How to run the best conversion-driven campaign

By Axelle Lelievre

Consumers have considerably changed the way they shop over the past few years. Online purchases became the norm for many and consumers are now turning to social media to discover and buy new products. Indeed, “Generation Z spends 2-3 times more shopping on social channels than the average consumer, with Instagram and Snapchat taking the lead, while Generation X prefers shopping on Facebook” according to BigCommerce. 

Instagram, Youtube, Snapchat, and TikTok (and those are just the main ones) have all endeavored to multiply social commerce tools since 2016. The social ecosystem itself moved from content-sharing towards products’ discovery and shopping. If brands were the first to test and learn about these tools, influencers now also leverage social commerce and the potential is big.

At IMA, we started running conversion-driven campaigns in 2017 with the aim to test the commercial potential of influencers and we never stopped ever since. When respecting certain requirements and being completely tailored to the brand, conversion-driven campaigns can bring a tremendous return on investment (ROI) and open many opportunities for influencer marketing. Gathering the learnings of around 40 conversion-driven campaigns, you will find here our best practices to build the strongest conversion-driven campaigns in today’s world.

1. Build brand awareness first

Brands usually focus on brand awareness when starting to leverage Influencer Marketing, but it can happen that newly launched brands markets ask us to drive conversion and build brand awareness at the same time while running their first influencer marketing campaign.

Building brand awareness is fundamental for any brand to stand out against the competition. Consumers will likely buy from a brand they know and have an attachment with, over a brand they never heard about before. Hence, raising brand awareness is the first step to successfully convert potential consumers later on. Our best advice to get your brand’s name out there is to run an influencer marketing campaign including a multi-tiered strategy. Hero influencers will raise awareness for your brand towards their broad audience while mid and/or micro-influencers will engage their local and committed audience around personal storytelling that fits the brand.

2. Collaborate with the right influencers

In order to be successful and make a difference, brands should always ensure to work with high-quality influencers, and this is even more crucial when sales are added to the equation. Picking the most suitable influencers is not an easy task - influencers can have beautiful content that does not engage, or great engagements but given by fake accounts, and naturally, some influencers convert better than others. With our wealth of knowledge and expertise in the industry, we built up internal benchmarks to classify influencers into top-performing categories and ensure to work with influencers that will provide great results. The benchmarks are made up of various data points, such as engagement rates, actual impressions of a post and earned media value of an influencer, that we've collected over the past 10 years.

For conversion-driven campaigns, we also look at how influencers create content and engage with their followers, as some influencers can be amazing at raising brand awareness towards the correct audiences but don’t know how to make them take further action. For instance, we check that influencers regularly use swipe-up links or add links in their bio before collaborating on a strategy with a strong call-to-action (CTA). Indeed, on every channel, followers are constantly invited to click or swipe up on attractive ads and sponsored content. To maximize the impact of a campaign, we closely work with influencers to create eye-catching CTA using the most efficient tools available and trusting their unique creativity, as - remember - they know how to activate their community.

It might seem evident, but it is also highly important to collaborate with influencers that fit the brand. When creating branded-content, influencers become the voice of the brand. Then, we always make sure to select influencers that are aligned with brand values and image. We need influencers to be able to highlight brands’ products or services in a way that aligns with their aesthetic and resonates with the expectations and needs of their audience.

3. Tailor the strategy from targeted markets to user website experience

Running an influencer marketing campaign can be overwhelming because, with influencers, only the sky is the limit. However, building a common strategy for any customer and in several markets across the world without taking into account any cultural or consumer journey differences could kill all the marketing efforts. Always have your audience segmentation in mind when building a conversion-driven campaign. Audiences do not react to the same incentives or the same type of content. For example, we noticed that in the US and South-America markets, followers respond more positively to explanatory selfie-style videos, with influencers talking directly to their audiences. This format ensures that followers feel as though the influencer is a friend who is sharing a must-have opportunity with them.

One traditional marketing strategy that continues to resonate well among consumers in influencer marketing is offering exclusive incentives. Followers feel rewarded when influencers give them access to a temporary and unique incentive - it is a way for influencers to thank their community for their loyalty and for brands to build or strengthen their relationship with consumers. In our experience, we noticed that followers are especially taking action when being offered a discount code. In one campaign for a client providing high-end phone case-holder, one of our Dutch influencers was able to drive more than 125 sales thanks to the easy-to-use feel of the offer combined to strong and converting content. In another campaign for a financial services client, the authentic connection we created between the service and the influencers we choose enabled us to reach an immense conversion rate of 12.7%. 

Another point to consider when running a conversion-driven campaign is the website we aim the consumers to shop in. Since the launch of the Instagram Checkout feature and Snapchat Store, which enable users to buy products without leaving their app, brands need to offer the best user experience on a mobile-first website. Even with the best-fitted strategy in mind, a conversion-driven campaign won’t be successful if followers, once landed on the brand's website, do not know how to make a purchase.

4. Embrace a Test & Learn attitude

Social media channels are moving fast and what was trendy yesterday can be completely outdated today. Thus, to keep the game running, we need to adapt - and fast. Instagram, Snapchat, and others, highly value influencers, as they know these content creators have a deep understanding of their followers and their expectations. Hence, they invite them to test beta tools and be early-adopters. Influencers also know which channels are the best to activate to raise awareness or drive conversion. In one of our campaign in the US for a travel client, one of our influencers brought 55% of the campaign bookings by leveraging Pinterest, a channel that was not in the initial briefing.

Brands are sometimes also looking to expand their target audiences or test new markets. Leveraging influencer marketing is important for them to understand the needs of these new consumers. In one campaign for an international client providing electronics goods, our influencers from Middle-East knew how to create a sense of need among their local audience leveraging cultural habits. The tailored strategy enabled to reach an impressive conversion rate of 16% and lower the average online bounce rate of -8% in the targeted market.

To be so successful, these brands achieved stunning results as they built strong brand awareness and combined this to a tailored strategy that includes creative and converting content made by relevant influencers.