The Ultimate

Influencer
Marketing Guide.
 W H AT I S I N F L U E N C E R
MARKETING?
05

G O A L S & S T R AT E GY
12

INFLUENCER SELECTION
23

I N F LU E N C E R OU T R E AC H
38

W E LCO M E Index
Index
 I N F L U E N C E R C A M PA I G N
TYPES
49

M E A SU R I N G SU CC E S S
60

GETTING THE MOST

F RO M YOU R I N F LU E N C E R
C A M PA I G N S
67

W E LCO M E Index
INTRO-
DUCTION.
With thousands of creators to choose from
and a dizzying amount of resources to help,
nowadays the hardest part of influencer
marketing is just getting started.

Upfluence’s Ultimate Influencer Marketing

Guide is everything you could possibly need to
know, in one, easy, step-by-step guide. Save it.
Come back to it whenever you hit a bump in From our team to yours, one straightforward
the road. This information is a tried and true guide to influencer marketing campaigns.
framework for success.

I N T RO DU C T I O N 04
 CHAPTER ONE

what is
influencer m arketing ?
 Quick
Definitions
INFLUENCE

Capacity to affect change (using soft skills like

demonstration or recommendation).

INFLUENCER

Someone who is influential in a specific domain, for a

specific community.

INFLUENCER MARKETING

Leveraging an influencer’s visibility, credibility and

creativity in order to broadcast a brand message to their
community.

W H AT I S I N F LU E N C E R M A R K E T I N G? 06
The heart
of influencer
marketing
At its core, influencer marketing is based on trusted recommendations, like those from friends, family and colleagues. It is
grounded in relationships and culture. So when you work with influencers, you’re investing in content (creative posts, ideas)
but also in context (access to an existing community).

T H E BA S I C WO R KF LOW

Setting Goals Identifying Outreach Tracking Payment ROI

influencers results

W H AT I S I N F LU E N C E R M A R K E T I N G? 07
Why should _NATIVE CONTENT IS NON-INTRUSIVE
Consumers avoid, block and ignore traditional
marketing tactics that infringe on their consent.
I include IM in my Marketers must adapt. The best way to reach
people is through content that they actually want
marketing strategy? to see and share.

_STORYTELLING
Influencer content is culturally relevant for a
reason! Their creative skills and social media
know-how allow them to host online communities
& spark trends. With their expertise, brands can
clarify who they are and what they stand for in a
language that audiences will understand!

_TRUST
Influencers are third-parties with credibility and
visibility in specific niches. People are already
looking to them for recommendations, inspiration
and entertainment online. In fact, 63% of people
trust messages from influencers more than
messages from brands.

W H AT I S I N F LU E N C E R M A R K E T I N G? 08
_VISIBILITY
While brands struggle with stifling platform algorithms, saturated social
media feeds, and bidding processes, influencers manage to cut through
the noise organically.

_GET MORE FOR YOUR AD DOLLAR

Working with the right creators helps you tap into unparalleled media
value, i.e a vast amount of clicks & impressions. Imagine the media
budget you’d need to create a similar perfect social storm!?

_VERSATILITY
There’s a variety of influencer niches and social media platforms
meaning that influencer marketing can be leveraged by all kinds of
brands with all types of budgets.

_LONG-TERM BENEFITS
Unlike other forms of advertising which disappear when the campaign
ends, influencer content will continue to circulate post-campaign. That
content can always be repurposed for future marketing campaigns or
leveraged to grow your own social media channels!

W H AT I S I N F LU E N C E R M A R K E T I N G? 09
 _THE SNOWBALL EFFECT
There’s something to be said for popularity… Working with influencers can
increase sales and expand your customer base, therefore growing your pool
of potential influencers and brand advocates for your next campaign!

_INSIGHTS
Data-driven influencer marketing (the kind you’ll learn about in this guide)
delivers key insights such as consumer behavior patterns in addition to results.

_YET ANOTHER TOOL FOR YOUR TOOLBOX

At Upfluence, we know that influencer marketing is one of several levers
that sit within a well-planned marketing strategy. Whether it’s activating
influencers over time for sustained brand awareness or at key moments for
a boost, influencer marketing is a clever addition to your marketing mix.

RECOMMENDED READING
Influencer Marketing Blog
Boost Your Agency Offering With Influencer Marketing

W H AT I S I N F LU E N C E R M A R K E T I N G? 10
 A powerful
acquisition channel

The basis of influencer marketing, trust, is as old as

time. With social media, it has evolved into a powerful
acquisition channel uniquely suited for today’s
consumers who live, think and breathe content. We
hope this first introductory chapter has clarified the
‘logic’ behind influencer marketing specifically, why it
has become a solution for modern brand-building and
online conversion.

The rest of this guide will be dedicated to how to

successfully run a campaign.

