Influencer marketing campaigns are swiftly replacing traditional marketing strategies. They reach audiences with high levels of precision, customisation, and outcome.
Yet, when brands and marketers think of influencer marketing, they imagine a cheesy photo of a creator posing with their product. When the truth is that between branded content and amplification, there is a vast and diverse playing field.
With that as the backdrop, we cover the different types of influencer marketing campaigns you can run, along with real-life examples.
The basic types of influencer marketing campaigns
There are numerous kinds of influencer campaigns possible, from barter to amplification to launching a product collaboration. For the sake of brevity, we explain the 6 types of influencer marketing that have become a very important medium for influencing mindsets and shaping behaviour.
1. Sponsored content
Example: Gillette Venus paid partnership with MostlySane
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The most prevalent influencer marketing example is sponsored content. It’s essentially a paid partnership where the influencer creates content around your brand and publishes it on their socials. Such campaigns come with a brief, explaining the dos and don’ts to the influencers.
- The content could vary from a Reel to a static image, from a blog post to a Tweet.
- The mode of payment can also differ. You can offer the creators a flat rate for each piece of content or give them the product for free (a barter campaign).
Pros
You have complete creative control over the process, and the approach is scalable and reproducible across all social media channels.
Cons
The commission increases in price with influencer size, and the content can come off as inauthentic if you don’t take care of who you partner with.
2. Unboxing and review campaigns
Example: Nagma Mirajkar for McCaffeine
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These types of influencer campaigns are slowly rising in demand. In review campaigns, a brand sends the product to influencers as a gift, and in exchange, the creator shares their experience of it. This is often called “product seeding.”
- Reviews can be posted on social media, or they can be published on marketplaces like Myntra, Nykaa, Amazon, etc.
- An unboxing campaign takes reviews to the next level by having the creator share their entire journey, from the moment they get the product to the moment they use it for the first time.
Pros
This is a great way to showcase the features and benefits of a product and build trust with potential customers. Plus, these campaigns create original and genuine content, which proves more persuasive. It is also an excellent start for a long-term influencer partnership.
Cons
Review campaigns work best at scale with nano-influencers. They are not cost-effective with macro-influencers, who are likely to charge in addition to receiving the free product.
Ethical issues can creep up if you ask the influencer to say only positive #thngs or if the influencer decides to be PC even when they don’t really like the product.
3. Giveaways and contests
Example: Nutricook’s Christmas giveaway with Neha Deepak Shah
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When you want to increase brand awareness and engagement, you need to run this type of influencer marketing campaign. In giveaways, the influencer encourages the audience to do simple #thngs like commenting, tagging, signing up, or answering a question. After the contest is over, the winner is chosen, and the influencer gives away a free gift to them.
Pros
It’s a win-win situation for brands, influencers, and fans. There’s increased brand recognition. Additionally, they offer assured and significant growth with actions like sharing, retweeting and commenting.
Cons
Once the contest is complete, people may easily unfollow or unsubscribe, providing only a temporary boost for brand accounts. Therefore, this influencer marketing campaign functions best in conjunction with others.
4. Affiliate marketing
Example: Samidha Singh And Myntra
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The newest kid on the influencer block is affiliate marketing. In these types of campaigns, the creators help sell the brand’s products in exchange for a commission.
The deliverables in these campaigns are typically more than a paid partnership and run the whole gamut. For example, 4 Reels + 5 Statics + 10 Stories + Link in bio (they can add more stories based on the traffic they get). This repetition keeps your brand in front of your customers’ minds.
- Each post by the creator is accompanied by a trackable UTM link.
- Viewers tap the link and are redirected to the brand’s website or online store.
- Every time a purchase is made, the influencer earns a percentage of the sale.
- Additionally, for content creation, the influencers are paid a flat fee.
Pros
Influencer affiliate marketing brings in leads and paying customers, so it’s fantastic for brands looking to increase revenue. Since you can track clicks, it’s also a quantifiable way of measuring influencer marketing ROI. Finally, these campaigns motivate the influencer to actively promote the product because they profit from every sale.
Cons
Building a dependable and effective network of influencer affiliates can take some time. Start small with a select community of creators and build from there.
5. Brand ambassador campaigns
An influencer becomes an ambassador for a brand when they begin to serve as its public face.
A brand ambassador is paid to not only talk positively about the brand but to embody the brand they are endorsing. It’s more of a partnership than a collaboration.
It is a long-term relationship, and the creator consistently posts about the brand for a set time, which ranges from a few months to a year or more.
- Because ambassadors show up on your customers’ content streams channels repeatedly, this type of influencer campaign creates momentum.
- The key to the success of ambassador campaigns is finding influencers with a genuine love for the brand.
- Look for creators among your customers, subscribers, or followers, as they serve as natural brand ambassadors.
Pros
By selecting brand ambassadors from your customer base, you may harness the sincerity of organic brand defenders. In the eyes of the audience, ambassador campaigns are more credible, trustworthy, and authentic.
Cons
The cost of ambassadors is significant, and it can take time to build up credibility.
6. Influencer takeovers
In most types of influencer campaigns, the content shows up on the creator’s social accounts. In takeovers, the content shows up on the brand’s.
- You allow an influencer to take over your accounts for a set period (a day, an hour, a week).
- The creator gives followers a behind-the-scenes look at the brand and increases engagement.
The drawback of this type of influencer marketing campaign is the loss of control. You have to share passwords for the influencer to log in from the brand’s account.
Want to run quick, high-ROI influencer campaigns without hassle?
