What Makes A Winning Influencer Marketing Strategy?

Here's our guide to building the best influencer marketing strategy for your brand—on any budget.

Just like building an influencer program for your brand, there is no single formula that determines a successful influencer marketing strategy. Instead, good strategies depend on a range of factors unique to the brand: its budget and size, the sophistication of its influencer program, and the types of influencers the brand is seeking to partner with.

There are, however, several general principles that your brand can follow to set yourself up for effective, dynamic influencer marketing strategies. We’ve outlined the most important of those guidelines here, with a set of high-level rules applicable for any brand, regardless of your previous experience with influencer programs.

Influencer Marketing Strategy #1: Aim for Authenticity

While partnerships and content can always be purchased, what you can’t buy is authenticity—the true, unbought passion an influencer has for a product or brand. Brands should pursue relationships with influencers who share their values, and who will advocate for their products with genuine enthusiasm. A small-scale influencer who makes for a natural pairing with your brand can prove more fruitful than a sponsored partnership with a more prominent influencer.

Source: @vivianeaudi via Instagram

Influencer Marketing Strategy #2: Engage Influencers Consistently

No matter the scale or budget of their influencer activations, your brand should make sure to reach out to their influencers frequently and thoughtfully. Establishing a regular cadence of communication will help set the tone for a strong brand-influencer relationship. Furnishing consistent influencers with numerous opportunities for content creation will drive additional, organic earned media for your brand later on in the partnership process!

Source: @benefitcosmetics via Instagram

Influencer Marketing Strategy #3: Put the Influencer First (and Your Brand Second)

While the best brand-influencer partnerships are mutually beneficial, all of your collaborations should prioritize the needs of the influencer, especially early on. By granting influencers agency and empowerment, as well as by offering personal touches in their outreach, you’ll be better positioned to lock in long-term loyalty and establish generative relationships. As your brand grows more robust in your influencer marketing program, you can offer influencers more pronounced benefits, including opportunities for professional development.

Source: @jackieaina via Instagram

Influencer Marketing Strategy #4: Make Sure There’s Flair

Product sends, brunches, and meet-and-greets can all be deployed effectively, but what’s most important is that your brand’s activations stand out from the pack. Regardless of the size or scope of your planned events, make sure to arm your activations with a highly visual, brand-focused, and Insta-worthy design. The more memorable the experience, the more interesting and re-shareable content your influencers will create.

Source: @milkmakeup via Instagram

Influencer Marketing Strategy #5: Repeat, Repeat, Repeat

While this advice may seem obvious, a great deal of influencer marketing strategies often fail to incorporate these basic tenets. Brands that prioritize authenticity, frequency, influencer needs, and visual flair can quickly set themselves apart, resulting in stronger influencer partnerships and increased earned media. To delve even deeper into the world of influencer marketing strategies, and for more how-to advice, check out our other blog articles, or request a demo of our software to begin building your influencer program now.

For vertical-specific insights into trends in earned media value, read our Haircare, Skincare, Fragrance Toolkits! 

Ready to take your influencer marketing program to the next level? Get a demo of Tribe Dynamics' platform to find out how!