W H AT I S I N F LU E N C E R M A R K E T I N G? 2211
 C H A P T E R T WO

GOALS &
STRATEGY
 Start with
a strategy

THE MOST COMMON INFLUENCER H AV E A P L A N ! S U C C E S S F U L

M A R K E T I N G P I T FA L L I S A L A C K C A M PA I G N S S TA R T W I T H
O F S T R AT E GY CLEAR GOALS

Whether you are new to influencer marketing or a Your campaign goals will dictate the criteria for your
seasoned pro, every influencer strategy starts with agreeing influencer selection, KPIs and so much more. That’s why
on campaign goals, defining a budget, target audience, goal-setting comes before choosing content creators!
and key message. Brands are understandably eager After all, both you and your influencers will need to fully
to reach out to influencers. But don’t let identification understand your aims in order to deliver the results.
overshadow your strategy!

G OA L S & ST R AT EGY 13
 How to create
an effective
strategy
DEFINE YOUR GOALS: WHAT IS THE CORE OBJECTIVE OF YOUR CAMPAIGN?
Are you trying to generate conversions or conversations? Sell to a niche demographic? Perhaps build notoriety in a
market dominated by better known competitors? Some common influencer marketing goals are:

BRAND AWARENESS SALES PRODUCT LAUNCH / COLLABORATION

Having a clear goal establishes a framework for the campaign and allows you to set relevant KPIs. For example,
an awareness campaign KPI could be a spike in new followers, web traffic or brand mentions. For sales campaigns,
measure conversions such as promo code uses, subscriptions, downloads, or traffic from affiliate links.

RECOMMENDED READING TOP TIP

Influencer Marketing Ebook
Don’t wait until the campaign has ended to start tracking
5 Mistakes to Avoid in your Influencer Marketing Strategy
its performance. If you set goals beforehand, you will know
your KPIs and be able to track them progressively.

G OA L S & ST R AT EGY 14
 Value
Proposition
What compensation will I offer? How much should I RECOMMENDED READING
pay influencers? There are varying models of influencer Influencer Marketing One-Pager
compensation to consider depending on your goals and 4 Ways to Incentivize Influencers
budget. The most common include:

_SAMPLING _FLEXIBLE PAYMENT _REVENUE SHARING

This is great for brand awareness Pay either per publication, by campaign This is when influencers receive a
and ROI since products have a high or based on performance. When it percentage of the sales they make. This
perceived value but lower monetary comes to paid campaigns, the most is appealing for influencers who can
cost to the brand. popular influencer budget is between earn more than they might make with a
$1,000 – $10,000, followed by $100,000 one-off payment and smart for brands
– $500,000, meaning it’s a valuable since compensation depends on results.
strategy for both small and large
brands.

G OA L S & ST R AT EGY 15
 MEANINGFUL VALUE PROPOSITIONS
+ MORE AUTHENTIC PARTNERSHIPS
= BETTER ROI
A convincing value proposition is a win-win for everyone:
It should incentivize influences to become long-
term collaborators, while maximizing campaign ROI.
We recommend brands craft mixed offers for more
meaningful partnerships.

G OA L S & ST R AT EGY 17
 Influencer
Marketing
on a budget

Nano and micro-influencers often Nurturing long-term partnerships Influencers like money but they
agree to cheaper rates or free is conducive to mixed value offers also value working with brands
collaborations in exchange for which helps keep costs low and that they like and respect. That’s
product samples. results in better, more genuine why influencers who already love
collaboration. your brand require less monetary
incentive to accept a partnership.

RECOMMENDED READING
Influencer Marketing Ebook
The Essential Guide to Planning Your Influencer Marketing Budget

G OA L S & ST R AT EGY 18
 How many When you’re starting off it’s a good idea to hire a larger
volume of smaller influencers to manage your budget
and identify the best ones for future partnerships.
influencers Keep in mind: not everyone you reach out to will be able

should I recruit?
to participate in the campaign. A good rule of thumb is
to contact 10x the number of influencers you actually
want to work with!

G OA L S & ST R AT EGY 19
 Which social
channels will reach
my audience?
The goal is to find the platform where your target audience and your
industry niche intersect!
FIRST NEXT

Consider your industry as a whole: Use knowledge about your target

Where are the most important audience (age range, gender,
conversations happening online? interests, values) to concentrate
What content-type corresponds the influencer activities where they’ll be
best with your campaign goals? most effective. For example, food
and fashion brands are well-suited
TOP TIP to Instagram, while tech brands work
best on YouTube or Twitch.
Experiment with a combination of
channels and formats because social
media trends can change rapidly.

G OA L S & ST R AT EGY 20
 When should
I reach out to
influencers?
Typically, you can expect campaigns to take a
minimum of 8 weeks.

Though, it’s smart to plan as far out as possible. In reality,

we’re talking months. Especially for seasonal campaigns
if you want to guarantee that your influencers will be
available at the right moment or if you want to work with
top influencers who often plan their content months ahead.
Don’t forget to factor in time for negotiation too!

