Just a couple of years ago, the only influencers worth reaching out to were big media personalities, movie stars, pop icons, and TV show hosts. But this has all changed with the advent of social media and platforms such as Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok.
In this new era of micro-influencers, savvy business people can build whole brands through targeted sponsored social media posts and longer collaborative campaigns that build awareness and increase conversions.
According to the survey conducted by BigCommerce, 65% of brands increased their spending on influencers in 2019, with budgets varying greatly depending on the size of the company, but reaching as high as $1+ million per year. Here are just a few of influencer campaigns that recently made a difference.
Fiji Water’s Collaboration With BodyWoreWhat
Fiji Water was already a successful brand before the social media craze. After all, they’ve managed to turn one of the most available commodities into a luxury item (i.e. an overpriced bottle of water with a nice logo).
However, the brand experienced a significant boost in reach when it started collaborating with Danielle Bernstein, the author of the popular fashion blog and fitness platform BodyWoreWhat, who boasts an Instagram account with over 1.5 million followers. The marketing campaign was all about keeping hydrated during intense workouts and has proven to be a big success for the brand.
Sprint’s #LiveUnlimited Campaign
Recently, Sprint was acquired by T-Mobile, but before the transition the brand really put influencer marketing to work on a massive scale. It made deals with actors, musicians, and entrepreneurs with combined social media following of around 30 million to attract the attention of young social media users.
The LiveUnlimited hashtag gained prominence after massive influencers such as Lele Pons (below), Rachel Cook, and Prince Royce were introduced in a clever video ad. Then, through targeted Instagram posts, they showed how they live lives of unlimited possibilities. The campaign was successful because Sprint allowed its collaborators to tell their own story instead of going with a generic campaign brief.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wp1_jOHEYaA
The Formation of Team PokerStars Pro
Having a single influencer promoting your offer is great already, but the PokerStars brand went a step further and established an entire team of colorful personalities that represent their brand.
The ambassadors’ group currently consists of over a dozen professional poker players, including Ramón Colillas whose story made the headlines around the world after a colossal win of $5.1M in a 2018 poker tournament in the Bahamas.
Ancestry DNA’s Use of Micro-influencers
It’s not always necessary to enlist influencers with millions of followers to make a splash in the online world. Ancestry DNA, a company specializing in DNA analysis, started targeting micro-influencers and let them tell their stories.
After learning about their ancestral roots, these influencers followed their genealogies by visiting various destinations, and then shared their experiences via Instagram. This is a brilliant example of how brands can use storytelling and create familiarity with the product in a way that would appeal to a younger audience.
Naked Juice’s Health and Wellness Campaign
As the name suggests, this brand is all about providing premium products that contain no added sugar. Its image has lent itself perfectly to the health and fitness Instagram community who instantly picked it up as the next big thing.
The idea behind the campaign was all about Naked Juice containing “50% less sugar” than other products on the market, but instead of explaining the concept through a traditional brand awareness campaign, the company let influencers tell the story in a credible way.
Headspace’s Rise As The Most Popular Meditation App
Headspace was able to gain prominence in the mobile app market by reaching out to mid-tier influencers and asking them to share their experiences with meditation.
This has resulted in many powerful stories, with people showing vulnerability and opening up about their innermost experiences. This type of content always gains traction on social media and, because of the campaign, Headspace attracted over 100,000 new followers.
These are just a few examples of powerful influencer marketing campaigns of late. As social media personalities gain more prominence, we can expect brands and big-name agencies to get involved, especially since the cost-per-impression resulting from this type of collaboration is still much lower when compared to other forms of media.
