Influencer video marketing has become a powerful tool for brands to connect with their target audience and drive engagement by leveraging other peoples’ followings.
When my Youtube channel, Strife TV, was one of the top influential brands in the dance community, we had a lot of brands approach us for branded content. They would offer us products and money to create videos with famous dancers while promoting their brand. In return, we would offer exposure to our growing community, plus reach and engagement from our audience.
But we wouldn’t collaborate with all brands. We had to be picky with our influencer marketing collaborations. We had to make sure that our audience would respond positively to the brand’s character and quality of products. If not, some viewers would unsubscribe from our channel because they knew we were just trying to sell them things with influencer video marketing.
So I learned a lot from working with brands such as Red Bull, Monster, and Colgate who promoted their brands on our channel. I eventually was hired by Youtube to teach agencies around the world about how to work with creators and influencers to ensure success and healthy collaborations. Here are some tips I’ve taught to brands and agencies based on my experience on the other side as an influencer.
1. Choose the Right Influencer:
Finding the perfect influencer for your video campaign is crucial. Look for influencers whose values align with your brand, and who have an engaged and relevant audience. Research their content, engagement rates, and demographics to ensure a good fit. Watch the content on their channels and profiles to make sure their voice and style fits your brand.
2. Craft a Compelling Video Brief:
Once you've identified the ideal influencer, it's time to create a detailed video brief. Clearly communicate your goals, key messaging, and desired call to action. Provide creative freedom while maintaining brand guidelines. These creative briefs are essential for collaborations as they are like a creative contract between you and the influencer to establish the key deliverables, deadlines, tone, and details of the project.
3. Collaborate on Content Strategy:
Effective influencer video marketing is a collaborative process. Work closely with the influencer to develop a content strategy that resonates with their audience while aligning with your brand's objectives. Brainstorm ideas, discuss storyboarding, and explore creative angles together. Remember, a successful partnership is built on open communication and shared vision. Ask the influencer for any analytics they can share about their audience like demographics, popular viewing times, top performing videos, and more. Leverage this data to determine what type of content to create and when to post.
4. Leverage the Influencer's Expertise:
Influencers are masters of content creation. Leverage their expertise in videography, storytelling, and engaging their audience. Encourage them to incorporate their unique style and personality into the video. Research by MediaKix found that videos with a personal touch from the influencer tend to have higher engagement rates. So don’t just tell the influencer what to do and give them strict guidelines. You hired them for a reason - to access their audience. The best way to do that is to let them do what they’ve always done, while giving them some rules about your products that won’t interrupt their creative vision.
5. Incorporate Product Placement Naturally:
The key to successful product placement in influencer videos is authenticity. Avoid overtly promotional content that feels forced. Instead, seamlessly integrate your product or service into the narrative. Research by Tubular Insights reveals that subtle and organic product placement generates better viewer response and brand affinity. No need to paste your logo all over the screen and have every cut feature your product. Let the influencer find an organic way to incorporate your product so their audience doesn’t smell something fishy.
6. Optimize for Different Platforms:
Different social media platforms have unique video requirements and audience preferences. Optimize your influencer videos accordingly. For instance, videos on TikTok might be shorter and more visually captivating, while YouTube allows for longer, in-depth content. Adapt your content strategy to maximize engagement across multiple platforms. Also, make sure those platforms contain the target audience you’re looking to attract. B2B customers will most likely be on LinkedIn or Youtube, rather than TikTok and Instagram, so make sure you study your ideal customer profile’s viewing habits during the content strategy stage.
7. Track and Measure Performance:
Measuring the success of your influencer video campaigns is vital. Use tracking links, unique promo codes, and custom landing pages to attribute conversions and track ROI. Leverage analytics tools like Google Analytics and social media insights to monitor engagement, reach, and audience demographics. This data will help you refine your future influencer partnerships. Collaborate with the influencer so they can share their analytics and do the same with yours. There’s nothing more annoying than a brand that asks for data but doesn’t give it back. Influencers need this information so they can also ensure that future content they post can have higher success since they know their audience better than you do. Help them increase conversions by sharing your data.
8. Build Long-Term Relationships:
Research shows that repeat influencer collaborations foster a sense of authenticity and trust among viewers. Cultivate relationships with influencers who consistently deliver excellent results and share your brand's values. Don’t leave your influencers in the dust after a campaign if they got the results you wanted. You never want an influencer to turn against you because you treated them poorly. Build a strong relationship with an influencer so we their audiences grow, so does your customer base.
9. Stay Up-to-Date with Trends:
The world of influencer video marketing is ever-evolving. Stay updated on emerging trends and shifts in consumer behavior. Embrace new video formats like AI videos, 360 immersive environments, and interactive content. Experiment with innovative techniques to keep your influencer videos fresh, relevant, and engaging.
10. Continuously Refine Your Strategy:
Influencer video marketing is an iterative process. Analyze your campaigns, gather feedback, and adapt your strategy accordingly. By staying agile and responsive, you'll maximize the effectiveness of your influencer video marketing initiatives.
A successful influencer marketing campaign can be extremely helpful for any brand if they collaborate with creators properly. At Creative Haven, we’ve worked with multiple influencers to help us promote our clients’ products, even if we’re just hired as a video production company. Influencer marketing is part of our content strategy and we highly suggest that route. So if you have any questions, please feel free to contact us and we’d be more than happy to help!