Influencer Marketing is a great way to build credibility and trust for new upcoming D2C brands. With the right Influencer Marketing Strategy, one might see a boost in all the important metrics of the brand. However, influencer marketing can also deliver ROI less than 1 if not planned or implemented well.  

Overview of the Influencer Marketing Strategy 

An ideal influencer marketing strategy would include influencers from all aspects of life, that is influencer who people relate to, influencers who people trust and influencers who people aspire to become. The three types of Influencers are called Nano, Micro and Macro Influencers respectively. The ideal ratio if these influencers should be 1:2:3 but can change case to case basis. 

For brands who are creating a new market or solving a problem which is untapped and requires education, video led Influencer Marketing would be the best way to do it. Videos are often consumed with sound on and hence it would drive more top of mind awareness to viewers who watch influencers educate them about a certain problem and present the brand as the solution. 

For Brands who are going into a heavily competitive market, where viewers are already aware about problems similar products can solve, it is recommended to go ahead with a mix of video and static deliverables by the influencer. Statics are important to add to the aesthetics and are also cheaper compared to video deliverables 

Nano Influencers 

Nano Influencers are Influencers to whom people can relate. They do not have a huge following on social media; however, their engagement rate is as high as 50%. These influencers are the most affordable and are also okay to do barter collaborations. 

Micro Influencers 

Micro Influencers are influencers who people trust. These influencers have more credibility and are the subject matter experts in their field. Their engagement rate is around 15%. In terms of commercials, they are more expensive than nano Influencers. A few examples of these influencers can be fitness coaches, beauticians, doctors, dermatologists, etc. 

Macro Influencers 

Macro Influencers are influencers who not only have a higher reach, but people also aspire to become them. Their engagement rate would be lower than 10%, despite this, in absolute numbers, the comments, likes, saves, shares would be much higher than a micro or nano influencer. These influencers directly impact brand metrics. To understand how you can leverage influencer marketing to acquire customers, read this article. 

Influencer Marketing Campaign Types 

Based on the goal of the brand, campaigns can be done on an ongoing basis or in burst. Burst campaigns are great when the brand is well established and is doing new product launches. On-going campaigns are great for new D2C brands as they help them build credibility and sales. 

For burst type of if campaigns the usual duration is from 7-10days in which the influencers post one after the other. Ideally getting the macro influencer to publish first would be ideal followed by micro and nano influencers. 

For ongoing campaigns, especially because of budget constraints, the brand would want to focus more on micro and nano influencers to drive immediate results like increase in sales, then pair this with a Macro Influencer once a while to boost awareness among other audiences. 

How to select the right influencers? 

The right influencers can be shortlisted on two main criteria, their genre and their viewers’ demographics. The brand’s target audience matches the influencer’s audience. Apart from this, other criteria like engagement rate, frequency of posting sponsored videos, comments sentiment, commercials, etc. need to be considered in selecting the right influencers. 

Read more about Commonly Used Influencer Marketing Terms here

In conclusion, using the influencer marketing strategy the right way can help your brand grow, not only in terms of awareness but also sales.