Influencer marketing is when a business or its digital marketing agency enlists a notable online personality to advertise or vouch for its products or services. Businesses see influencers as a high-value access point to certain demographics; the idea is that an endorsement from an influencer with clout among your target audience will naturally lead to increased interest.

Influencer marketing can be extremely effective. Some influencers hold unique sway over their followers, and a good word can lead to a quick spike in brand awareness and sales. The influencer marketing industry brought in more than a billion dollars in 2017 and is expected to hit $10 billion by 2020.

But influencer marketing isn’t appropriate for every business; even when it is, it’s rarely as simple as paying an Instagram star for a superlative-laced 30-second spiel. Effective influencer marketing strategies rely on pinpoint audience identification, progressive multi-channel messaging, and effective collaboration with talent. Recently, Joe Fresh director of media and analytics Mitchell Yapp discussed his successful influencer marketing strategy for the 2018 holiday season in a Think with Google article. His team identified two YouTube personalities, Jessi Cruickshank and Maripier Morin, who resonated with two key audiences, millennial moms and young professionals.

The company implemented a ‘full-funnel strategy’ to reach consumers throughout the buyer’s journey. “As we moved closer to the big weekend, we drove customers further down the funnel,” Yapp wrote. “We targeted specific shopping categories and retargeted video viewers through bite-sized, six-second Joe Fresh bumper video ads featuring our YouTube content creators.” They also remarketed using responsive display ads and prioritized purchase signals (add-to-carts, etc…) towards the bottom of the funnel.

As a Google Premier Partner digital marketing agency with access to valuable insights on Google’s preferred practices, GrowthEngine Media has experience in every area of digital marketing, including advertising with social media influencers. To discuss whether influencer marketing makes sense for your business or to learn more about our services, feel free to reach out today.