Peter Kennedy is president and founder of Tagger Media .
Social networks are one of the world's largest sources of information. Every minute, users post 1.7 million pieces of content on Facebook, upload 500 hours of video to YouTube, and share 66,000 photos on Instagram. Every like, share, follow, view and click on this content is captured by creating a real-time digital behavior database.
Through big data analytics, marketers have turned this pile of social data into a wealth of information, using it to design data-driven strategies and make informed decisions. So how do mainstream brands use data to inform their influencer marketing strategies and deliver the right content to the right audience at the right time?
Use data to inform strategy
The sheer volume of content and wide variety of topics covered by social media influencers creates an invaluable source of information that enables marketers to create effective strategies and gain insight into virtually any industry. To do so, it's important to understand the “who”, “what”, “when”, “where” and “why” (the five Ws) of your product category, industry, and target audience. Leveraging data insights, you can better understand your audience's interests, behaviors and preferences, which can influence influencer selection, creative execution, timing, delivery and message delivery.
Build an influence strategy based on the five Ws
The Five Ws provide marketers with a simple framework for analyzing complex and diverse business problems, enabling them to ask the right questions, identify key problems, and develop effective solutions that align with their marketing goals. Depending on the marketing channel, the five Ws will change and adapt based on available data and practical insights.
Those using the Five Ws approach often have a competitive advantage over their counterparts who seek influencer profiles and audience demographics. The wide approach to the ink space prevents you from seeing white space. The Five Ws framework provides a comprehensive understanding of the target audience, helps brands resonate with their audience and enhances the success of influencer marketing campaigns.
1. who
"Who" defines the target audience, demographics, geographic location, interests, and affinity. Getting the 'who' right is key to ensuring your message reaches the right audience with the highest propensity to engage with your brand.
The "who" are the influencers you should hire based on audience fit and proven track record in your industry. Proven past success not only means they have a high average engagement rate, it also means they stand out among the thousands of influencers who mention your topic or product category. Metrics that drive performance vary by industry, company, campaign and marketing goals, but some common metrics used to measure influencer marketing effectiveness include reach, engagement, cost per impression (CPM), cost per video view (CPV), cost per engagement . including. (CPE) and return on investment (ROI).
2 What
Understanding what types of content your audience likes best is critical to your campaign strategy, because not all audiences will respond in the same way. A good idea of who you want to reach is essential to your overall strategy. For example, a short 30-second makeup tutorial video on TikTok can generate meaningful engagement for women under 25, but a 15-minute video on YouTube can be a great place to reach women under 25. Over 30 years.
3. when
Social platforms have become the most competitive real estate industry in the digital space, so knowing when is the best or most appropriate time to engage with your community is critical to the success of your campaign. So, once you know who you want to engage with and what content you want them to engage with, the next thing to consider is when those social conversations occur. Is there a predictable season throughout the year that best suits your brand or product? Are there any moments that naturally fit the context of your brand or product? Planning the best time to activate your campaign can help increase engagement and profitability, ensuring maximum awareness of your brand at the most profitable time.
4. Where
The idea of where to launch your campaign can be just as important as the content of the campaign. Maybe your brand community is more active on Instagram, and you notice that content regularly gets three times the engagement compared to other social media platforms. It may be important to make sure your brand is included in this voiceover. You may also notice a high volume of posts, in which case your competitors may be much higher than other platforms. White space can be a strategic advantage.
5. why
Finally, you'll want to explain why you're running the campaign, as there are many ways an influencer marketing strategy can support your digital marketing strategy. Analyzing the volume of mentions your competitors are receiving through influencer activation can help you determine why you need to hire influencers. Additionally, analyzing the volume of posts about the specific benefits of a brand's products can provide valuable insight into the needs or preferences of your target audience. This exercise will help you create more effective campaign messages that highlight the most important features and benefits of your products, resulting in higher engagement, conversions and ROI.
Improve existing tools
In order for marketers to ask and answer these questions, the tech industry has developed tools that contain and use more data. However, many tools on the market focus more on influencer profiles and audiences. It's a broad approach to a very complex space that prevents the user from seeing the finer details.
A one-size-fits-all formula will not work for influencer marketing. Every campaign is different and every audience is different. This requires tools that measure hundreds of variables, not a handful, help drive strategy, and know the who, what, where, when, and why at the click of a button. Thus, brands can adapt their messages, goals, and creative approaches to more effectively resonate with their audience, leading to more successful influencer marketing campaigns.
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