Social Media for
Strategic Communication, Second Edition
Chapter 8: Influencer Marketing
Introduction
• Influencer marketing: A big business.
• Ability and power of influencers.
• Role of influencers.
Freberg, Social Media for Strategic Communication, Second Edition. © 2022 SAGE Publishing.
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What Is an Influencer? (1 of 4)
• Different types of influencers.
• Authority figure on a subject.
• Influencers as explored by research.
• Influencer marketing.
Freberg, Social Media for Strategic Communication, Second Edition. © 2022 SAGE Publishing.
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What Is an Influencer? (2 of 4)
• Book by Jason Falls: Winfluence.
• Influencers differ from opinion leaders.
• Creators versus influencers.
• Tactical characteristics of influencers.
Freberg, Social Media for Strategic Communication, Second Edition. © 2022 SAGE Publishing.
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What Is an Influencer? (3 of 4)
• Personality characteristics of influencers.
– Authenticity: being true to who they are.
– Expertise and its different formats.
– Engagement: interactivity with community.
– Passion: to love what one does.
Freberg, Social Media for Strategic Communication, Second Edition. © 2022 SAGE Publishing.
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What Is an Influencer? (4 of 4)
Freberg, Social Media for Strategic Communication, Second Edition. © 2022 SAGE Publishing.
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Types of Influencers (1 of 4)
• Celebrity influencers.
– Hold prominent status.
– Strong online presence and voice.
• Mega influencers: prominent status and
appeal.
Freberg, Social Media for Strategic Communication, Second Edition. © 2022 SAGE Publishing.
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Types of Influencers (2 of 4)
• Micro influencers.
– Risks: may lack brand awareness.
– Benefits: higher engagement rates.
• Nano influencers.
– Challenges: can be viewed as inauthentic.
Freberg, Social Media for Strategic Communication, Second Edition. © 2022 SAGE Publishing.
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Types of Influencers (3 of 4)
• Creators: a new type of audience.
– Creators and influencers.
• Memers.
– People who create memes.
– Challenges: copyright infringement.
Freberg, Social Media for Strategic Communication, Second Edition. © 2022 SAGE Publishing.
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Types of Influencers (4 of 4)
• Kid influencers.
– Accounts managed by parents and agencies.
• Virtual influencers.
– Fictional computer generated people.
– Benefits in using virtual influencers.
Freberg, Social Media for Strategic Communication, Second Edition. © 2022 SAGE Publishing.
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Partnering with Influencers
(1 of 3)
• Importance of partnering.
• Understanding the guidelines set by FTC.
– Transparency and authenticity of influencers.
– FTC guidelines for influencers.
Freberg, Social Media for Strategic Communication, Second Edition. © 2022 SAGE Publishing.
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Partnering with Influencers
(2 of 3)
• Paid amplification and measurement will
be the standard.
– Budgets: evaluate the impact of the
influencers.
• Relationships need to be for the long term.
– Investing and partnering with influencers.
Freberg, Social Media for Strategic Communication, Second Edition. © 2022 SAGE Publishing.
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Partnering with Influencers
(3 of 3)
• Vanity metrics and verified metrics.
• Balancing: a win-win situation.
Freberg, Social Media for Strategic Communication, Second Edition. © 2022 SAGE Publishing.
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Examples of Partnering with
Influencers (1 of 3)
• Going live: live video sessions.
• Guest on a podcast.
• Creating new content for audience
consumption.
• Writing a post or creating guest blog
content.
Freberg, Social Media for Strategic Communication, Second Edition. © 2022 SAGE Publishing.
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Examples of Partnering with
Influencers (2 of 3)
• Attending and creating content at VIP
events.
• Providing reviews for products.
• Talking to the media about the brand.
• Provide a giveaway or host a contest.
Freberg, Social Media for Strategic Communication, Second Edition. © 2022 SAGE Publishing.
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Examples of Partnering with
Influencers (3 of 3)
• Create a video or visual element for a
brand.
• Launching a new product or influencer
program.
Freberg, Social Media for Strategic Communication, Second Edition. © 2022 SAGE Publishing.
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Successes and Fails Using
Influencers (1 of 2)
• Challenges for influencer marketing.
• Misrepresentation.
• Being a target of the cancel culture.
• Fake influencers, followers, and bots.
Freberg, Social Media for Strategic Communication, Second Edition. © 2022 SAGE Publishing.
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Successes and Fails Using
Influencers (2 of 2)
• Tapping into current trends without
understanding context.
• Embracing the controversial angle.
Freberg, Social Media for Strategic Communication, Second Edition. © 2022 SAGE Publishing.
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Steps in Creating and
Launching an Influencer
Campaign (1 of 11)
• First, determine if influencers are needed
in the campaign.
• Identifying influencers.
