Five tips: how to strengthen your brand image through influencer marketing in a sustainable and cost-effective way

The prevailing ecological and economic situation is also reflected in influencer marketing. Organisations are expected to make value-based decisions, coherence and sustainable choices.

According toCuremedia's 2023 Influencer Marketing Trends, brands and influencers should focus on economically friendly content, which - understandably given the global situation - are also popular topics with consumers. Consider these factors when designing sustainable and cost-effective influencer marketing.

1. Ensure that influencer marketing is aligned with wider strategic goals

Instead of individual campaign campaigns, influencer marketing should be considered more holistically as part of a marketing strategy. This will ensure that your influencer marketing activities are aligned with the wider strategic goals of your organisation.

Strategic influencer marketing is planned and involves, among other things, well-defined objectives, identifying the right target group and selecting metrics based on these. Measuring and analysing the results is essential to assess the success of the campaign. For example, appropriate metrics for a campaign aimed at strengthening brand image include engagement, interaction rate, tone of conversation and CPE (Cost Per Engagement). In a longer-term ambassador-style partnership, continuous monitoring of results will help optimise the cost/results ratio and improve the partnership and its content.

2. Long-term annual partnerships are cost-effective and efficient from the point of view of the organisation, the influencer and the consumer.

Long-term partnerships engage the influencer and followers with the brand. The influencer gets to know the brand they represent better, and repeated collaborations with a familiar brand are more natural, credible and easier to tell a story. Long-term collaborations also bring a natural variety of approaches. Branded content supports promotional content, and authenticity is combined with varying degrees of entertainment and informative elements that consumers want from influencers, according to a consumer survey conducted by Curemedia 2022.

In addition to effective engagement and diversity, longer annual partnerships save time and resources for both the organisation and the influencer. Annual partnerships also pay off in terms of credibility, with 72% of people believing an influencer recommendation is more credible if it is repeated.

In longer-term annual partnerships, the organisation should focus on creating deeper meaning rather than pure commercialism. Branding is valuable in the longer term, especially in today's global environment, and effectively sets the stage for subsequent promotional content.

Brand match remains the most important criterion for influencer selection and its importance is particularly pronounced in long-term partnerships. It is worth looking for a suitable influencer among the smaller nano and micro influencers rather than the big media giants. Responsibility and values are an essential part of today's brand match. Partnering with a respected sustainability influencer may seem attractive, but the outcome can be negative if the organisation's sustainability or values are not at the level required for the partnership.

3. Embrace multichannel and creative ideas from the very beginning of the conceptualisation process

Using influencer and created content in a multi-channel way is cost-effective and consumer-friendly, as marketing wants to see "real" people, authenticity and variety. The Social Media Marketing blog explains that combining influencer marketing with paid advertising creates a unique experience for target audiences, allowing an organisation to reach consumers who are tired of the traditional marketing experience.

Multi-channel engagement and advertising rights and budgets should be factored in from the planning stage. Conceptualised and briefed follow-ups for the influencer will ensure that the content created by the influencer is more likely to meet needs for further use of the content.

Consider what channels your organisation has in place and how the opportunities that influencer marketing brings can be creatively exploited and repurposed. According to Kantar's 2023 Trends Report, events, at least, are at the top of the list of marketing channels for both consumers and marketers.

4. Get valuable information and ensure a campaign that speaks to your target audience by involving the influencer and the target group

Participation engages and motivates. An influencer involved in creative design and conceptualisation is more committed to the collaboration and has a better understanding of the organisation's starting points and objectives. Involving the target audience, on the other hand, provides valuable insights from the consumer's perspective, and from the very audience the organisation is trying to reach. It also provides an opportunity for change or development if the feedback and information received points in a different direction.

Especially around more challenging issues, it is valuable to hear views from outside the organisation and discover the real needs that the campaign should address. Involving the target group also sends the message that the organisation is interested in their views and experiences.

5. Familiarise and define the boundary conditions, but leave the responsibility for creative implementation to the influencer

Authenticity and diversity is the starting point for real impact, and it is difficult if not impossible to create it for someone else. Long-term collaborations and giving creative control to the influencer ensure that the different moments in life are more likely to be reflected in collaborative content. It is impossible to know in advance all the great moments and opportunities that will arise.

Agree on the quantities, objectives, metrics and boundary conditions for collaborative publications, but give the influencer the freedom to suggest content. In addition to more credible and natural content, the freedom to contribute is motivating. Ideally, you will have created a long-term partnership with an influencer who will take the initiative in thinking about the best collaborative content. If both are happy with the partnership, it is easy to continue and develop it in the future.