Influencer Marketing has officially landed as the fastest growing segment of consumer marketing. Instagram alone accounts for billions of influencer dollars per year. So it’s time to take it seriously (seriously)! Our clients always ask for two things: 1) How do I get more engagement for less budget? And, 2) How can we expand our market?

Here are five resolutions we feel you should stick to this year to ensure you get the most out of your influencer campaigns:

  1. Determine the solution that’s best for your brand. Your influencer budgets should be growing – how can you best optimize your spend? Are you ready for DIY or do you still benefit from a white glove experience?

Related: Which Type of Influencer Solution is Right For You?

  1. Measure Your Campaigns by engagements instead of impressions/followers. Influencers are not billboards or display ads and you should expect them to deliver more than potential eyeballs on content about your brand – I’m talking likes, shares, clicks, etc . You need to get the data on who’s actually providing you value and leverage that person or persona of influencer.

Related: The End of the Great Impression

  1. Rely on Audience Data. This could be your number one tip for getting more, and better, engagement. You choose audience for digital and social ads – why not influencer? Most influencer vendors provide detailed audience data including how valid the audience is and whether or not they’ve been “bought.” Take it a step further and start asking that the influencer’s audience is aligned to your brand’s target market’s demographics and psychographics.

Related: The Disconnect Between Influencers and Their Audiences

 

  1. Focus a campaign on millennials. Millennials are now spending more money on consumer goods than their parents. And they are the most influenceable consumer group with cash to spend. Think your product is not a good fit for a millennial? The potential ROI might make you want to reconsider.

Related: Best Millennial Influencers for Back-to-College Campaigns

 

 

  1. Work with Dads. As with millennials, you’d be surprised at the purchasing power of dads nowadays. At Mattr, our clients are leveraging dads for products that have always been aimed at women. Cooking, fashion, kids, you name it. Get with the now and add a dad to your next campaign!

Related: Best Dads to Follow on Instagram

 

 

 

 

Following these tips will drive engagement up as well as introduce new consumers to your brand. As much as anything, however, you’ll need to get more with less budget in the coming years so think seriously about DIY if you’re running more than a few campaigns per month.