Throwback to ten or so years ago when influencer marketing was a relatively new buzzword, limited to celebrities and a few dedicated bloggers (Zoella springs to mind). However, now the term “influencer marketing” encompasses a range of social media personalities and content creators who endorse a product or service across their platforms to a loyal following.

Digital publications and social media platforms are fast becoming the go-to source of information… just look at Gen Z and TikTok! 

It’s become a game-changer for brands wanting to find more meaningful connections with their desired audience through a credible and popular influencer through paid endorsements or recommendations. Something a more traditional marketing campaign couldn’t do.

Over the last few years influencer marketing has become a popular tool in a brand’s toolkit. Traditionally relying on advertising methods they can control, like print ads or email marketing, brands are slowly turning the tide toward digital outputs. Coupled with the rise of social media consumption and content marketing, traditional methods are becoming less effective.

The popularity of YouTube, Instagram and TikTok has all but ensured influencers rise to become thought leaders, for example, Jade Vanriel or The Luxury Home Show. As such, they have accumulated a loyal following over a sustained period of time, who trust their expertise, and ultimately listen to their advice.

In recent years, the property industry has seen exceptional traction leveraging such platforms as they become trusted sources of information through reviews. By collaborating with an influencer who has a solid reputation, housebuilders can enhance their own reputation with an already engaged audience.

Understanding different types of influencers and their platforms

Not all influencers are created equally. Influencer marketing has a spectrum from micro- to macro-influencers; each with their own advantages.

Speaking generally, the higher up the scale you become with a larger audience (think 1M+), the wider the content topics are with less authenticity. As you move down the scale, to fewer followers, the audience will be more focused.

Size, however, isn’t the only thing that matters. When choosing which influencers to partner with, you should consider their audiences’ personas. For example, if your goal is to promote a new shared ownership development, you will want to attract a specific age demographic.

It is also important to understand the different platforms they use and how they will connect with your desired audience. For example, YouTube is a great tool for creating video content. However, it is long-form, and some viewers might become switched off.

Popular platforms including Instagram and TikTok utilise short-form content. However, these platforms are often saturated and have some stiff competition. A downside to these platforms is it’s difficult to backlink to your website or blog. This can make it hard to measure the success of your campaign as clicks will be harder to track (more on this later).

A mixture of long-form via a blog or YouTube and short-form can be a good compromise. Long-form offers more opportunities for sharing backlinks and short-form can increase brand awareness.

Key tactics for successful influencer marketing campaigns

Successful influencer marketing campaigns need careful planning and execution. Here are some key tactics to consider.

  • Goals: Before launching an influencer campaign, it’s important to define your goals. Do you want to achieve increased brand awareness? Or do you want to drive lead generation with contact forms completed? Either way, setting this out at the start will help you decide what content direction to go in.
  • Create interesting content: Content is king when it comes to influencer marketing. Influencer marketing and content marketing work hand in hand. The content you create is the foundation for your influencer campaigns. To create a solid influencer strategy, you need to have already developed a strong brand message. This high-quality and engaging content will showcase who you are and build trust with a third-party online community.
  • Promote authenticity: Influencer marketing isn’t capitalising on somebody’s image to gain sales. Influencer marketing campaigns need to be authentic to both you as a brand and the influencer. It is about using a trusted voice in the industry and defining the conversations around it. For example, encourage your influencers to share their genuine experiences and opinions about your development.

Building relationships with influencers

A successful partnership is a two-way street and is mutually beneficial. Influencer marketing is no different.

Like many relationships, influencer partnerships require communication, honesty and collaboration throughout the campaign lifecycle. The best way to onboard an influencer is to allow them to become brand ambassadors, who are already invested in your company ethos.

Reach out to them on social media and engage with their content through comments, likes or shares. If you do this regularly and consistently, they are likely to return the favour.

To drive an authentic relationship, you need to continue the communication. Have a clear understanding of what comes next after you’ve found your desired influencer and keep them in the loop at every stage. They will feel involved and like a trusted partner.

Pro Tip: Working with influencers should always result in a lasting relationship. Start off with something easy like sharing a post and work your way up to a bigger project. This way you can also drip-feed their audience with your brand.

Finally, use the rule of reciprocity. What can you offer the influencer in return for doing something for you? Is it a paid fee or include an influencer in a working feedback group? You could offer them exclusivity or promote them on your own channels.

Measuring the success of influencer marketing

While traditional PR methods offer easy-to-measure results, influencer marketing is more fluid. Setting Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) is essential for measuring success.

Here are some common KPIs to consider.

  • Reach and impressions: Impressions are hard data that indicate how many people have viewed the content. This will give you an idea of the campaign’s visibility. Remember, impressions or reach don’t equal engagement. It doesn’t mean a viewer has interacted or acted on that post. This type of metric is used to understand the total audience size.
  • Engagement rates (ER): Likes, comments, shares and saves all count toward engagement rates. They are a good initial metric for vetting a potential influencer too. But it is important to remember, that ER is only a guide. An influencer could have a high average engagement rate, but your campaign’s ER is low. This means that your product might not resonate with the influencer’s audience.
  • Conversions: Your influencer campaign can affect the number of website visits, enquiries, or sales. Make sure you note down your website traffic before, during and after a campaign so you can track its change throughout the campaign lifecycle. By using personalised UTM tracking links for each influencer, you can clearly see in Google Analytics which ‘source’ has done the best.

Maintaining brand integrity with influencers

Brand consistency is crucial when working with third-party channels.

That’s because you don’t own the channels or content and have less control. In order to build trust with an audience who doesn’t know you, you need to maintain a solid brand voice. An easy way you can support influencers is to provide them with your style guide or sharing key brand messaging.

Conclusion

Influencer campaigns can transform the way property brands connect with prospective buyers. However, it’s essential it’s achieved with trust and authenticity. By partnering with the right influencers, you can tap into new audiences and achieve your goal of brand awareness.

Are you ready to elevate your portfolio of homes to the next level? Contact us to learn how our influencer marketing services can help you make a lasting impression.