This is a sponsored post written by FameBit. The opinions expressed in this article are the sponsor’s own.
It’s no secret that influencer marketing is catching fire, but as with anything new, there is always a learning curve. Here are the best tips and tricks I’ve seen after connecting brands and influencers on over 20,000 videos on FameBit.
1. Fit is More Important Than Reach
As marketers, we’re obsessed with big beautiful numbers. It’s only natural to believe that the more eyes we can reach the better. However, just like we’ve learned over the years with ads on Facebook and Google, bigger more general reach is not always better, and typically it ends up costing more.
The beauty of YouTube is the large number of incredible influencers and diverse content created across varying verticals. Not only do emerging influencers typically provide more bang for your buck, their audience also views them as peers instead of celebrities, which instills trust and helps to drive sales.
When selecting influencers to partner with, place priority on collaborating with influencers that already speak your brand language, embody your values, and have a natural fit with your product rather than selecting someone who just has a large reach because a large reach doesn’t automatically equate to more sales.
2. YouTubers are Not Paid Actors
News flash! No one comes to YouTube to watch commercials. They come to watch their favorite creators do what they do best — entertain, enlighten, and inform. A YouTuber’s audience knows immediately when something feels out-of-place or forced, so don’t try to force your vision.
Giving up creative control can be a bit scary for brands, but if you have vetted and found an influencer that already embodies your brand image then you won’t need them to go through a script or nail 10 talking points to get their audience excited about your product. The endorsement should be as natural and as much in the influencer’s voice as possible.
The bottom line is to work with, not against your hired influencers!
Think of influencer marketing as a partnership between your brand and the hired creator. You both have the same goal in mind: to create quality content and establish a valuable partnership. So work together!
Remember, the influencer knows their audience much better than you do. Make sure that any content created accomplishes your goals, but gives the creator the freedom to deliver your message in a way that is natural, organic and authentic to their channel.
3. Test, Experiment, and Go Wide
When starting out with influencer marketing I advise against putting all your eggs in one basket. By hiring multiple influencers you can test out different audience verticals, demographics and formats to see what works best for you brand. Through this approach we’ve see many brands discover a new customer base that they didn’t think existed.
Testing different video creatives is also important. Different video types such as tutorials and reviews, and skit videos may have massively different results for your product, so it’s best to experiment with different video types upfront. This way, your chances of succeeding are better and you can also see what converts best and steer future videos in whichever direction is most successful.
Another benefit of hiring multiple influencers is that you get to learn a lot about your brand. I’ve seen brands learn about product values that they didn’t even know they had. Recently a brand called Satin Lined Caps, a maker of caps that protect your hair while sleeping learned their caps were not only functional but that they were also fashionable thanks to an influencer who made a video on how to use it as an accessory to complement your outfit.
Lastly, SEO!
YouTube is the second largest search engine behind Google, so you better make sure you can find your product there and the more videos talking about your product the better. Again, very often, brands find that having a wider variety of content is a better overall strategy because when a potential customer looks for your product or service they will come across a multitude of various content, some that inspire, inform and entertain.
But what is most important with SEO is to see YouTube as a discovery platform and to be be mindful of the problem that your product or service is solving for customers and to provide influencers with relevant tags, titles and keywords that will make it easier for customers to find you. For instance, if your product is a shampoo for for curly hair, you want to ensure that your branded content comes up for search queries such as “how to care for curly hair” or “best shampoo for curly hair” or “curly hair must haves”. This way, even if you are not a large or popular brand, it will be easy for new customers to discover you very organically.
It’s Time to Put These Tips into Action!
FameBit is a platform for connecting brands and creators on YouTube, Instagram, Vine, and Twitter. It is absolutely free to post a campaign and start receiving proposals from interested influencers looking to promote your brand.
Use coupon code SEJ25 for $25 off your first hire!