G OA L S & ST R AT EGY 21
Influencer
Campaign Timeline

G OA L S & ST R AT EGY 22
 CHAPTER THREE

INFLUENCER
SELECTION
 Understanding
influencer types
In chapter one, you learned that influence is contextual to specific domains. In chapter two, we emphasized the
importance of goals and strategy. Now, it’s time to combine those two lessons and identify the right influencers.
Campaign outcomes (and budgets) are dependent on a multitude of factors ranging from an influencer’s content
creation skills to their community size and perceived authenticity. Based on trends observed among hundreds of
thousands of profiles, it is possible to identify seven types of influencers:

Nano Micro Organic Key Opinion Rising Mega Celebrity

Leaders

Each type comes with unique advantages (and drawbacks!) but once goals and budget have been established,
selecting the influencer category you need is intuitive!

I N F LU E N C E R S E L EC T I O N 24
 Nano WHO ARE THEY

Influencers _1,000 - 5,000 followers

_Most active on Instagram, Facebook and Linkedin.

Nano influencers aren’t professional creators, but will promote

brands (and causes) they genuinely love, usually in exchange
for free products or samples.

WH Y WO R K WI T H T H E M?

_High engagement rates

_Genuine affinity with your brand
_Cost-effective partnerships
PERFECT FIT FOR
_Local, national brand awareness.
TOP TIP
_Event promotion
_Promoting seasonal product lines Try Upfluence’s Influencer Matching Tool to identify
nano influencers in your customer database.

I N F LU E N C E R S E L EC T I O N 25
 Micro WHO ARE THEY

Influencers _5,000 - 15,000 followers

_Most active on Instagram

Micro influencers are like mini community managers: they

cultivate engaged audiences around a shared interest. Micro
influencers will work with brands in order to create highly
relevant, authentic content for their tight-knit audience.

WH Y WO R K WI T H T H E M?

_High engagement rates

_Highly targeted, niche audiences
_Genuine affinity with your brand

PERFECT FIT FOR _Cost-effective partnerships

_Brand awareness
_Product reviews
_Product how-tos RECOMMENDED READING
_Niche product launch How Micro-influencers can transform your business

I N F LU E N C E R S E L EC T I O N 26
 Organic WHO ARE THEY

Influencers Organic influence goes beyond their number of followers.

These are individuals who are already part of your
brand community, such as customers. They can use their
valuable social reach to promote your brand, usually in
exchange for products or exclusive brand benefits. Their
organic affinity with brands helps them to create truly
authentic content.

WH Y WO R K WI T H T H E M?

_Reach your target customer demographic

_Genuine affinity with your brand
_Authentic content creation
PERFECT FIT FOR _Cost-effective partnerships
_Brand awareness
_Product reviews
_Product how-tos
_Referral marketing

I N F LU E N C E R S E L EC T I O N 27
 Key Opinion WHO ARE THEY

Leaders (KOLs)
_5K - 500K followers
_Most active on Linkedin, Twitter and blogs.

KOLs are influential individuals with specialist knowledge

on particular topics. They are seen as a trusted source
of information by those in their industry and can boost
brand credibility through partnerships. Examples of KOLs
include authors, academics, politicians and entrepreneurs.
They’ll be actively creating content on social media and
via other industry media outlets.

WH Y WO R K WI T H T H E M?

_Raise brand awareness

_Boost brand credibility
_Specialist knowledge makes impactful content
PERFECT FIT FOR
_Thought leadership
TOP TIP
_B2B partnerships
_Brand awareness Work with KOLs on industry related news articles and
_Event promotion opinion pieces for maximum exposure.

I N F LU E N C E R S E L EC T I O N 28
 Rising Star WHO ARE THEY

Influencers _100K - 500K followers

_Most active on Instagram, YouTube & TikTok.

Rising star influencers have a large following, showing their

mass appeal. They have a well established influencer status,
collaborating with brands to reach a wide audience with
broad interests. They choose to work with brands from a
variety of industries.

WH Y WO R K WI T H T H E M?

_Raise brand awareness

_Boost sales
_Reach new audiences
_Build your brand’s social presence

PERFECT FIT FOR

TOP TIP
_National/Regional awareness
Get the most from your partnerships with rising star
_Driving web traffic
influencers and try launching a campaign on TikTok, a
_Product launch
channel known for its high engagement rates.

I N F LU E N C E R S E L EC T I O N 29
 Mega WHO ARE THEY

_500K+ followers

Influencers _Most active on Instagram, YouTube & TikTok.

Mega influencers can help brands to scale their campaigns

and reach large audiences. They are professional social media
influencers looking to provide value for their audiences, so
will choose brand partnerships strategically. They are expert
content creators and some have launched their own brands
and merchandise.

WH Y WO R K WI T H T H E M?

_Content creation expertise

_Wide audience reach
_Raise brand awarness

TOP TIP
C A M PA I G N I D E A S
Ensure your value proposition is appealing to mega
_Ad Campaigns
influencers who might not have heard of your brand.
_Driving web traffic
Revenue sharing campaigns are appealing as mega
_Affiliate campaigns
influencers have the chance to earn more than a one-
off fee.

