Brand manager implications

The above-mentioned has significant brand management implications on how to manage an influencer marketing program. As detailed in the Part III of the theoretical framework, these five steps in the management process should be considered when leveraging influencer marketing (Lin et al.2018).

6.3.1.1 Five-step guideline

Planning

Managers need to start by planning for what specific marketing outcomes they want the

influencer marketing program to be focussed on, meaning brand managers need to determine if the influencer marketing is intended to lift brand awareness, change brand attitudes, to support conversion efforts, etc.

Recognise & identify

Next, brand managers need to recognise and identify the right influencers with demonstrated alignment with desired demographic and geographic target audience and make sure they fit the scope and budget of the project. Even though very specific targeting is not a new thing in digital marketing, it is even more pronounced in influencer marketing.

“... influencer marketing is targetable and trackable. Marketers are able to pinpoint their specific target audience on social, whether it be moms based in Texas or fitness lovers in Germany and ensure that their message is getting across to them”, Celine, Pulse Advertising (App. 1.1).

Alignment

Then managers need to align influencers with the brand. Meaning, brand managers need to choose the right social platform for the values they want to promote. Certain social platforms like Facebook and Twitter are generally better at conveying utilitarian brand values and brand

awareness, whereas Instagram and YouTube are generally superior in conveying hedonic brand values, which are more likely to affect brand affiliation and thus strengthen the brand connection (Lin et al. 2018). Furthermore, brand managers need to ensure that the influencers are aligned with the brand they are hired to promote and have a tone of voice that will ultimately support the existing brand image (App. 1.2). This is undoubtedly the most challenging brand manager implication because it requires managers to give up some level of brand image control.

However, it is necessary if brands want to be successful with influencer marketing, according to Celine of Pulse Advertisement (App.1.1)

If brand managers exert too much brand image control in influencer marketing, they risk coming across as inauthentic to the target audience they are trying to reach, which is one of the main arguments for influencer marketing in the first place: its ability to reach a very specific target audience with a more authentic and trusted brand message. According to Rina Hansen from Brandheroes, the key to identifying the right influencer, who aligns to a particular brand image, is to find influencers who already have that brand connection, “That is the secret of working with

influencer marketing. To find influencers who already consumes and loves your brand and would be willing to help spread the word” (App. 1.2)

According to Celine from Pulse Advertising, there is an added level of authenticity and trust to be gained if brand managers align with influencers who are already brand ambassadors to some extent, “… high quality influencers will only promote brands and products they feel they truly resonate with them — their followers know this and trust them” (Celine Sidani, App.1.1)

If brand managers and their influencer programs are successful, they can potentially shift or strengthen important brand associations about their brand. As such, brands can strengthen functional, social and psychological brand associations by choosing the right influencer profiles.

The brand tone will ultimately be set by virtue of the influencers you choose to promote your brand (App. 1.2).

Motivate & reward

Brand managers also need to decide how they wish to motivate and reward potential influencers. If brands, choose a micro-influencer strategy a large part of the motivation and sense of reward will likely be the implied and increase social status and extension of self-prevalent in influencer marketing.

Coordinate, negotiate & monitor

The last step of Lin et al.’s (2018) Five-Step Guideline for working with digital influencers deals with making sure to have a management plan ready for how to coordinate, negotiate and monitor the actual influencer marketing program—step that still has relevance in influencer marketing programs today. However, parallel to the popularity of influencer marketing across different industries and business verticals, a whole industry of software programs specifically designed to assist in coordinating, negotiating and monitoring influencers has emerged.

6.3.1.2 Product type implications

Brand managers also need to consider that certain product types might be better suited than others for influencer marketing. As detailed in the theoretical framework section Product Type &

Awareness, Chang et al (2014) argue that brands considered as search goods should,

theoretically, be more suitable for influencer marketing than experienced goods, partly because they are considered more objective in nature and information about experience goods is difficult and costly to obtain. As such, Glossier, and the beauty industry as a whole, might be better

positioned to leverage marketing programs. However, as detailed thoroughly throughout the analysis, there is a theoretical and empirical contradiction on this specific point and, as argued by Celine of Pulse Advertising, more or less everything can be successfully promoted through influencer marketing, “Of course beauty products and apparel are “easiest’ to promote, as they are seen as more organic through the eyes of online consumers” (Celine Sidani, App. 1.1).

“In principle, anything can be successfully promoted through influencer marketing if the creative concept is strong enough and brands identify and align with the right personalities to push the brand messaging across” (Celine Sidani, App. 1.1).