In the early and mid-2010s, marketers who partnered with influencers often boasted some of the highest returns of any marketing strategy. This fresh and fun tactic captivated social media users with relevant messaging, eye-catching gimmicks, and effective hacks.
Today, the influencer marketing landscape (and even how to become an influencer) has changed, with some people going so far as to declare it dead. The truth is that influencer marketing remains alive and well, but it’s more important than ever to stay current with the trends.
Below, we’ll look at the best strategies, why they’re important, and how to integrate them into future campaigns.
*Note: All brands and examples discussed below were found during our online research for this article.
Understanding influencer marketing in 2024: What to know
In 2024, influencers saturated social media, podcasts, blogs, and review sites, and the types of influencers you find on influencer apps and platforms truly run the gamut.
Celebrities like Cristiano Ronaldo have more than 632 million Instagram followers, while a local influencer may have just 500. The “right” influencer for a campaign depends on the brand’s current market position and the target audience they hope to attract.
The right influencer marketing strategy factors in evolving consumer preferences, shifting platform rules, and increased competition. As you consider the tips below, keep in mind that some platforms have cracked down on traditional influencer tactics.
For example, Instagram recently changed its algorithms so accounts that repost more than 10 times over 30 days won’t be recommended via Explore or Reels tabs. The new rules prioritize original content only, effectively replacing all reposted content in the recommendations section. This is a huge shake-up for a share-friendly platform!
These platform changes illustrate a degree of distrust in the influencer marketing industry—and why marketers should pay careful attention to their brand’s messaging across channels.
15 of the top influencer marketing campaign strategies to try
The top influencer marketing campaign strategies focus on creating more meaningful relationships. By partnering with the right influencers, you can craft better content that leads to brand loyalty.
1. Use micro-influencers for authenticity
Micro-influencers are social media personalities who have between 10,000 and 50,000 followers. Their lifestyles are usually more relatable than celebrities or mega-influencers with massive follower counts.
Micro-influencers often focus on niche content, such as how to travel with young children or stock your closet on a budget. Because the influencer’s audience tunes in for a specific reason, they typically rate the influencer’s tips and suggestions as more authentic and trustworthy. They also engage more with the subject matter.
The most successful micro-influencers help their followers solve everyday problems or improve their general quality of life. When you choose a micro-influencer who genuinely believes in your products or services, you can expect them to drive brand awareness with meaningful messaging and sincere endorsements.
2. Build long-term relationships with influencers
Long-term partnerships with influencers are similar to your most meaningful professional relationships. The more time and effort you spend cultivating the relationship, the more consistent and impactful your influencer campaigns will be.
For example, David Beckham’s partnership with Tudor watches remains as strong today as it did in 2019.
Let’s say you partner with ten influencers to promote a one-day sale, and you use influencer tracking tools to measure the success of each one. Once you collate and analyze the data against the campaign goals, you can foster relationships with the most effective influencers to promote future initiatives.
You learn more about the influencer with each new collaboration and vice versa. A positive working relationship not only smooths negotiations but also makes it easier to tailor content creation to each audience demographic for stronger returns.
3. Focus on video content across platforms
In 2023, 96% of marketers agreed that video was an important part of their strategy—the highest percentage ever. TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube remain some of the most heavily consumed platforms, largely due to their engaging and often informative videos.
Creating the best influencer campaign videos starts with listening to the influencer. They have a direct connection with their viewers, so they can tell you which content resonates with their audiences.
Whether straightforward life hacks or fun unboxing videos, marketers should assess how their content can best appeal to social media audiences without compromising the campaign’s messaging.
4. Use data and analytics to guide the plan
When you implement the right data collection methods and analytics tools, you can measure more than impression counts. From conversion rates to website traffic, you can get a more accurate sense of whether the campaign achieved its goals.
With platforms like Bitly Analytics, you can track links and QR Code scans to measure the campaign’s overall effectiveness. Once you measure the quality and quantity of influencer-driven traffic, you can see which partners drove the biggest ROI.