I N F LU E N C E R S E L EC T I O N 30
 Celebrity
WHO ARE THEY

_1M+ followers

Influencers _Most active on Instagram and Twitter.

Celebrities are a unique influencer tier as they have a

global reach and are well-known beyond their social media
presence. They are very aware of their public image and will
choose brand partnerships and causes to support in line
with their own values.

WH Y WO R K WI T H T H E M?

_Global brand awareness

_Mass-market product promotion
_Build brand image & reputation
_Celebrity endorsement boosts sales

TOP TIP
PERFECT FIT FOR
Celebrities are likely to be highly solicited and are
_Large scale ad campaigns
often busy traveling and promoting their own activities.
_Brand ambassador
They will be more likely to accept partnerships from
_Sponsored content
well-known brands, or brands/causes they have a
_Event host or patron
personal connection to.

I N F LU E N C E R S E L EC T I O N 31
 Tips for choosing
influencers
Data is key!

_EVALUATE THEIR ENGAGEMENT RATE

ER = (number of engagements / number of followers) x 100
Engagement rate varies across influencer types but also by industry niche and platform.

_PAY ATTENTION TO THE QUALITY OF COMMENTS

Look out for fake followers and bots commenting on their content.

_EVALUATE THEIR AUDIENCE

Check their percentage of real followers. Influencer demographic doesn’t always match audience
demographic. Does the age/gender/location of their audience correspond with your campaign goals?

_AVOID SATURATION
Saturation Rate is the ratio of organic content to paid content on an influencer’s profile. So if saturation
rate = +50% that means the influencer posts more ads than organic posts! A high saturation rate =
lower engagement rates.

I N F LU E N C E R S E L EC T I O N 32
 How to activate
influential customers as
brand ambassadors?
Sit back and let Upfluence find your most influential
customers.

With Upfluence Live Capture, it is possible to match your customers

against the most comprehensive database of influencers on the
market. Create influencer cohorts based on engagement rates,
purchase data, date of last order, and more. Then, leverage your
influential customers’ organic brand affinity for activations such as
product giveaways or affiliate campaigns.

RECOMMENDED READING
Organic influencers: they’re closer than you think
The secrets to success with brand ambassadors

I N F LU E N C E R S E L EC T I O N
 Influencer
selection resources
EBOOK C H E AT S H E E T

A Complete Guide to Essential Cheat Sheet for

Understanding Influencer Types Choosing the Right Influencers

Read now Read now

B LO G B LO G

Upfluence Integrations: Real vs. Fake Followers: Free

Uncovering your best influencers Tool to Detect Fake Followers

Read now
Read now

I N F LU E N C E R S E L EC T I O N 34
 CHAPTER FOUR

INFLUENCER
OUTREACH
 Outreach:
Best Practices

H OW D O YO U A P P R OAC H I N F L U E N C E R S A B O U T P R O M OT I N G YO U R B R A N D ?

In the first email, you should initiate a relationship and Know what you’re willing to offer as compensation –
spark the influencers’ interest. Do your research and either the payment amount, the revenue-sharing model
personalize the outreach as much as possible. Including or the exact products you will send. To avoid offering too
their real name and using specific examples of what much or too little, skip to Tips for Successful Negotiations
you like about the influencer’s work will increase interest. (p.46). You can choose to send the campaign brief in
What is your brand’s value proposition? This should be your first outreach email or wait until the influencers
clear on your end before reaching out. respond with their interest. Either works!

I N F LU E N C E R OU T R E AC H 36
How to formulate your
Outreach Email

RECOMMENDED READING
Influencer Marketing Blog
How to Master Influencer Outreach + Outreach templates

I N F LU E N C E R OU T R E AC H 37
 What is an
Influencer Brief?
An influencer brief is a document (usually a PDF If you want customers to fall in love with your brand, make
attachment) which contains a set of clear instructions so sure the influencers fall in love with you first!
the influencer can carry out the campaign as planned.
A great campaign brief leaves the influencer some room
In addition to being informative, it should also get the for creative freedom. The beauty of working with an
influencer excited about your brand, the campaign and influencer is that they know their audience better than
their role. Make it stand out. anyone, so enter each partnership with an open mind.

I N F LU E N C E R OU T R E AC H 38
 How to create an
Influencer Brief
Here’s an overview of the essential elements to include in your influencer brief. Get into action with our influencer brief
template when you’re ready to start writing the brief for your next campaign!

1. COMPANY BIO 2. CAMPAIGN SUMMARY

Introduce influencers to the brand. What are your A concise overview of the campaign (one or two sentences).
values? What does your company bring to the public? What is the campaign for? What is being promoted? Is it a
Why should they work with you? Include social media launch? Is this a holiday campaign? A giveaway?
account links, photos of your brand, products, and past
collaborations. Be visual!

