As a marketing agency, we understand that influencer marketing is more than just a phase, it’s a practice that if done correctly, is proven to be a highly effective marketing strategy in today’s digital age that build relationships between brands and customers.
Over the years, Mumpower has worked alongside hundreds of mid to large sized global and local brands to create, execute and deliver influencer marketing campaigns to increase brand ROI, exposure and ignite mum to mum recommendations.
To help you out on your next campaign, guide your practices and boost your ROI, here is a list of 6 frequently asked questions we are often asked by brands, around influencer marketing:
1. When is the best time for influencers to post?
There is no 1 hard and fast rule for best time to post. It depends on the product, and the type of Mums you want to talk with. If you want to know when is the best time for an influencer to post on social media, we recommend you go straight to the source – ask the influencer herself! She is the person who knows her audience better than anyone. Influencers know her breastfeeding mama’s are up at 3am for a feed versus school mums who are logging on after bedtime to unwind.
She has her finger on the pulse of what their readers respond best to and they are perfectly placed to give you recommendations on the best day and time to share their content. By working closely with influencers, not only do you really customise your campaign and get the most out of it, but you’ll be seen by many more mums.
2. How long should influencer video content be?
Attention spans are pretty tight these days, therefore short, punchy videos have greater appeal. However, this can depend on the message and delivery.
Rule number 1: If it is stimulating, well-paced and continuously adds value to the reader, the length of time can be extended.
The length of the video will also depend on the video content type. There are a range of different video’s you can post on social media including:
- Reels: Reels are the go-to destination for fast, fun, entertaining content. Usually lasting anywhere from 15 seconds to 30 seconds.
- Stories: Each story frame is 15 seconds, however, you can keep rolling for about a minute. Unlike IGTV, Reels and videos, stories are only displayed for 24 hours before they disappear and are archived. Because of their short lifespan, this is a function that creates an interactive conversation and appears more authentic and in ‘real time’.
- IGTV: Can range anywhere from 1 minute to 10 minutes. IGTV is essentially Instagram’s response to YouTube. And while there is the ability to extend the length of time of the video with IGTV, refer to rule number 1 above.
3. How many influencers is the right number for a brand to partner with for a campaign?
This depends on what brand marketing goals you’re wanting to achieve and also what level of brand awareness exists.
For example, it is common for new brands looking for a fast, sharp exposure burst to get your brand/product known, to partner with 12-16 influencers over a 2month period. This will saturate the IG feeds of mums and boost awareness about the product/brand in the first instance.
Alternatively, if the goal is to build long term brand momentum and to share continuous stories around the brand, brands will often select to collaborate with between 6-12 influencers to produce a greater range of content over a longer duration of time. This partnership requires more time to nurture and sustain relationships. However, there are benefits; these influencers grow with your brand and are equipped to remain a long-term advocate and partner. This prolonged brand awareness will create more trust and loyalty between brand, influencer and audience.
Ultimately, the right marketing partner will take the time to understand your core goals and the market impact you are looking for, in order to recommend the perfect number of influencers for your needs.
4. Is there an ideal way for brands to repurpose and leverage content?
Yes, it’s all about planning and permissions. First of all, ensure you have secured permission from the influencer to share and repurpose her content over a range of advertising and marketing mediums, for an extended period of time.
Then, plan. Start by confirming with the influencer exactly what day she is planning on posting. That way you can tentatively plan when you can schedule in your social calendar to promptly amplifying her content.
Thereafter, be sure to slice, dice and re-share snippets of the influencer content in different ways throughout the next 3-12 months.
Other ways to leverage content is via: websites, customer emails, sponsored ads, internal and external comms updates.
Hot tip: One thing a brand fails to do is share her stories in real time. This is as simple as a click of the ‘share to story’ button. This real time interaction will:
- Nurture a sense of community between you, the influencer and your audience.
- Get more eyes on your brand partner’s content.
- Show real life use of product.
Leverage the influencers content in a variety of ways to increase ROI.
5. How much freedom should you give influencers to shape captions and copy
A lot. In fact, creative freedom is a major factor in delivering effective and engaging content. High performing content is delivered when influencers are given the reins to their own creative freedom. The reason it is high performing is because it is natural, authentic and the message is crafted in the influencers voice, rather than the brand voice.
This being said, freedom comes with guidelines. It is easier to entrust the influencer with the freedom to shape brand content, by providing a helpful brief about the goals as well as the product/brand. Supply fact sheet/ check list of requirements, and key info such as stockist, hashtags and important points. This will guide the influencers’ captions and content, and give her the freedom to bring the brief alive.
6. Should a brand work with micro-influencers, macro influencers or both?
This depends on what you’re trying to achieve and your budget. Instead of answering this question, here is an explanation around the difference between a micro-influencer and a macro-influencer (celeb status) for you to make up your own mind.
Micro-influencers: Micro-influencers have audience size of approximately over 3,000 up to 100,000 followers and are seen to be authentic, relatable, personable. Often, they also have a specific niche and be viewed as an authority in that space. As a result, this positions them as a credible source to increase brand engagement and awareness for a brand that shares her niche and values. Often their engagement levels are typically higher than macro-influencers.
Macro-influencers: Have a much higher reach when compared to micro-influencers and are positioned similarly to celebrities. Typically their audience size is over 100,000. The large number of followers helps a brand broadcast a message to a greater audience. Collaborating with macro-influencers is also a way to elevate the brand positioning to be more aspirational.
Something to think about: Commonly the budget for 1 x macro-influencer is the same as working with multiple micro-influencers, who collectively have the same audience size as the macro influencer. Therefore, having a clear idea of goals will assist in making the right decision for your brand.
There you have it. These are the frequently asked questions as a marketing agency we are often asked about Influencer Marketing, particularly for baby, children and family brands.