Whether you prioritize influencer blog content or Snapchat marketing, you can see how audience interest wanes and falls with each new post.
5. Prioritize transparency with the audience
The most authentic brand ambassador partnerships align the influencer’s, brand’s, and followers’ interests and values.
Sponsored content is already a touchy topic for many consumers. The FTC notes that poor labeling can lead customers to give more credibility to influencer claims. For example, if an influencer only briefly flashes a partnership disclosure at the very beginning of a video, or attempts to bury the information at the bottom of a video description
An upfront and honest approach can ease consumers’ concerns so they can judge whether your brand is right for them. This not only makes your advertising more trustworthy, but it can also limit the backlash your influencers may receive from frustrated followers.
Resonance, reach, and relevancy are the cornerstones of an influencer marketing industry. It’s easy to dismiss sensational marketing claims or hyperbolic language. But when you let the influencer share their honest opinions with engaged followers, their message is more likely to stick.
6. Experiment with new platforms
Threads, BeReal, and Airchat are just a few recent introductions to the vast selection of social media platforms. New platforms may cater to certain demographics, such as Gen Zers, or they may be potential disruptors that offer a different spin on an old model.
For most brands, it’s worth exploring how these emerging platforms work, who they cater to, and what their users are looking for. If the platform aligns with your brand’s sensibilities, early adoption can give you a competitive edge on unspoiled terrain.
When Dollar Shave Club launched its YouTube ads over a decade ago, the brand sold out their entire blade stock in less than 72 hours. And plenty of viewers joined the waitlist to get in on the next batch.
New platforms may offer the best bang for your buck if you want to optimize your influencer marketing budget
7. Integrate influencer marketing with other marketing channels
By converging your marketing channels—such as email, social media, blogs, and podcasts—your campaigns can amplify and reinforce your influencer’s content. To accomplish this, consider how different brand aspects relate before devising a larger strategy.
If your brand is sustainable and affordable, you might create different landing pages or email lists based on the target audience. An environmentalist influencer could largely promote your brand’s fair labor laws on their blog, while a budget-oriented content creator focuses on the consumer-friendly price tag on Instagram.
Your larger marketing strategy can simultaneously touch on multiple brand benefits and boost your reach. This way, all marketing channels deliver cohesive messaging, even as you appeal to diverse audiences.
8. Create shareable, interactive content
The best content creators encourage interactive participation, whether that’s via a contest, challenge, or poll. A makeup company might send an influencer two lipsticks, so they can try both and create a poll to have their followers vote on which one suits them best.
Depending on which social networks the influencer gets the most engagement, they can leverage platform-specific features to encourage interaction—like Instagram’s swipe-up links on Stories or X’s Reposts.
9. Align influencer content with brand messaging
Aligning influencer content and brand messaging ensures that your messaging and values are consistent across all channels. Clear expectations from the very beginning can help avoid potential miscommunications.
Consider the influencer to share their honest experience and opinion about the brand before listing its core benefits. This way, they can flex their creative muscles while still driving home the key points in each sponsored post.
Keep in mind that influencers come across as more relatable if they’re looking out for their followers first. If your briefs are too restrictive or promotional, the influencer’s audience may ignore or dismiss the brand’s value.
10. Focus on niche communities
Niche messaging may only appeal to a certain subset of your market, but the specificity can engage audiences on a deeper level. TikTok’s Britt Minetti attracted nearly 80,000 followers with tips on caring for curly hair.
Niche audiences crave specialized content so they can make better purchasing decisions. Once you’ve identified influencers in your niche, the next step is to listen to their insights. They often know what their audience needs to hear before making up their minds.
Maybe an influencer’s followers largely prefer shopping in-store vs. online. In that case, you might ask the influencer to encourage customers to visit their nearest location, while still providing a link to the website.
11. Incorporate user-generated content (UGC)
User-generated content (UGC) steps away from traditional social media influencer marketing in favor of more transparent content. It’s an increasingly valuable commodity for growing brands because of its authenticity. UGC content’s reach and resonance stems from the creator’s genuine enthusiasm for a brand—not their thousands of followers.