I N F LU E N C E R OU T R E AC H 39
3. DETAILS OF CONTENT EXECUTION

Now that the influencers have a brief understanding of _Social Media Platform, Content type and # of posts.
the campaign, you can present instructions for content _Content expectations.
production. You should include all of the following points _Campaign hashtags and brand handle to include.
in a straightforward way that’s easy to understand. Include (Don’t forget #ad in order to comply with FTC’s influencer
any additional resources they’ll need to be able to carry marketing guidelines!)
out the campaign. _Call to Action. (Is there a link to your website or product
page that influencers can include?)
_Date/time of publications. Other campaign information:
Giveaway rules, event dress code, etc.

I N F LU E N C E R OU T R E AC H 40
 4. MOODBOARD & MESSAGING
These inspirational tools are additional means of conveying
your objectives to the influencer so that their content is in
line with your brand’s voice and aesthetics.

5. GOALS
You don’t have to explicitly state the exact amount of clicks
or likes but rather an objective, i.e. “The campaign goal
is to increase brand awareness, we’re hoping to grow our
following on Instagram.”

6. PAYMENT TERMS
_Compensation type (Flat amount, commissions, product
details if sampling, etc.)
_Payment method
_Payment date
_Payment terms and conditions

I N F LU E N C E R OU T R E AC H
 What are
Contracts are becoming more common as IM standardizes
and that’s a good thing! These written agreements
between brands and influencers ensure you get the content

influencer contracts you need on time, and the influencers get the agreed-upon
compensation.

and why are they You will find that most influencers expect a contract
nowadays, like freelancers. So don’t be intimidated – a

important? good contract will help establish terms, reduce risks

and set the foundation for a transparent, professional
partnership.

You can send the contract along with the brief or later on
if the campaign involves more complex terms. This might
include negotiation around content ownership (whether
your brand can use the influencers’ content for other
marketing purposes) and exclusivity (influencers can’t work
with your competitors while working with you).

I N F LU E N C E R OU T R E AC H 42
 How to create an
influencer contract

43
44
 RECOMMENDED READING
Influencer Marketing Blog
Your Top Questions About Influencer Contracts (+ How to Create One)

I N F LU E N C E R OU T R E AC H 45
 Negotiations
T I P S F O R S U C C E S S F U L N E G O T I AT I O N

Be the first to mention a price in understand influencers’ costs when same price or lower the price for less
your outreach. (Don’t wait for them to making your offer. Take into account content.
set a price). factors like location (you can expect
influencers who live in big cities to Aim for mutually beneficial
Offering a small upfront payment cost more), industry, brand affinity partnerships which balance the
for signing on is a way to recruit more as well as campaign variables such amount of effort needed from the
effectively. as length and equipment required. influencer with the compensation
they’ll receive.
There’s no ‘official’ rate for Offer rejected? Negotiate for
influencer content, so try your best to different kinds of content with the

I N F LU E N C E R OU T R E AC H 46
 W H AT N O T D O T O

Don’t approach without a clear collaboration in Don’t burn bridges by being pushy or rude. The
mind. If you don’t share enough details, influencers rule of thumb is that if you find yourself negotiating too
cannot make an informed decision about the price. much, then it’s better to walk away and find a better
match for your budget. Just thank them and let them
Don’t compare prices. There is no use comparing one know you’ll keep them in mind for the future.
influencer’s price to another.
TOP TIP

Don’t go over your budget just because an influencer Use the Upfluence price prediction tool to help guide you! It’s

is trending. an informed starting point but feel free to deviate by creating

mixed-value offers (for example, payment and sampling).

I N F LU E N C E R OU T R E AC H 47
 Payment
T I P S F O R I N F L U E N C E R PAY M E N T

Wire transfer, Paypal and samples are commonly Stay within the law! Currently, W-9s are necessary
accepted by influencers. for labor & services more than +$600. Upfluence
automatically generates these forms.
Paying influencers abroad? Or many at once? Be
prepared. With Upfluence software you can make Pure product sampling. Upfluence software offers
payments directly from the platform to over 200 the possibility to send product samples as compensation
countries & in 135 currencies. in bulk and does not force payment like other platforms.

I N F LU E N C E R OU T R E AC H 48
 CHAPTER FIVE

INFLUENCER
CAMPAIGN TYPES
 Product
Sampling
W H AT I T I S ?

All of these content-types generate powerful brand awareness

and valuable content that can be reused in many contexts.
Product sampling facilitates content such as product reviews, how-to, unboxing and
giveaways.
_A product review is when an influencer produces an honest review about their
experience with the product.
_A demo is when an influencer demonstrates the product for their audience.
_An unboxing is when an influencer ‘unboxes’ a new product on camera and walks the
audience through the features. Example : Unboxing the iMac / Unboxing Chanel
_A giveaway is when you send the influencer products that they will then give away to
their audience in the form of a contest.

I N F LU E N C E R C A M PA I G N T Y P E S 50
H OW TO I M P L E M E N T I T ?

