How to work with influencers in 2020 0 895

Estimated to be worth over of $8 billion by the end of this year – and forecast to surpass a wealthy $10 billion in 2020 – influencers marketing is set to become a fundamental feature of any brand’s marketing strategy looking to tap into a wider variety of social demographics through the use of content creators and their powerful online communities.

However, it has never been more difficult to navigate the sea of independent creators and companies offering automated influencers marketing solutions.

Regardless of the size, here are the key steps a brand should take to increase their chances of working effectively with influencers in 2020.

Define your goal

Influencers don’t own a magic lamp ready to make all your wishes come true – even the genie in Aladin’s tale didn’t grant more than three wishes for those rubbing the oil-lamp. Avoid audiences that are too generic and make it clear whether your campaign aim is to build your brand’s reputation, increase awareness towards a new product/service, acquire a new demographic of potential customers, get better customer engagement, increase your number of followers, or your number of sales. Importantly, you can’t have a campaign goal that involves all of these benefits, so choose smartly.

 

Set a realistic budget

Having a clear number in mind, before even reaching out to content creators, will help you when it comes to making decisions regarding how many influencers you will be able to bring on board. Preferably, you will be wanting a mix of micro-influencers and content creators with a larger number of followers. Don’t be afraid of negotiating fees, especially if your campaign will have a long run, but be realistic when putting aside money to cover your influencer marketing strategy and don’t treat it as simply an occasional top-up of traditional marketing spending.

 

Do your homework

Once you have a very clear idea of what you want to promote and how much you can spend on it, it is time to find potential collaborators. Influencer marketing platforms will try to sell you the idea that you can find all content creators in one place at a click of a button. Don’t be influenced by that naïve solution because, like most things in marketing, one size doesn’t fit all; even two companies with similar products and target audiences can have completely different successful strategies when it comes to working with influencers. Checking who is talking, online and offline, about topics that matter to your brand is more effective than looking for creators with large amounts of followers or perfectly curated grids. Use hashtags to track keywords that lead you to influencers that are a close fit to your business and don’t ignore your own social graph because:

One of your influencers could be amongst your own network of friends or employees;

They could be people that don’t label themselves as an ‘influencer’, nor spend most of their waking hours posting pictures of lattes or smashed avocado on toast, but who are able to create great imagery and to get friends talking about real-life content.

 

Go beyond the post

As someone that has always worked with images, firstly photography and then cinematic videos, I truly believe the saying: “A picture is worth a thousand words”. However, I also believe in thinking outside the box. Don’t limit your influencer collaboration to static posts. Tap into Instagram stories, get your creators to work on long-format content to be used as a blog entry, work with exclusive giveaways and promo codes, and always brainstorm with your influencers how your brand can creatively engage with their online communities.

Have a contract, not an agreement

You would be surprised by the number of companies that have a kind of ‘agreement’ between brands and content creators, instead of a contract binding both sides. They are not exactly the same. Agreements are often an arrangement reached between two or more parties (if a brand’s agency is involved, for example) and it usually features a lot of branding guidelines. A contract is a very specific type of document, legally binding and enforceable in a court of law, and where is featured how and where you will use content created by suppliers, as well for how long and any fees involved – a lot of brands miss out on this.

While hiring an influencer to help with your branding it is crucial that they grant you full content usage rights. This will be very handy when you decide to repurpose content into other forms of advertising like posts on other social media platforms, testimonials or ads, just to name a few, so you don’t have to go back and ask for the content creator’s permission over and over again.

 

Agree on clear deadlines

As well as communicating with influencers about the kind of content that you are expecting from them, you must give them very clear deadlines, including buffer time for reviews and amends. Keep in mind that content creators are independent professionals working with other brands, not only yours, so bring to the table at a very early stage of negotiations how long a creator will need to deliver a set of content. Sometimes, one of your favorite influencers will be busy or will require much longer to create desirable content than you can wait. In this instance, just let it go and move on to collaborators that can fit your deadline needs.

