Four steps to annual planning for influencer campaigns

"In 2018, influencer marketing enters the effectiveness phase. Then it's all about how the discipline performs compared to other advertising and communication measures," says Björn Wenzel, founder and CEO of the German influencer marketing agency Lucky Shareman. The expert explains which four steps are necessary for the annual planning of influencer campaigns.

1. efficiency check and target setting

First step is to define what goals you want to achieve in overall marketing. Define metrics. Ask yourself which of the success metrics can be achieved well with influencer marketing or even better than with other measures. Typical influencer marketing KPIs are reach, contacts, contact frequency or interaction rate. But other success values can also speak for influencer marketing instead of other instruments, such as direct user feedback on a (new) product or content creation for further use in communication.

2. intensity of the communication phases

There are a few things to consider for the rough planning of influencer marketing campaigns. Decide on the intensity of the measures. Do you want to make a big splash, for example at a product launch? Or do you want to spread campaigns evenly throughout the year? It is almost always advisable to spread a large part of your campaign over the year, as you can regulate and optimize over a long period of time. In addition, genuine influencer relations can be built up in this way, as the relationships should be cultivated both digitally and in real life.

3. influencer selection and typing

Characterize the types of influencers you want to work with. Determine what topics your influencers should stand for, what reach they should have, what type of person with what communication style you are looking for. It helps here to assign exemplary influencers to the defined types. The concrete contact initiation then takes place later. Exception: If you want to win over influencers as brand ambassadors in the long term, it is important to specify the selection and approach as quickly as possible.

4. create overview in annual plan

Create a rough annual plan. This should include ideas for campaigns and a spread across target audience segments, as well as consider influencer typing and phases of communication. Consider your goals and include annual highlights, seasonality, and any other promotional activities that round out an integrated marketing communication.