_You can either propose a specific product or let the influencer pick one that interests
their audience.
_It’s important to share lots of details about the products to get them excited and make
sure they’re informed about what they’ll be promoting. Always be transparent.
_There is a chance that an influencer might not like your product. However, you can
mitigate this by careful vetting & hiring organic influencers who already like your brand.
_This is best suited to industries such as beauty, fashion, travel & leisure, luxury and
technology.

TOP TIP

Sampling campaigns can generate sales! Just provide the influencer with an affiliate link or exclusive
discount that they can share along with the review.
Sampling 2.0 : non-monetary compensation can take many forms. Do you have VIP benefits, event
invites or experiences that you can offer influencers for stand-out content?

I N F L E U N C E R C A M PA I G N T Y P E S 51
 Paid
Campaigns
W H AT I T I S ?

There are two kinds of paid campaigns: sponsored content &

revenue-sharing.
_Sponsored content is when an influencer receives a payment in exchange for a “one-off”
action like mentioning your brand, sharing an ad or making content.
_Revenue-sharing is when influencers are paid according to the number of sales
they generate (also known as affiliate marketing). It’s good for sales and long-term
partnerships.

RECOMMENDED READING
Influencer Marketing Ebook
The Ultimate Guide to Boosting Shopify Sales with Influencers

I N F LU E N C E R C A M PA I G N T Y P E S 52
H OW TO I M P L E M E N T I T ?

_The beauty of sponsored content is that it’s simple and scalable. Everything happens
online so it’s easy to attribute conversions.
_With revenue-sharing we recommend assigning your influencer a unique affiliate code
and link which they can share in their bio and in their content. The influencer’s affiliate
code will be used by customers at checkout and affiliate links (made with unique UTMs)
track the traffic that is directed to your website from the influencer’s content. Combined,
you maintain a clear vision of each influencer’s performance.

TOP TIP

Of course, affiliate codes work best when paired with special deals (a.k.a. promo codes) which offer
a % or $ discount. You can collaborate with the influencer to know what promos will interest their
followers the most. This is a great option for eCommerce and direct-to-consumer brands who may
be working with many influencers at a time to leverage different product categories.

I N F LU E N C E R C A M PA I G N T Y P E S 53
 Seasonal
Campaigns
W H AT I T I S ?

_Activating influencers during a holiday season to make the most of increased consumer
spending.
_After all, people turn to friends, family and the internet for recommendations (and
online shopping!) leading up to holidays. In fact, 49% of consumers depend on influencer
recommendations for making purchases during the holidays.

RECOMMENDED READING Influencer Marketing Webinar

Influencer Marketing Ebook Working With Influencers During the Holiday Season: Campaign Best Practices
Plan the Perfect Influencer Holiday Campaign & Tips For Success

I N F LU E N C E R C A M PA I G N T Y P E S 54
H OW TO I M P L E M E N T I T ?

_Make sure to plan content around key dates such as Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and
Giving Tuesday. Although most holiday campaigns will run through December, use these
opportunities in November to launch limited-time offers to build momentum in the run-up
to the holidays.
_Reach out in advance to influencers; and cast the net extra wide because it’s likely that
some influencers may already be booked.

TOP TIP

Consider launching a new seasonal product line, creating a gift-guide, or using storytelling to
create an entertaining campaign to feature your products. Think of ways that you can incorporate
your brand into one of the many narratives around the holiday to provide users with a more
immersive brand experience!

I N F LU E N C E R C A M PA I G N T Y P E S 55
Product Launch
Collaborations
W H AT I T I S ?

_During these campaigns, brands take into account the influencer’s input for either the
development of a new product or project.
_Letting the influencer take on a bigger role inspires trust in the eyes of consumers and
makes for truly authentic partnerships.
_Collaborating with influencers in a greater capacity is also productive for brands. By
including them in the creative process, you may just come up with an even better concept
than you could on your own!

RECOMMENDED READING
Influencer Marketing Infographic
A guide for launching a new product online - 6 steps to eCommerce success

I N F LU E N C E R C A M PA I G N T Y P E S 56
H OW TO I M P L E M E N T I T ?

_Brand compatibility is everything. This is a job for long-term brand ambassadors with a
mass appeal which you’ve already had success with in the past.
_You’re going to need pretty robust contracts since partner exclusivity, content ownership,
intellectual property and confidentiality are extremely important.
_This kind of campaign is well-suited for consumer product industries like beauty, health
or fashion. Although, for more technical brands it can be a smart move to collaborate
with a Key Opinion Leader on a design concept, sustainability innovation or editorial/
artistic project to highlight their expertise and win their hard-earned approval.

TOP TIP

Influencers who’ve been involved in product creation should play an important role in launching the
product by creating teaser content for social media or attending a launch event. They’re also likely to
promote the collaboration organically to their network to show off their new skills in product design.

I N F LU E N C E R C A M PA I G N T Y P E S 57
Pro-bono
Campaigns
W H AT I T I S ?

