While the question may seem rudimentary, it’s critical to revisit this concept regularly given how rapidly this industry evolves. Influencer marketing fundamentally involves leveraging your own customers and influential voices to authentically promote your product or service to a wider audience. However, the specific strategies and best practices for effective influencer marketing are continuously shifting.
What constituted a successful influencer campaign last year may not align with today’s landscape and consumer expectations. Thus, it’s imperative to constantly re-evaluate your influencer marketing approach – redefining what a “win” looks like and ensuring you’re extracting maximum value from your investment in this powerful technique. The definition and dynamics of influencer marketing have transformed over the years, necessitating marketers to take a fresh look at truly grasping the current state of this impactful practice.
Mastering the Art of Authentic Influence
While influencer marketing fundamentally involves leveraging influential voices to promote products, the strategies for effective campaigns continually evolve. As Humanz CMO Pierre Cassuto emphasizes, “At the end of the day, what are you really paid to do? Beautiful brand messaging or ensuring you got sales?”
This means moving away from the outdated, heavy-handed approach of scripting influencers. Instead, brands must trust influencers to lead with authentic voices and experiences. Pierre explains, “Influencer marketing started because we wanted other people’s real reviews and opinions. That’s where it needs to live.”
The new priorities are identifying influencers who drive measurable outcomes like sales, sign-ups and traffic. Marketers now focus on cost-per-engagement (CPE) and return-on-ad-spend (ROAS) rather than vanity metrics.
“If you do proper attribution modeling…you’ll see there’s a science to this,” notes Pierre. “The proof is in driving real business results.”
The most successful campaigns allow trusted influencers to showcase genuine experiences, sharing honest reviews with positives and negatives. As Pierre summarizes, “Honest recommendations lead to much higher sales than something that looks like an ad.”
By prioritizing authenticity, true engagement, and optimizing for sales rather than just impressions, brands can finally unlock influencer marketing’s full potential. Hear more insights from Pierre Cassuto on the “Under the Influence” podcast.
Listen to the Humanz Podcast – HERE
