Influencer marketing is key to a successful product launch. Creators offer a level of authenticity and relatability brands simply can’t, so teaming with them is one of the best ways to drive awareness efficiently. So much so, 87% of shoppers admit they were inspired by an influencer to make a purchase. But, like any other marketing tactic, it’s important to develop an influencer strategy rooted in best practices that’s agile and adaptive. Let’s dive in!
What is a product launch?
A product launch is an effort to introduce something new to market. Launching a product is just as important as developing it. If the launch isn’t done effectively, customers (even employees of the company) won’t be aware of it and if done incorrectly, a product launch can sometimes harm sales. When it comes to a product launch, early planning is critical, especially when influencers will be involved. When partnering with influencers for a product launch, here are some considerations to keep in mind.
- Content: What are you hoping to communicate via influencers?
- Platform: What format and placement is the best way to send your message?
- Objective: What is the expected outcome of the message you’re sending via influencers?
- Timing: When would users value hearing your message?
- Impact: What is the importance of your message?
Why you should consider influencers for your next product launch
17% of companies spend over half their marketing budget on influencers, and there’s a reason for that. Influencers have the unique ability to persuade followers on a relatable level and their opinions are trusted. So much so, 61% of people interact with an influencer at least one time per day–Not sure brands can compete with that!
How do you work with influencers for a product launch?
The process shouldn’t look too much different from working with them on other initiatives. The process should feel similar, except it should start much earlier. You’ll want to identify and secure your influencer partners months, even a year ahead of time.
Recommended Reading: Influencer Marketing Contracts: What to Include and Best Practices
Find the right influencers for your product launch
There are five main ways to discover influencers. Your own brand channels, brand affinity intel, online groups, Instagram itself and software search platforms (such as Popular Pays!). Check out these tips to find the right influencers. When identifying influencer partners, here are a few things to keep in mind.
- Following: We recommend partnering with a mix of micro and macro influences to drive awareness for your product. Macro influencers have fantastic reach but micro influencers are able to reach and engage with a niche audience.
- Engagement: What is their average engagement rate? Does this influencer interact with their followers on a regular basis?
- Brand partnerships: What type of brands do they regularly partner with? Have they mentioned your brand before? Best case scenario–they are already a fan of your brand and haven’t partnered with competitors.
Recommended Reading: What Is a Micro-Influencer? 7 Benefits They Offer Your Brand (+ Examples)
Involve the influencers in the pre-launch strategy
When to involve influencers in the process? Identify ideal influencer partners and activate them as early as pre-launch to sample products and provide creative input. As the voice of your target demo, their input can be valuable. They’ll feel a sense of ownership over the launch.
Example product launch ideas with influencers
- Brand ambassadorship: Identify a group of influencers to introduce the product and continuously post about how it fits within their lifestyle across the course of several months. Also, encourage them to mention they are a brand ambassador in their profile so new followers who land on their page see it first. Brand ambassadorships feel more authentic–more of a partnership versus a one-off transaction. We talk about why brand ambassadors are important here.
- Strategic posting cadence: If you’re activating a large group of influencers, consider having them post on the same day at the same time to make a big splash.
Last but not least, activate the brand’s page. 53% of shoppers always do research before they buy to ensure they’re making the best possible choice. Repurpose influencer content created on the brand’s page and address common FAQ’s so consumers feel confident to purchase. Among everything, one of the biggest benefits of partnering with influencers is receiving the content, and lots of it! Take advantage of it not only by repurposing on the brand’s social pages, but on your website, digital ads, email ads and more.
How do you measure the impact of your influencer product launch?
Measuring success is important so you understand how to improve and optimize for future product launch campaigns. Here are a few ways to measure the impact of your influencer product launch.
Supply promo codes to influencers
The perfect way for influencers to reward followers is to provide a promo code for a free sample or discount. Promotions help increase organic engagement and are one way to track individual influencer’s purchase rates.
We know measuring influencer marketing can have its challenges, especially when it involves understanding engagement beyond the post. We’re solving this problem with trackable links that allow brands to generate custom URLs for each influencer partnership and view clicks to your desired destination–all within the Popular Pays platform. Learn more about trackable links here.
Test placements, messaging and content
It’s important to understand what’s resonating with your audience. After establishing successful influencer partners, employ strategies for testing placements, messaging and content. Test one variable at a time and iterate from there. When it comes to measuring influencer marketing performance, take a look atthis blog for tips on dissecting the data.
*Placements pro-tip: Take advantage of Instagram Stories features like Questions to engage the audience in a dialogue. That feedback can be shared with the brand team so they can shift product or strategy as necessary.
Example influencer product launches
Here are a few influencer product launch campaigns we’ve managed with brands through the Pop Pays platform.
How Samsung activated international brand ambassadors for a product launch
Samsung wanted to establish relationships with international creators to promote the launch of their new frame TV. They partnered with a handful of international creators to advocate and develop unique content for their product over a four month time frame. The Pop Pays platform easily allowed Samsung to source 27 international creator partnerships and track each creator’s progress to ensure participants posted one piece of content each month.
As a result, Samsung activated a brand ambassador campaign, generating consistent evergreen content over a four month timeframe.
Learn more about Samsung’s campaign here.
How Method generated awareness for a new product with influencers
Method wanted to promote their new line of products designed in collaboration with Rebecca Atwood. As a solution, the Pop Pay’s platform attracted 35 unique creator partnerships for Method to beautifully highlight the cleaning companies product collaboration with Rebecca Atwood.
As a result, creators in this campaign flexed their style muscles & came up with colorful shots that highlighted method’s limited edition collaboration with designer/artist Rebecca Atwood.
Learn more about Method’s campaign here.
Launching a new product can be stressful, but let us take the guesswork out of partnering with influencers and work with Popular Pays to create a marketing plan worth sharing.
Recommended Reading: 10 Influencer Marketing Tips For a Successful Campaign
Contact [email protected] for more information on partnering with influencers for your next product launch.
Check out our case studies to see how brands used Popular Pays to launch new products!