_A pro-bono campaign is when an influencer and a brand (or non-profit) come together
for a charitable cause. Pro-bono campaigns have altruistic calls-to-action such as raising
money, spreading awareness or challenging audiences to complete an action.
_Influencers, much like brands, want to use their platforms for good. Nowadays more
than ever, social media has become a tool for activism. That’s why collaborating for
a cause is a great way to build real rapport with audiences and gain the respect of
implicated creators.

RECOMMENDED READING
Influencer Marketing Case Study
How UNICEF and WHO supported over 800,000 parents during the COVID-19
pandemic through collaborations with 30 creators in just 4 weeks

I N F LU E N C E R C A M PA I G N T Y P E S 58
H OW TO?

_It’s essential that your ‘cause’ corresponds with your brand values and identity. What’s
the logical connection between the cause and you?
_Pro-bono campaigns are extra effective when they’re timed correctly (for example, Earth
day is a good time to collaborate on a mission to reduce plastic).
_Since pro-bono campaigns are on a volunteer-basis, it’s important to contact relevant
influencers that you think would be particularly sensitive to the cause. The more targeted
your influencer identification is, the better! Try using very specific search terms and
browsing content in Upfluence’s search engine to find the right advocates.

TOP TIP

Make a press release. These kinds of initiatives are great for brand awareness as they attract
traditional press coverage which will positively impact your SEO. For extra media value, make a case
study to show the impact of the campaign and share it on your social media channels and website.

I N F LU E N C E R C A M PA I G N T Y P E S 59
 CHAPTER SIX

MEASURING
SUCCESS
 Key performance
indicators
The first step, covered in chapter one, is setting campaign goals so you know which
performance metrics you’ll be measuring. Based on your campaign objectives,
performance metrics can either be monetary or non-monetary.

Brand awareness campaigns focus on the overall reach of the content and the
engagements it produced; indicators of success could be:

Post performance & visibility CTR (Click through rate) Number of clicks divided
(impressions, engagement, saves, shares). by impressions.

Owned media growth: A spike in new User generated content: Positive reviews on your
followers, web traffic, subscribers. products, brand mentions, hashtag use.

M E A SU R I N G S U CC E S S 61
For sales and product launches, conversions are tangible actions (that directly or
indirectly generate revenue) such as…

Sales, subscriptions, downloads, new Promo code use and traffic from
leads or newsletter sign-ups. affiliate links.

H OW D O YO U M E A S U R E T H E S E K P I S ?

Brand awareness metrics are available within Upfluence software (via our social listening
and campaign reporting tools). Sales can also be tracked with Upfluence’s eCommerce
integrations with Shopify & WooCommerce which allows for native promotional codes to
be generated and assigned to each of the ambassadors you manage within Upfluence.
The sales results will be collected all in one place for easier ROI. For affiliate links, we
recommend using UTMs and Google analytics!

RECOMMENDED READING
Influencer Marketing Blog
A Complete Guide to Influencer Marketing KPIs

M E A SU R I N G S U CC E S S 62
Calculating Return
on Investment
Next, you can determine ROI in relation to the campaign’s performance:
be it content or conversions.

U N D E R S TA N D I N G R O I

_ROI is a means of determining profitability. ROI is calculated by taking

the turnover (for example, profit from sales made with promo codes) then
subtracting the cost of investment (i.e. influencer costs, technology, employee
hours, discounts, samples) and, finally, dividing it (your net return) by the cost
of investment.

ROI = (turnover – budget) / (budget)

For sales campaigns, this method is crystal clear!

Ex: You make $3000 from promo code uses but you invested $1000 into the campaign. The net return is
$2000. Your ROI is $2 earned for every $1 spent.

M E A SU R I N G S U CC E S S 63
U N D E R S TA N D I N G M E D I A VA L U E

What about when the “turnover” isn’t monetary but rather a click or a follow? The classic ROI
formula works for many content-marketing KPIs: for example, marketers often calculate the cost
per impression, cost per download, CPC (cost per click), etc.

Ex: 500 new followers / 2 videos worth $800 = $1.60 per

Brand awareness and engagement stats are one way to show content ROI. Track growth of
subscribers, fans, and followers on each platform. This is useful because while they may be at
the very beginning of your sales funnel, followers who engage with you online could become
customers one day with the right nurturing!

? DID YOU KNOW?

Leaders in content marketing experience 7.8 times more website traffic than non-leaders.
Content Marketing Institute.

M E A SU R I N G S U CC E S S 64
T H E B I G G E R P I C T U R E : C USTOM E R ACQ U I S I T I O N COST S

But what does a new follower actually do for your Ex: If directly after the videos are posted, there are 50
brand? Is paying $1.60 per new follower a good new customers then CAC is calculated as $800 / 50
deal? While engagement plays an important role in customers = the cost of customer acquisition is $16.
determining campaign success, marketers need more
to prove that their efforts are worth it. That’s why we Next you want to take the total revenue generated during
recommend calculating the customer acquisition cost in the same period and divide that by the total number of
addition to media value! customers acquired in order to establish what the average
customer spent with the business. Then, compare your
To calculate CAC, take your total content marketing CAC to the average revenue per customer to calculate
costs and divide it by the total number of customers your profit and your content’s ROI.
that were acquired during that period.