 

Measure, measure, measure

Although measuring is the last one listed here, it is something that needs to be discussed with your content creators during the hiring process, to make sure both sides are clear about how performance and success will be measured during and after your influencer marketing campaign. Engagement is likely to remain a strong measuring tool in 2020, but don’t ignore click-throughs, discount voucher redemptions, your own followers’ growth while partnering with a poll of influencers and, if you are lucky enough, you will even be able to track where some of the new sales are coming from.

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Marcio Delgado is a Journalist, speaker and a Content Producer working with brands and publications in the UK and Latin America.

How to create evergreen content to boost your social media strategy 0 573

No social media strategy is complete without evergreen posts to help balance your content calendar. They are the posts that cover topics that will remain relevant for your readers, over time, even if they are new followers who have just found your social media channels.

For someone with a news background, like me, understanding the basics of evergreen articles has always come easily.  This is exactly what journalists frequently have to do: we have to create both contemporary, factual content and evergreen features that can be used when the contemporary content is lacking in quantity or quality.

Think of a fashion magazine, for example.

Every issue will explore articles focused on current trends or pop culture fads. You can expect an issue to almost certainly bring you features on the latest clothing collections, and maybe even a perfume launched by a singer or football player.

However, the content that makes you keep a magazine as you know you will read it again later, or lend it to a friend, are the articles with a much longer shelf life because good quality evergreen content has almost no expiry date.

Have you noticed how beauty tutorials, how-to lists, and DIY videos never seem to age?.

Maybe talking about Kylie Jenner’s lipstick range won’t add much to your content strategy for Instagram. However, it is possible for a very wide range of businesses to create evergreen content about family, saving money, careers, travel, or adopting a sustainable lifestyle – just to name five very relatable topics. The trick, when using topics with such broad appeal as the foundation of your evergreen content, is to deliver it in a unique way, is committed to your brand’s voice, and making it useful for as long as possible, so your posts don’t become rapidly disposable.

Remember a very important SEO rule: the longer your post is relevant, the longer it will keep bringing traffic to it.

Let’s look at some inspiring tips to create long-lasting content?

 

Leverage excerpts from previous content

“Reuse long-form items, such as blogs or videos, to create timeless pieces to be used in the future. From infographics to quotes, which can summarize or emphasize a relevant topic, there is always useful information you can lift, from already published long-form material, and turn it into evergreen content.”

Amy Hernandez – Public Relations Manager at ElectrIQ Marketing.

 

Tap into your brand’s core values

“Sharing your brand’s purpose or core values on social media is an effective way to promote long-lasting, evergreen content. In theory, your purpose and core values won’t change too much over time, so telling stories that bring what your company stands for to life will withstand the test of time. Establishing a core value theme on social media will not only help ensure you are regularly sharing this type of content, but will also educate prospective customers about your brand.”

Lisa Hirst Carnes – COO at www.arcstone.com

 

Use Google trends to find topics

“Since we started our business, we have focused on generating evergreen content for our blog and social media. In our experience, the most important step for creating evergreen content is to identify the good evergreen subject matter. A great way to do this is to use Google Trends to check the trend line of the subject matter. If Google Trends shows consistent interest in the subject matter over the course of months or years, you have likely found a good subject. Alternatively, if Google Trends shows peaks and valleys, the subject matter is likely more on the trendy side and may not be suitable for evergreen content. Once you have identified the right subject matter, make the content as complete and comprehensive as possible, so that it becomes the go-to content for anyone interested in that subject matter.”

Jessica Rose – Chief Executive Officer at www.copperh2o.com

 

Create useful DIY posts

“People love learning new things that are easy to understand, and almost every niche can find a relevant how-to to push out to their audience a few times a year. You can also add a caption to it, such as, “Back by popular demand!” to grab attention and acknowledge that you realize it has been posted before.

Another evergreen idea would be historical posts. A great example would be a “this day in” history article. Unless a big new discovery changes what we know about that historical event, it will still be applicable that day every year.”