LaCroix’s branded hashtag, #LiveLaCroix, encouraged everyone to post themselves enjoying the sparkling beverage. Fans had a blast color-coordinating the scenes with the bright packaging of different flavors.
If you’re just getting started with UGC, consider sending your best customers a free product or two as an incentive to post. Or run a contest where customers can submit their favorite stories about your brand.
UGC is valuable simply because people tend to trust information from family and friends. Most brands reuse and repurpose UGC, posting on everything from their branded social media channels to their home pages.
UGC serves as social proof to audiences. When they see people trying and enjoying a brand, it can build more trust in the products.
12. Measure your success beyond likes and follows
Traditional social media metrics don’t always tell the full story. Just because a follower absent-mindedly likes a video doesn’t mean they watched or absorbed the content. Real success stems from your engagement rates, which you can measure via KPIs (key performance indicators) like comments, conversions, and ROI.
With Bitly’s campaign analytics, you can separate influencer content across campaigns to see which posts drove the most traffic and conversions. This is particularly handy if you use the same influencers for multiple campaigns.
You can also integrate Bitly’s tools with other platforms like Google Analytics to better understand your audience’s response to the overall campaign. If the CTA is to fill out a lead form, you can see how they arrived at the site (referral source) and how many completed all the steps by looking at the number of people who reached the “Thanks for your submission!” page.
13. Incorporate influencers in your product or brand development
Influencers can offer new perspectives on what consumers want from a product or brand. If you’re in the middle of product development or brand repositioning, it pays to partner with the right people.
HGTV’s Joanna Gaines collaborated with Target to launch a new fall collection of furniture, blankets, and accessories.
In this example of influencer marketing, Gaines showed off table linens, throw pillows, and warm wood tones to her 14 million Instagram followers. Her professional input led to a stunning range of pieces for potential customers who wanted to spice up their autumn decor.
You can still ask influencers for their professional opinions even if you’re not planning to make any major moves. Their insights can help you make valuable adjustments to appeal to a broader audience.
14. Focus on inclusivity and diversity
There are no hard-and-fast rules on what an influencer should do or be. Everyone has their platform to say and do what they like.
With this kind of open landscape, an inclusive and diverse social media marketing strategy can open your brand to multiple demographics. The best way to diversify influencer partnerships is to broaden your search tactics. This may mean rethinking your keyword searches or hashtags to assess current trends better.
You might also consider using an influencer marketing agency or platform to avoid overlooking valuable voices in your sector.
15. Stay compliant with regulations
From disclosures to permissions, marketing compliance is an important part of a successful influencer strategy.
At a base level, all influencers must disclose their brand partnerships, and all brands must obtain consent to use (or repurpose) content. The best way to remain compliant is to stay on top of official regulations and the platform’s policies and best practices.
Keep in mind that endorsement regulations may vary from country to country. If you have a global audience and work with international influencers, you may need to consult a legal professional to comply fully.
Build the right kind of influencer marketing strategy for your brand
Transparency, specificity, and relevancy can help you craft a more successful influencer marketing strategy and achieve your marketing goals in 2024 and beyond. If you want to appeal to new audiences and effectively convey your brand’s value, you may need to rethink how you find influencers and measure campaign success.
As you measure your marketing efforts, the right analytic tools can reveal whether an influencer’s content made the right impact—and that’s where Bitly comes in.
Bitly’s tracking and analytics capabilities help you measure everything from engagement statistics to location data. Use Bitly Analytics to track link engagement in real time and gather valuable customer data, such as which devices they favor, which social media platforms they’re engaging through, and where your influencer’s content is generating the most interest (country- and city-level, depending on your chosen plan). You can then leverage those insights to continuously improve your influencer marketing campaigns and more effectively reach your audience.
Ready to revamp your influencer marketing strategy? Get started with Bitly today!