M E A SU R I N G S U CC E S S 65
ADDITIONAL TIPS

Depending on the average revenue per Track progressively & optimize. While it’s
customer, the CAC will be more or less justifiable tempting to create a content plan and calendar and
for different brands. Take the previous case for let your chosen influencers run with it, this doesn’t
example: $16 per customer is a great margin if the always lead to the best ROI. Just like any other
average purchase of that customer is $200. Though, online campaign, it’s important to measure success
the performance of this same campaign would not progressively so you can optimize when necessary in
be as profitable for a small brand whose average real time!
customer spends $20.
Maximize ROI by reusing influencer content. The
Share your KPIs with your influencers. Make
next chapter will show you how!
sure that your influencers are clear on what is
expected of them and how you will be measuring
the success of your campaigns.

M E A SU R I N G S U CC E S S 66
 CHAPTER SEVEN

G etting the most from

your influencer campaigns
 How to amplify
influencer content

Unlike other forms of marketing, influencer-generated

content (IGC) is extremely versatile. You can extend
campaigns and maximize their value by reusing influencer
content as part of paid social media ads, organic brand
social media content, and much more.

G E T T I N G T H E MOST F RO M YOU R I N F LU E N C E R C A M PA I G N S 68
BRANDED CONTENT

Get the most from IGC by sharing it via your brand’s own communication channels whether that
be online, offline, paid or organic. Your creativity is the limit! Remember to obtain content ownership
beforehand (learn more about contracts in Chapter 4). Here are some strategies to amplify branded IGC:

_SHARING TO OWNED CHANNELS _CROSS MEDIA

Quickly & easily amplify influencer content by Repurposing a blogger’s photography in a
sharing it via your brand’s social channels. print catalogue.

_RUN AS PAID ADS _SOCIAL PROOF

Reusing IGC in paid ads saves time & resources Adding an influencer’s creative product
on content creation. demo to an e-commerce page.

_SHARE ACROSS PLATFORMS _EVERGREEN CONTENT

Re-uploading an influencer’s Instagram reel as An influencer’s gift guide could be shared
brand content on TikTok. every holiday season.

G E T T I N G T H E MOST F RO M YOU R I N F LU E N C E R C A M PA I G N S 69
WHITELISTING

Put simply, whitelisting is process where brands are granted access to run paid advertising campaigns through their
influencers’ social media accounts.

_BETTER ADS _BETTER ROI _BETTER PARTNERSHIPS

Whitelisting permits the advertiser to Leveraging top-quality influencer Whitelisting guarantees that your
post ads from within the influencer’s content (as opposed to corporate, IGC will go further and repeat more
account: this means they get full brand-owned content) as part of your often: strengthening your message
control over ad targeting, permitting social ad strategy promises better ad and leading to more conversions.
A/B testing, massive scaling and performance and maximizes the value Influencers also benefit as their
the possibility to target “lookalike” of your initial investment. posts reach new audiences (without
audiences from the creator’s page. saturating their profile with sponsored
content).

16 70
 Tips for
whitelisting
Create ‘dark posts’ which don’t appear in your influencer’s feed as a way to avoid over-
saturation and use any unused content from your influencer campaigns.

Prioritize your top-performing influencers for whitelisting so your ads will deliver the
best results.

Make sure you have a good working relationship before starting out with whitelisting, it
needs both parties to have mutual trust!

Include a whitelisting clause in the contract to make sure your influencer agrees to
whitelisting up-front and grants all the necessary permissions.

RECOMMENDED READING
Influencer Marketing Ebook
Whitelisting Influencer Content: A step-by-step
guide for Instagram, Facebook, TikTok & YouTube

G E T T I N G T H E MOST F RO M YOU R I N F LU E N C E R C A M PA I G N S 71
 Conclusion Now you’re equipped with in-depth knowledge of what makes a
successful influencer marketing strategy! We’ve taken you through
the A to Z of planning an influencer campaign, from goal-setting,
recruitment, outreach, campaign creation, performance tracking and
amplification. The ultimate tip to remember is to keep this guide safe
and refer back to it when you need to.

SPEAK WITH AN EXPERT

If you’d like to learn more, our team is on-hand to answer your

questions about:

_Influencer marketing strategy

_Influencer marketing for eCommerce

_Influencer campaign management

Book your call

CO N C LUS I O N 72
 J O I N OV E R 160 0 + H A P P Y C USTOM E R S
Build authentic influencer partnerships by activating your network
with Upfluence. Streamline outreach, campaign management
and reporting with a host of integrations. Deliver the highest ROI
with a unique software offering tailored to eCommerce success.

www.upfluence.com [email protected]