Ace Hardware is adding a paid and organic influencer strategy to its marketing mix. The nearly 100-year-old hardware retailer is new to the space and looking to get the attention of millennial and Gen Z consumers, particularly first-time home buyers, by working with do-it-yourself influencers.
If your brand is looking to reach modern consumers of nearly any age (but particularly 25-34), chances are you’ve either considered sponsoring an Instagram influencer or you’re already doing so. With more than 1 billion people using Instagram each month, and 81% of those people using the platform to research products and services, Instagram is definitely a top-performing social platform for targeted influencer marketing.
“Great, a whole social media platform built around the hell of talking on the phone.” If you, like me, have come to vastly prefer texting over calling, that may have been your initial reaction to hearing about Clubhouse, the buzzy new audio-chat social networking app.
Influencer marketing has been going through a period of explosive growth, with an entire industry of celebrity-level creators getting top dollar to share brand sponsorships with their millions-strong followers. However, savvy marketers have begun setting their sights on the influencers who aren’t nearly as popular as their big-name peers, which has driven fresh interest in smaller-scale outreach.
Many brands have separate departments for content marketing and media planning, both of which help get their products and services out in front of customers. However, for a business to truly engage its target audience, these factions need to collaborate to ensure they build upon one another’s efforts.
When you think of Generation Z, what comes to mind? If you find yourself picturing a bunch of screen-addicted kids whose interests are limited to learning the latest TikTok dance, it’s well past time to update your vision of what is on track to be the largest and most economically powerful generation in American history.
Being an effective influencer marketing exec sometimes means knowing when to give up control.
Even during a year like no other, influencer marketing thrived in 2020. Lockdowns led to increased social media usage, a change in consumer behavior from Covid-19, there were production challenges around traditional advertising shoots, audiences turned toward authenticity and curated content, and brand budgets were upended, requiring quick-turn pivots. All of these issues and more inspired plenty of brands to partner with influencers this past year in order to get the word out in a relevant, topical and mindful way.
While professional production value goes a long way toward making a video popular (and possibly viral) on social media, incorporating highly original content could be even more important. Doing the same thing that everyone else is doing with video won’t garner attention for your brand.
Influencer marketing has proven to be a powerful tool throughout the pandemic. However, the engagement rates that marketers use are often misleading. Sway Group chief exec Danielle Wiley explains why and offers suggestions for stronger outcomes.
If there’s one thing we can probably agree on about 2020 and its impact on brands and consumers, it’s that last year was extraordinary — unprecedented even, although I think most of us are over that particular term. At my influencer marketing agency, we spent the last weeks of 2020 wrapping up end-of-year programs while also turning our attention ahead to the new year.
Finally, an agency list that shines the spotlight on the rest of the marketing mix. From the editors of Chief Marketer, we present the industry’s only comprehensive list of the best brand engagement and activation agencies across 11 categories and specialties serving the U.S.