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Influencer Marketing - our extensive guide

As you scroll through your feed, you keep coming across products that spark your interest - usually presented by well-known influencers who seem more credible to you than celebrities in conventional adverts. What you see is also known as successful influencer marketing. We have summarised the most important facts about influencer marketing for you down below!

What exactly is influencer marketing? What kind of influencer types are there? Different types of marketing 4 advantages of influencer marketing Different types of influencer marketing Platforms for influencer advertising 7 crucial steps for your next influencer marketing campaign How do I pick the right influencers? How much do influencers cost? Influencer marketing tools 3 influencer advertising no-gos Legal aspects of influencer marketing Risks & challenges UGC creator or influencer? Conclusion

What exactly is influencer marketing?

Influencer marketing is a form of social media marketing in which brands work with high-reach individuals - known as influencers - to promote products authentically. The aim is to gain the trust of an influencer's community and thus positively influence purchasing decisions.

This is because influencers appear more credible and often reach a highly engaging target group through their content on platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, YouTube or Pinterest.

What kind of influencers are there?

In order to use influencer marketing as a successful growth lever, you should be aware of all the special features of the different influencer types:

Nano influencer (1.000 - 10.000 followers)

With the lowest number of followers, nano-influencers have a manageable reach. However, the social contact with their community is all the closer. This is particularly valuable when promoting niche products, for example.

Micro influencer (10.000 - 50.000 followers)

Micro influencers also maintain an overview: Thanks to their relatively small number of followers, they often have higher engagement rates, which indicates a closer bond and more trust between the influencer and the community.

Mid-tier-influencers (50.000 - 500.000 followers)

These influencers already have a larger reach. They have usually invested a lot of time in growing their community - which is why their content is all the more sophisticated and qualitative.

Macro influencer (500.000 – 1.000.000 followers)

Macro-influencers are content creators with a large reach. They are usually professional influencers with years of experience, celebrities or creators with strong growth and national recognition.

Mega influencers (1.000.000+ followers)

With more than a million followers, they have already achieved celebrity status on social media and are correspondingly active there. Their enormous reach makes them very attractive for companies - but also more expensive.

Different types of marketing

We have a brief overview for you right here, so that you don't get confused by all the terminology:

Social media marketing

The umbrella term for everything that brands do on social networks - from posts and stories to ads and community building.

Content marketing

Here, the company itself creates content - for example explanatory videos, blog posts or reels - to reach the target group and build trust.

Influencer marketing

Brands work with influencers who use their reach and standing to place products authentically with their community.

UGC marketing

User-generated content - e.g. reviews, experience reports or TikToks - help to present the brand credibly and achieve more engagement.

4 major advantages of influencer marketing

#1: Promote brand awareness

Almost half of the world's population now uses social networks. This makes it all the more obvious that these platforms can provide access to an enormously large audience. Influencer marketing is therefore a very effective way to quickly boost your brand awareness.

#2: Accelerate purchase decisions & increase sales

Another advantage of influencer marketing is the increased willingness of followers to buy. One study showed that as many as 80% of users bought products based on recommendations from influencers.

#3: Convincing advertising

Influencers give your product a face - and above all a personality. With their own values, emotions and their own personal story, they can market the product to their established community more authentically than a conventional advert could.

#4: Saves time & costs

A clear advantage: Outsourcing your marketing saves you a lot of time. And you don't even have to dig deep into your pockets when working with micro-influencers. Of course, you can still achieve significant success with your marketing campaign!

Different types of influencer marketing

There are many ways in which cooperations with influencers can be organised - here are a few examples:

Givaway campaigns

Givaway campaigns are probably one of the most common influencer campaigns you will find on social media due to their simplicity and mutual benefit. Influencers receive products from their cooperation partners that they can give away to their community. Competitions, giveaways and discount codes attract attention and can lead to higher sales figures if there is no profit.

Unboxings & Tutorials

In unboxing campaigns or tutorials, a company gives its influencers products as gifts. In return, they record an unboxing video or share their experiences on their social media channels. Gifts of this kind can also be an excellent start to a long-term collaboration between brand and influencer!

Sponsored posts

Sponsored social media posts are simple and straightforward: Influencers are sponsored by a brand to create promotional content and post it on their social media channels. Goodies such as discount codes can also be used here.

Stories

Stories on Instagram, Facebook or other social media platforms also have an enormous marketing potential. Influencers can increase interaction with their users and integrate surveys, chat functions or product links.

The following platforms are great for influencer advertising

Of course, Instagram is at the forefront here: one of the reasons for this is the fact that many different content formats are represented on the app. Whether it's an exciting video, an appealing photo or simply interesting stories - the possibilities are almost limitless and collaborations with influencers hve almost become a tradition for many companies. A Facebook study even showed that 81% of respondents like to browse Instagram before buying certain products and services.

TikTok reaches younger generations at a very high speed. The popular social media platform focusses on short videos that present content in a concise way. With the right influencer, you can quickly publicise your products here.

The video streaming platform YouTube is ideal for longer video formats. Product videos such as tutorials, product tests or unboxing videos are particularly well suited for it. The big advantage of YouTube: The videos are permanently available and do not have an expiration date like stories on Instagram, for example.

From video format to visual language: Pinterest is a visual search engine that allows users to browse based on their interests. The pure collection of ideas is also accompanied by a certain motivation to buy, which can be utilised by influencer marketing.

