Look at any modern marketing strategy and chances are you’ll find a section on influencers. The fact is, when it comes to creating buzz around brands and franchises, they’re an invaluable tool. But how do you build a scalable network of influencers that drives sales and actually understands your brand? That’s the holy grail.
By investing in sustainable micro-influencer programs—and not just in cookie cutter endorsement deals—the most forward-thinking brands are finding success by enabling their communities to create content that builds authentic connections with consumers and generates sales. Enter the micro-influencer.
Micro-influencers are defined by the trust they’ve built with their audience, the clout they have as thought leaders or trendsetters, and the personalized information they share—not their number of followers. Micro-influencers can have anywhere from a few thousand to tens of thousands of followers on a single social channel, but their tailored content and thoughtful relationships with brands make them an authoritative and persuasive resource for their audience.
What does this look like in action? Take Macy's. Over the past year, we’ve worked with the retail giant to help develop #MacysStyleCrew, a platform that empowers employees to be influencers. The program pairs passionate Macy’s employees with Tongal filmmakers and editors to fuel a year-round video commerce network with a stream of fun, shoppable social content featuring fashion, beauty and home finds.
Press play to learn more about Macy's Style Crew
But Macy’s isn’t alone. Equinox, Kate Spade, Everlane and more are all tapping existing advocates to help create a lasting digital footprint. Here’s how you can do the same:
Think about the people who love your company most and have a deep understanding of your brand—your values, your purpose, your story. It could be your employees, founding members of a loyalty program, or even fans in a brand Facebook group. Again, it’s not about finding people with the most followers, it’s about finding people who care about your brand. For Macy’s Style Crew, we tapped into in-store stylists and corporate employees around the country.
Once you’ve identified your micro-influencers, build a program structure that invites participation in a repeatable way. Ask yourself, how will you help these advocates create regular content that delivers value to their followers and also highlights your brand? And how will you power that experience? Maybe you give them access to filmmakers who can help take their content to the next level (filmmakers, check out these tips for working with influencers), or maybe you give them access to a user-friendly video editing program. And how will you help make your influencers’ content discoverable? Will it live under a unified hashtag? The key is to make this simple, repeatable and, most importantly, authentic.
Once you have a structure in place, decide how you’ll incentivize participation. Aside from genuinely liking your brand, your influencers need a reason to keep coming back and creating content. Consider a traditional commission-based structure where they earn a portion of sales driven by their content. Or, give them access to exclusive content, products or discounts every time they post. The key is to create value in a way that makes them equally invested in your success. When you win, they win, and vice versa.
Fact: People relate to people, not corporations. You don’t have to look further than Macy’s Style Crew for a success story. Macy’s has gotten behind the impact of connecting people to the Macy’s brand by connecting them to the personalities behind it. And that’s what’s driving sales. By promoting individual voices and empowering diverse stories within the context of your larger organizational narrative, you’ll end up with authentic, relatable, and localized content—another holy grail in a world where everyone expects personally relevant communications. Not to mention, you’re giving your influencers a great platform to shape their personal brand—a bonus value prop to incentivize participation.
Once you have a program in place, why not open it up and create an opt-in system where anyone can raise their hand? That’s how your biggest advocates will find you and how you’ll get great content that builds community around your brand and drives sales. And isn’t that the end game?