Camille Chulick – Co-Founder at averraglow.com

 

Create a mind map to address essential points

“Focus on content related to the core issues of your niche and create a mind map to write approximately four essential points that will always be of concern. Then, for each essential point of interest in your niche, list as many spin-off article ideas as you can think of. Once you have your list of article ideas, go back and cross off anything that wouldn’t make sense a couple of years ago. If it would not make sense two years ago because it involved current events, it is likely that it won’t be relevant 24 months from now and shouldn’t be considered as evergreen content.”

Morgan Taylor – Chief Marketing Officer at www.letmebank.com

 

Research keywords for your industry

“One tip I have is to do some keyword research around some evergreen topics you have in mind for your industry. Look for keywords that have consistent search intent (e.g. are not seasonal or declining in search results). The idea here is to discover trends that people are searching for on a regular basis. Additionally, doing this research on keywords can lead you to find new inspiration from similar keywords you’re researching.
Even though keywords may not be super relevant for social media, it’s a great way to discover relevant topics to create evergreen content around.”

Katie Fellenz – Head of Marketing at www.trustandwill.com

 

Elevate your strategy with user-generated content

“By using UGC, be it testimonials, questions, staff contributions, stories, or images sent by customers, your users become brand advocates and will engage in positive word-of-mouth marketing.

Besides being cost-effective, user-generated content is the most authentic, trustworthy, and reliable form of content available across the digital space. It is driven by users’ real experiences and 90% of users trust UGC to influence their buying decisions.”

Daniel Thomas – Co-founder at www.tt-creative.com

 

Check the performance of previous content

“The best way to create quality evergreen content is to study previously published content that still makes a massive impact on your social media platform’s engagement metrics, despite being posted a long time ago.

When you find such posts, the chances are high that there are similar characteristics shared between these evergreen posts. Once you identify them, you can incorporate those elements into future posts to increase the frequency of evergreen content in your social media channels.”

Yaniv Masjedi – CMO at www.nextiva.com

 

Choose a topic that solves problems

“Evergreen content requires time but is worth every effort.
FAQ articles, videos, and posts are must-haves for your social media strategy. They are efficient evergreen content that helps guide users towards a more informed understanding of your product or service. If an instruction or feature changes, don’t forget to upgrade and ‘refresh’. Doing this will keep your content fresh and relevant and, besides your audience, search engines will also continue to value it.”

Supriya Agnihotri  Brand Communications Manager at www.surveysensum.com

 

#DigitalMarketing #ContentMarketing #EvergreenContent #SocialMedia #ContentCreation

Can IGTV help a business to engage with and sell to an audience? 0 571

In 2020, video content remains a strong tool for marketing. IGTV continues to grow exponentially and is not showing signs of being replaced by other media formats any time soon. The pandemic has only further boosted social media usage in 2020 and Instagram’s determination to make its answer to YouTube work at all costs.

When Facebook first launched IGTV, in 2018, brands were reluctant to use it. The service would allow users to watch longer videos made for mobile devices directly through Instagram or through the stand-alone IGTV app. However, brands did not believe the new tool justified spending extra money and time in adapting content to a vertical format, as part of a marketing strategy.

To attract viewers and creators, Instagram has moved fast in the last few months.

Firstly, Instagram enabled users to share a 15-second preview of IGTV content to their feed. The aim of this was to lure audiences to check the rest of the content on IGTV. In May, the social platform announced that they would introduce ads and share IGTV revenue with influencers. And, to make sure the video segment of the platform would get a boost in content, Instagram introduced a feature allowing people to upload Instagram Lives directly to IGTV. This decision benefits those viewers who missed a Live and, by default, is helping Instagram to increase its IGTV content.

2019 Social Media Marketing Industry Report shows that more than 50% of marketers are producing videos on YouTube and Facebook, with 38% of digital marketing professionals using Instagram Stories, and 26% using native Instagram videos like IGTV.

But the question that everyone is looking for an answer to is: Can IGTV help a business engage and sell to an audience?