In this article, you will find more information on different types of creative and on which platforms you can best use them.

7 crucial steps for your next influencer marketing campaign

To achieve success with influencer marketing, you should think through and plan the following steps carefully:

  1. Determine your marketing goals

  2. Analyse the target group you want to reach

  3. Create a list of suitable influencers

  4. Conduct in-depth research on their content, values and followers

  5. Write a personal message if you're interested

  6. Create an effective collaboration through clear communication

  7. Measure & analyse your successes

How do I pick the right influencers?

Make sure that the influencer's goals match the values of your product and fit the brand. Choose wisely - it can be worth it! You should consider the following aspects when making your choice:

  • Marketing experience

  • Activity on social media, e.g. Instagram or TikTok

  • Authenticity & personality

  • Followers & reach

  • Knowledge of relevant product categories

It is important that the influencer fits your brand and industry. You can search for suitable influencers either on social media platforms or with the support of an influencer marketing agency.

How much do influencers cost?

The costs for influencer marketing vary greatly and depend on factors such as the number of followers, the platform, the quality and type of content as well as the duration and exclusivity of the collaboration. Pricing models such as the price per thousand contacts (CPM) and cost-per-engagement (CPE) can be used to calculate costs. Affiliate models in which the influencer participates in the sales of the advertised product are also possible.

The costs per post can vary greatly on different platforms, with YouTube and TikTok often being more expensive due to the higher video creation costs. Other cost factors include the credibility of the influencer, usage rights to the content and the terms of the collaboration. We have compiled more information about how much influencers cost in this article.

Influencer marketing tools

You can use some helpful tools to manage your influencer marketing effectively. IQCreator, for example, offers you holistic management. This platform not only helps you to find suitable influencers, but also to track your campaigns and your successes.

You can also use the Upfluence tool to network with advertising ambassadors from all over the world. It can support you in many areas of your marketing work, from researching and analysing target groups to measuring success.

The NeoReach tool offers you an intelligent search for influencers, as it uses artificial intelligence to learn from your research and provide you with more suitable results with every search.

As soon as you have found an influencer, you can get started with the integrated campaign management tools.

If you don't want to create your own content, you can find suitable content creators on Speekly. Simply create an order and receive customised UGC advertising - try it out!

Tip: To measure your success, you can use UTM parameters, which allow you to track traffic online. Simply put, UTM parameters are short pieces of code that you add to your link. The Hootsuite Composer tool can create these links for you automatically. Let's track success!

3 influencer marketing no-gos

Mistake #1: Impersonal influencer requests

Your chosen influencers also have the choice of deciding in your favour or rejecting the assignment. Therefore, convince them directly with a personal message during the first contact and emphasise why the values and goals of the respective influencer suit you best. Don't forget to introduce yourself and your product concisely.

Mistake #2: Trust is good, control is better

Influencers have their own tried and tested ideas. They have worked hard to earn their followers and credibility. Therefore, try to give them enough room for creativity as part of your collaboration. If you involve them in the planning and build a cooperation based on trust, great things can come out of your influencer advertising!

Mistake #3: Unclear communication

Despite the creative freedom you should give your influencers, a detailed initial briefing is essential. Communicate your goals and also include factors such as KPIs (key performance indicators). The clearer you make what specific successes you want to achieve with the collaboration, the more targeted your chosen influencer can market your product.

Legal aspects of influencer marketing

As with any co-operation, it is advisable to draw up a contract to set out the expectations of both parties. Here are a few questions that should definitely be answered in the contract:

  • Who are the contractual partners?

  • What services are to be provided and in what time frame?

  • Which channels will be used for publication?

  • What qualitative and content-related framework conditions are defined?

  • How and where is the product linked to?

  • Are offers, competitions, free products etc. included?

  • How high is the fee and which payment method is used?

  • What are the consequences if the service is not provided?

Risks & Challenges

An influencer campaign offers numerous advantages, but also harbours certain risks and challenges. One major challenge is unpredictable changes in the behaviour of the influencers themselves. The dynamic nature of social media can lead to a sudden change in an influencer's image or actions, which can have an impact on the effectiveness of the marketing campaign.

There is also a risk of possible negative reactions from the community.

If followers feel that a collaboration between an influencer and a company is not authentic or does not align with the influencer's values, they may question the credibility of both parties. The constant attention and real-time reactions require companies to have a proactive strategy to respond adequately to unpredictable developments and possible negative feedback. It is therefore particularly important to find a relevant influencer who also matches the advertised product or service.

UGC as an alternative to influencer marketing

Although UGC and influencers are very similar in their role as brand ambassadors, there are still differences that make UGC a good alternative. For example, UGC is not sponsored by the brand, which makes the content much more authentic and tangible for the target group. But beware: UGC only works if you use it as part of your marketing strategy. You should therefore not rely on UGC to replace your own social media marketing. However, if you first spend a lot of time searching for suitable influencers or content creators who best reflect the values of your product, this is already a big step towards successful marketing.

Conclusion: The key to success is mixing your content

Influencer marketing has established itself as an indispensable component of modern marketing strategies. Through the authentic connection between influencers and their community, brands can build trust, increase reach and positively influence purchasing decisions. Whether nano influencers with a high engagement rate or mega influencers with a massive reach - choosing the right partner is crucial to the success of a campaign.

With a well-thought-out content strategy, clear goals and the right understanding of the different influencer types, brands can realise the full potential of influencer marketing.