and even suggesting Dodie’s content to become the official advert for Chupa Chups Airheads:
With this in mind, there is no reason why authentic influencer content can’t start to become a brand’s main advertising concept across other channels such as outdoor and TV.
It’s no wonder why 74% of consumers rely on social media to make purchasing decisions when authentic, trustworthy sponsored content like these are being uploaded across all social platforms. In fact, 92% of social users trust recommendations from individuals (even if they don’t personally know the influencer) over brands direct, which can only explain why the reaction to well-constructed influencer content exceeds marketer’s expectations.
Engagement Excursions are becoming more apparent within the influencer marketing campaign analysis. This digital strategy can bring eyes on brands; comments on content and feedback on all kinds of products, helping consumers to keep up with the latest trends and the chance to voice their opinion within what is becoming the biggest brand fan community we have ever witnessed.
It’s not just YouTuber fans that are waiting for the perfect sponsored post to react to: it’s a refined target audience at your fingertips ready to market your product or brand in an effective, measurable and compelling way.
Joe Friend, Account Manager, Social Circle
Tel: +44 (0)20 7748 9237
E-mail: Joe.Friend@SocialCircle.Media
Web: SocialCircle.Media
Twitter: @SocialCircle_
Content by The Drum Network member:
Social Circle
Find out more