Unveiling the Strategic Essence: The Four Ms of Influencer Marketing | by How2Market | Oct, 2023

The concept of influencer marketing comprises two primary approaches. The traditional facet emphasizes organic influence, cultivated through genuine relationships and word-of-mouth interactions with customers. This unpaid form of influence is based on authentic experiences shared by individuals with a brand.

Conversely, contemporary influencer marketing predominantly involves compensating individuals (influencers) to endorse a brand or business across their social media platforms.

While this practice is commonplace in business-to-consumer (B2C) marketing, it also holds relevance in business-to-business (B2B) campaigns, facilitating brand awareness and credibility through collaborations with industry leaders.

The size of an influencer’s following inversely impacts their engagement rates. While celebrities excel in broadening reach and awareness, micro and macro-influencers, boasting smaller yet more engaged followings, often yield higher interaction rates.

1. Make: At the foundation of influencer marketing, the ‘Make’ stage involves tailored strategies for different stages of the buyer’s journey. It ranges from nurturing relationships with industry figures and potential customers in traditional B2B influencer marketing to meticulously planned, data-driven campaigns in contemporary influencer marketing. These modern approaches center on targeting specific demographics to create mutual value for both the business and the collaborating influencer.
2. Manage: The ‘Manage’ stage revolves around evaluating campaign performance. Key performance indicators, such as post effectiveness, follower growth, lead generation, and audience sentiment, guide the assessment of an influencer campaign’s success, the definition of which varies based on industry, campaign goals, and the influencer involved.
3. Monitor: ‘Monitor’ emphasizes understanding the audience by analyzing their behavior and preferences. Observing social media interactions provides insights into audience engagement, sentiments, and conversations. This knowledge informs influencer selection, aligning them with the audience’s preferences, and helps adapt marketing strategies to cater to…