For brands eager for more returns from their influencer campaigns, scaling should be a top priority. This post breaks down what scaling influencer marketing means.
"How do I know when it's time to scale an influencer campaign?"
Good question! From awareness and engagement to killer content, brands of all shapes and sizes are seeing results from creator campaigns.
Thing is, a whopping 71% of brands run influencer campaigns in-house.
And knowing when to scale is tricky if you don't know what to look for.
Chances are you want to keep your business lean and run the show yourself. We get it! The problem? Small-scale influencer campaigns rarely reach their full potential.
For many brands, maximizing the marketing impact of influencers means getting serious about scaling. This post breaks down what that means and signs that it’s time to push forward.
“Scaling” simply means ramping up your influencer campaigns to amplify your results.
Think of creator campaigns like any other marketing channel or tactic.
If you’re seeing consistent returns from your social ads or SEO strategy, it makes sense to turn up the dial. Well, the same rules apply to influencer campaigns.
Scaling your influencer marketing typically involves a combination of the following steps:
The fact that influencer budgets are rising year-over-year speaks for itself.
Consider the benefits of scaling for brands already seeing results with creators:
Also, scaling is key to seeing long-term returns from your influencer campaigns. Based on our firsthand experience, brands that see the best results play the long game. That’s why we say that always-on campaigns are ideal.
Because long-term promotions produce ongoing content, mentions and attention to your brand.
Most brands experience a sort of snowball effect of momentum from creator campaigns. Look at brands like Glossier that have exploded in popularity thanks to their ongoing investment in influencers.
Source: @Glossier
The takeaway? We’ve entered the era of “always-on” influencer marketing.
In short, creators are part of brands’ promotional strategies for the long haul. Scaling now ensures that you build your momentum sooner rather than later.
If you’re on the fence about ramping things up, we 100% understand.
Investing more in any marketing tactic can feel risky. This is especially true with influencers as the social media space changes all the time.
Again, consider that more brands than ever have a dedicated influencer budget. Working with creators is a proven tactic that isn’t going anywhere. In fact, all signs point to brands scaling more for the reasons noted earlier.
We believe that brands should approach influencer marketing with a sense of confidence. That’s why we put together this list of five signals that your brand should get serious about scaling.
Food for thought: if you have creators promoting your brand, you’ve already done the hard part.
Think of organic creator content as validation. Social shout-outs confirm that your brand and product are valuable to consumers. Scaling your influencer campaigns means getting in front of even more people.
From engagement to traffic, there are plenty of ways to measure your results. If you’re seeing influencers move the needle with DIY campaigns, that’s a sign to keep the momentum going.
It’s always super rewarding when a killer piece of creator content pops off.
We’ll bite: viral posts aren’t a guarantee. If it happens once, it won’t always happen again.
But going viral signals that you have the potential to earn consistent engagement in the future.
One-off campaigns can generate excitement and awareness in the short term. Sure, you might go viral. That said, a single viral post doesn’t define the potential of a brand or campaign.
On the flip side, scaling your influencer marketing means earning consistent engagement. If you earn viral posts along the way, that’s a stellar sign and added bonus.
By the way, you’d be surprised at which products go viral (and how often). From pet food to household cleaners, our own creators have earned millions of views on TikTok with a variety of products. There are tons of CPG brands taking over TikTok with the help of creators.
Source: @naturally_nakeyta / @layerkakes
Let’s say your brand is seeing an increase in reviews and shout-outs from satisfied customers.
Nice! The more authentic and glowing reviews, the better. Fact: 62% of consumers turn to social media content featuring real people before buying.
Buzz from creators ensures that people looking you up via social content see positive reviews. Given that more than half of all consumers read at least four reviews prior to purchase, having an army of influencers hyping you up is invaluable.
Source: @dermdoctor
Remember: you get back what you put into influencer marketing.
A staggering 71% of marketers claim that they’re increasing their influencer budgets in 2022. Again, this rise isn’t happening by accident.
When it comes to marketing channels and tactics, you’re spoiled for choice.
Email. SEO. Content marketing. Paid ads. These don’t even scratch the surface.
Note how scaling your influencer marketing can supplement the tactics above. For example, creator content improves paid ad performance on TikTok and Instagram. User-generated content also improves conversions on product pages and increases average order values.
This is the big one.
Influencer campaigns involve more moving pieces than many brands bargain for. This includes:
When your teammates are running the show themselves, it’s easy for influencer marketing to become a time-sink. In our experience, an influencer gifting campaign alone can take 70+ hours for ~30 posts.
This intense time commitment isn’t sustainable, let alone scalable. For the sake of your campaign performance, outsourcing is often key to ramping things up. Doing so will keep your team from pulling their hair out, too.
As noted earlier, scaling your influencer marketing efforts involves multiple steps.
Making it happen isn’t a one-size-fits-all process, though. Below are a few action items that brands running campaigns DIY should consider.
The more efficient your campaigns are, the better. We’ll say it again: the time investment required to run creator campaigns is no joke.
That’s why we encourage brands to take advantage of templates and shortcuts where they can, like:
Spotting the right influencers can be daunting and time-consuming.
This is especially true if you’re in a niche industry or want to work with smaller creators.
Finding influencers faster doesn’t mean sacrificing your attention to detail. Instead, you need to explore ways to uncover creators that don’t involve looking them up manually.
For example, you might use influencer database software that compiles creator information and profiles. These databases often let you search for influencers based on engagement and price.
Still, influencer databases require you to do the legwork of outreach and vetting influencers. Compare this to a platform like Statusphere that matches brands with influencers from a hand-picked network.
If you want to earn creator content at scale, there’s really only so much that’s possible in-house. This rings true even if you bring in a dedicated influencer specialist or hire an agency.
This highlights the value of a marketing platform like Statusphere. Unlike databases or agencies where content isn’t a sure thing, we can guarantee posts from our vetted network of creators. Not only that but we only match brands with creators that want to post about your products.
By handling tasks like fulfillment and performance tracking, we can save brands the most time and set campaigns up for success.
The ongoing boom of creator campaigns isn’t going to stop anytime soon.
Consumers rely on product recommendations from creators like never before. Brands need to meet that demand by scaling their influencer marketing efforts. Doing so means connecting with more creators ready to promote your brand.
And that’s where Statusphere comes in.
With our scalable micro-influencer platform, you can get your products into the hands of relevant creators faster. Our campaigns result in authentic, meaningful content that you can promote time and time again.
Want to learn more about how our platform and process work? Get in touch with one of our consumer-to-consumer marketing specialists today to learn how we can get more people posting about your brand.
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