Influencers can bring star power and excitement to your campaign. They also act as walking photo-ops, encouraging people to stop, snap and share. But a strong influencer campaign isn’t just about inviting the most famous faces you can – it’s about deciding what works for your brand and who your fans respond to the best!
Here are six practical tips to help you plan an influencer marketing campaign that really moves the needle.
1. Match influencers to your audience
Successful influencer campaigns start with alignment – not just follower count.
A young TikTok star known for make-up tutorials will work brilliantly for a beauty or skincare launch. Likewise, a sports personality will naturally suit a health shot or athleisure range. You may also want to approach a specific type of influencer, as some may be happier than others to get involved.
Macro influencers (100k+ followers) boost awareness the most and are great for major collaborations, or connecting your brand with a famous face.
Nano influencers (up to 10k followers) are ideal for local campaigns where content has to feel personal and authentic, making them great for pop-ups and doorstep gifting.
Micro influencers (10k plus) balance fame and authenticity. They’re often the sweet spot for experiential marketing, product launches, and brand activations.
It’s also important to consider your brand’s values, and if you’re advertising food or drink high in fat, salt or sugar, then you may have to contend with UK regulations. We help navigate the challenge in our guide to using influencers post-HFSS.
2. Give your influencers a defined role
Influencers can do far more than just pose with a smile, and giving them defined roles can do wonders for their performance.
.jpg?width=1000&height=604&name=Pete%20Wicks%20Influencer%20Crunchy%20Nut%20Milk%20Float%20(1).jpg)
They can:
-
Host welcoming meet-and-greets
-
Serve samples or help demo products
-
Take part in photo and video content
-
Deliver gifts and prizes to local customers
-
Chat to guests about a collaborative project
-
Take part in games and challenges
In some influencer campaigns, these famous faces play a hands-on role, such as taking part in surprise drop-offs or direct door-to-door experiences. If you’re exploring this approach, see how to plan a doorstep promotion for more details.
3. Balance guidance with creative freedom
Influencers are trusted because of their relationship with their audience.
So, ensure a positive vibe by giving them a clear brief that encourages them to do what they do best – but this time in collaboration with your brand!
Instead of scripting every detail, lay out your expectations and run through your brand guidelines and key messaging. Influencer events work best when they have the freedom to create content that’s most natural to them – and that’s often lively, dynamic, and very much off-the-cuff.
4. Decide what success looks like
Are you aiming to increase engagement or looking for a boost in sales?
.jpg?width=1000&height=590&name=SHEIN%20Influencers%20(1).jpg)
Every campaign has a slightly different goal, so it’s important to lay out what you hope to achieve early on. You may want to improve how people see your brand, generate content for social media channels, boost newsletter sign-ups, or increase in-store sales.
You may even want to hit several of these KPIs at once, much like how Born to Stand Out spread awareness for their Harrods fragrance line-up.
Influencer campaigns can help you do just that – growing your audience, while spreading the word about your products more effectively than paid ads.
5. Build ongoing partnerships
One-off influencers deliver a spike in reach, but why not take these partnerships to the next level?
When influencers understand your brand, products and audience, each collab with them becomes easier, more authentic, and more effective.
Look back on which content creators performed well. Professionalism and high-quality interactions matter, so look to those when deciding who to bring back.
If you can foster long-term partnerships, then you may end up with true ambassadors who know exactly how to connect your brand with a wider audience.
6. Plan for every type of content
A good influencer campaign isn't just about getting famous faces to post online. It's about making content creation fun so that everyone reaches for their phones!
Influencer snaps and reels
With thousands of followers or more, there’s a huge audience waiting to be reached. So, request that your influencers capture fun, free-flowing content on site, then share it right away so followers feel like they’re part of the action.
User-generated posts
If your brand relies on organic content (especially in the wake of the HFSS advert ban), then it’s a big win when guests snap and tag your brand online. Make this easy by giving them something to shoot; from photo walls with visible hashtags to 3D props and influencer meet-up moments.
Professional content
An expert photographer or videographer can shoot from all angles and record the timeless moments that really matter. This content can then be repurposed as polished assets, then re-used long after the influencer campaign’s over.
Planning for each type of content creation boosts visibility and awareness – potentially sending your brand viral!
Let us capture the moment for you
Influencer campaigns move fast. The best moments and reactions can happen in seconds, and if there’s no one to capture them properly, they’re gone. That’s why brands often rely on us to save these moments for them!
Working with us means your influencer event is supported by a team that understands brand storytelling, real-world engagement, and the importance of great hero shots.
Why allow those moments to pass by? Click below to discover how we can deliver footage that spreads like wildfire online!