– Ways for identifying appropriate influencers.
Freberg, Social Media for Strategic Communication, Second Edition. © 2022 SAGE Publishing.
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Steps in Creating and
Launching an Influencer
Campaign (2 of 11)
Evaluating Evidence of Influencer’s
Community, Account, and Impact
• Evaluate the influencer’s work and
evidence.
• A media kit: providing background.
Freberg, Social Media for Strategic Communication, Second Edition. © 2022 SAGE Publishing.
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Steps in Creating and
Launching an Influencer
Campaign (3 of 11)
Evaluating Evidence of Influencer’s Community, Account,
and Impact
Freberg, Social Media for Strategic Communication, Second Edition. © 2022 SAGE Publishing.
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Steps in Creating and
Launching an Influencer
Campaign (4 of 11)
Evaluating Evidence of Influencer’s
Community, Account, and Impact
• A rate card: payment of influencer.
• Questions for evaluating and auditing an
influencer.
Freberg, Social Media for Strategic Communication, Second Edition. © 2022 SAGE Publishing.
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Steps in Creating and
Launching an Influencer
Campaign (5 of 11)
Establishing a Relationship With the
Influencer
• Start the conversation.
• Contracts between parties.
– Guidelines and responsibilities for both
parties.
– Ownership of the creative rights.
Freberg, Social Media for Strategic Communication, Second Edition. © 2022 SAGE Publishing.
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Steps in Creating and
Launching an Influencer
Campaign (6 of 11)
Establishing a Relationship With the
Influencer
– Acknowledgement of FTC influencer
guidelines.
– Creative control.
– Steps taken if agreement or deliverables are
not followed.
Freberg, Social Media for Strategic Communication, Second Edition. © 2022 SAGE Publishing.
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Steps in Creating and
Launching an Influencer
Campaign (7 of 11)
Establishing a Relationship With the
Influencer
• Payment of deliverables.
• Deliverables to be given.
• Wish list items.
Freberg, Social Media for Strategic Communication, Second Edition. © 2022 SAGE Publishing.
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Steps in Creating and
Launching an Influencer
Campaign (8 of 11)
Solidify an Influencer Brief and Monitoring
Board
• Brief: a one-page overview.
– Overview of the overall campaign.
– Key metrics.
– Deadlines and timeline.
Freberg, Social Media for Strategic Communication, Second Edition. © 2022 SAGE Publishing.
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Steps in Creating and
Launching an Influencer
Campaign (9 of 11)
Solidify an Influencer Brief and Monitoring
Board
• Brief: a one-page overview.
– Quantity of pieces of content.
– Elements to share.
– Key audiences.
Freberg, Social Media for Strategic Communication, Second Edition. © 2022 SAGE Publishing.
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Steps in Creating and
Launching an Influencer
Campaign (10 of 11)
Solidify an Influencer Brief and Monitoring
Board
• Brief: a one-page overview.
– Overall tone, presentation, and feeling.
– Mandatories.
Freberg, Social Media for Strategic Communication, Second Edition. © 2022 SAGE Publishing.
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Steps in Creating and
Launching an Influencer
Campaign (11 of 11)
Launch and Evaluate the Influencer
Campaign
• Influencer monitoring dashboard.
• Tracking of components.
• Evaluate overall impact on the client.
Freberg, Social Media for Strategic Communication, Second Edition. © 2022 SAGE Publishing.
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Payment (1 of 4)
• Influencers want payment.
• Two categories of payment.
• Payment through specific channels:
directly; agencies.
Freberg, Social Media for Strategic Communication, Second Edition. © 2022 SAGE Publishing.
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Payment (2 of 4)
• Multi-channel networks.
• Influencer marketing partnership
platforms.
Freberg, Social Media for Strategic Communication, Second Edition. © 2022 SAGE Publishing.
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Payment (3 of 4)
• Payment based on content creation.
– Pay per post: popular model for influencers.
– Pay per campaign: long-term focused fee.
– Pay per click: typical digital metric.
Freberg, Social Media for Strategic Communication, Second Edition. © 2022 SAGE Publishing.
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Payment (4 of 4)
• Payment based on content creation.
– Pay per acquisition.
– Non-monetary compensation.
Freberg, Social Media for Strategic Communication, Second Edition. © 2022 SAGE Publishing.
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Best Practices for Utilizing
Influencers (1 of 2)
• Invest in training and education.
• Work with relevant influencers.
• Provide experience and partnership.
Freberg, Social Media for Strategic Communication, Second Edition. © 2022 SAGE Publishing.
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Best Practices for Utilizing
Influencers (2 of 2)
• Expectation for long-term investment.
• Embrace consistency.
Freberg, Social Media for Strategic Communication, Second Edition. © 2022 SAGE Publishing.
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