Social media experts and business owners share their successful tips ahead of 2021. According to a study by Cisco, the worldwide leader in IT, networking and cybersecurity solutions, mobile video will account for 78% of total mobile data traffic by next year. If IGTV hasn’t made its way into your content calendar, the right time to start doing it is now.

 

Subtitles are key for IGTV engagement

“We find that video content is king when it comes to engagement and IGTV has been an excellent add-on paired with an existing robust strategy. If it’s teachable, listable, informative, and a on brand IGTV can be an engagement powerhouse.

Keep in mind that subtitles are key! Over 85% of users view the video on social media with their sound off. You don’t want to put all of your efforts into crafting an amazing video, only to have people scroll right past it.

Unfortunately, for a few businesses, there is a lack of understanding around IGTV’s value. This can then translate into lower engagement and enthusiasm overall. On the flip side, however, clients who are in the health and beauty industry have benefitted from the extended engagement. Audiences are hungry, during this pandemic, for content that they can learn from.”

Kris Lal – CEO at content agency www.curatorsocial.com

Never stop making it better

“IGTV can help engage your existing audience and also help grow your audience further! IGTV takes some time to master and you want to ensure that your entire video runs smoothly. My best advice before implementing IGTV into your digital marketing strategy is to practice. Your audience wants concise and engaging information, not forced sales messages.”

Cali Saturn – Digital Marketing specialist at SEO agency www.direction.com

 

Add a call to action to promote your IGTV

“Yes, IGTV can help a business to engage and sell to an audience. Importantly, the aesthetic of the video content is important. Repurposing the video for use beyond IGTV is the key. Add a “Call to Action” on the short clips or snapshots on Instagram Stories. Additionally, start planning for the 15-second version of the content for Instagram’s new function – Instagram Reels.”

Bernie Wong – Founder at www.social-stand.com

 

Keep it genuine

“If you’re in the medical industry, like me, the material you post might be behind-the-scenes footage of specific medical procedures. Or, it might be basic talks about intimidating medical procedures. People also want to see genuine stuff. So, producing original content with audiences can allow you to create a successful IGTV channel with a devout audience.”

Dr. Vikram Tarugu – Gastroenterologist and medical professional at www.detoxofsouthflorida.com

 

Make the most out of your current followers

“Something to keep in mind is that IGTV works well when you already have a large enough audience. This is because it does not appear in hashtag rankings as well as posts do. So, depending on what your strategy is, IGTV can help boost existing follower engagement rates. IGTV promotes resharing or saving content to accounts. In comparison, posts usually promote a user to hit the like or comment buttons.”

Terry Tateossian – Founding Partner of full-service boutique agency www.socialfix.com

Use it as your permanent shop window

“IGTV can be very beneficial for business, particularly for selling products rather than services. With IGTV you’ll be able to describe the product in-depth. Show BTS footage and you can even have potential customers take a closer look at the material.”

Sharon Mills – Lead Publicist at public relations and partnerships agency www.bysbm.com

 

Grab viewers’ attention as fast as you can

“I use IGTV to promote our podcast, Entrepaidneur Sessions. We post highlights from our episode, which gets our viewers excited about watching a full episode.
It has worked. My super tip is to make sure that the content you post is engaging. If you can catch people’s attention in the first 30 seconds, the likelihood that they will watch the entire video, and take the recommended action you want them to take, is much higher.”

Jennifer Onwumere – Founder at Jen-gerbread Marketing

 

Repurpose content that appeals to your audience

“Generally speaking, Instagram is great for younger audiences and niches where rich visuals sell. You don’t necessarily have to create more content, you just have to focus on repurposing it accordingly, as businesses need to try to find ways to turn one piece of content into seven or eight pieces of content.

But you will need to know well your target audience to decide if it worth the extra work. Are they likely to consume IGTV?

The more you know your audience, the better you can decide what to do when it comes to creating content for IGTV – or any other feature – as part of your digital strategy.”

Jack Choros – CMO at content optimization agency www.ironmonk.com.

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