What do 85% of marketers love, especially on TikTok? If you said cat videos, that is probably true. But we were thinking more along the lines of an industry worth $24 billion, i.e., influencer marketing. And with one survey suggesting that brands see an ROI of more than 600% from influencer marketing, we can see why influencer marketing is so much better than watching cats ride Roombas. In this article, learn where to get started with influencer marketing for your events.
Start With This Influencer Roadmap and Information
It takes more than a large following for an influencer to be a good fit for your event’s marketing strategy. Your marketing goals, target audience, and influencer budget will help determine your choice.
Influencer Marketing Goals and KPIs
Decide, specifically, what you want to accomplish with your influencer marketing campaign and how you are going to measure its success. Clearly, your main goal is to sell more event tickets. Giving your influencer a discount code to share with her followers will help you measure your campaign’s success.
Other worthwhile goals are to increase awareness of your event, increase your event’s following, create user-generated content, and appeal to sponsors.
Target Audience Demographics
Chances are you already know what sort of attendees you’re going for in terms of age, gender, educational level, and other characteristics. You’ll use that information to plan your influencer campaign.
Influencer Marketing Budget
Decide upfront how much of your event budget you’re willing to invest in influencer marketing. Payment for influencers varies widely and is usually impacted by the size of the influencer’s following. Expect to pay more for large influencers, while smaller influencers may agree to your campaign in exchange for tickets, event swag, or other perks.
Find Your Event Marketing Influencer
With your prep work in place, you’re ready to start searching for an influencer to generate buzz about your event. Finding a suitable influencer can feel like looking for a needle in a haystack. But following the steps below will help you find the perfect fit.
Identify Your Ideal Social Media Platform
While TikTok is the most popular influencer marketing platform, you’ll get the best ROI when you market where your audience is. There are hundreds of social media platforms, and they are frequented by everyone from your Nana to your 4-year-old nephew.
Find out which of your social media platforms your target event audience uses. Here are some 2024 social media stats from Sprout Social to get you started.
User Age | Preferred Platform
18-29 | Snapchat, TikTok, Instagram
30-39 | LinkedIn, X (Twitter), Snapchat, Instagram
40-49 | LinkedIn, Facebook, X (Twitter)
50-59 | Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest
You can further drill down by gender, educational level, and income to find your perfect social media platform match for your event’s marketing strategy.
Create a Shortlist of Potential Event Marketing Influencers
Let’s start by talking about influencer size and how it impacts your marketing efforts and budget. There are several categories of influencers based on their following size, and bigger isn’t necessarily bigger.
In fact, you’ll probably get the biggest bang for your marketing bucks if you use micro-influencers, with between 1,000 and 100,000 followers, in your social media event marketing strategy. Assess your event’s size and geographic reach when choosing an influencer with the ideal following size.
Besides size, you’ll want to consider other factors when shortlisting influencers.
- The influencer’s following matches your target audience.
- The influencer has a high engagement rate, measured in likes, comments, and shares.
- The influencer creates authentic content that aligns with your event and/or brand’s values.
Thoroughly Vet Influencers on Your Shortlist
You don’t have to look far to find a brand that decimated its reputation by aligning with the wrong influencer. Now that you have your shortlist, go deep to ensure the influencer is a good fit. Look into the following:
- Scan content history for controversial content.
- Learn more about the influencer using search engines, other platforms, etc.
- Ensure comments on the influencer’s content aren’t dominated by spam.
- View content the influencer created for other brands to ensure your campaign will get the treatment it deserves.
- Ensure the influencer complies with laws regarding ads and sponsorships.
Reach Out to Introduce Yourself and Your Event
Now, you should have your selection narrowed down to one or two influencers. It’s time to reach out and clinch a deal.
Start by sending a message or two introducing yourself and your event. Offer a sincere compliment on the influencer’s content, and explain that you would like to collaborate on a campaign. Be upfront, clear, and polite.
If the influencer responds that he is open to collaborating, then explain your goals for the campaign and the KPIs you’ll use to measure its success. It’s standard practice for influencers to share their metrics for your campaign. So, it’s okay to set this expectation upfront.
Make sure everything you and the influencer agree to is written clearly in a contract and signed by both parties.
Create Your Campaign
Now, it’s time for the fun part. Figure out what type of content you want to create with the influencer. Here are some ideas centered around event marketing.
- Invite your influencer to record behind-the-scenes footage as you prepare for your event.
- Connect your influencer with your event’s speakers for a live Q&A session with followers.
- Host a giveaway in which the influencer gives away tickets to your event.
- Invite your influencer to live-stream the event. Make sure your campaign builds anticipation for this prior to the event.
- Have your influencer post content after the event.
- Generate buzz by having your influencer share event hashtags and talk about your event in the weeks leading up to it.
Be mindful that you allow your influencer to do what she does best. She rose in stature and landed on your radar because she skillfully creates content that resonates with her audience. It’s okay to tell her what you have in mind, but then step out of the way and let her do her thing.
Consider These Tools for Influencer Event Marketing
With millions of influencers spread across hundreds of social media sites, you may want to invest in tools to make your influencer campaign more successful.
- Social listening tools will help you monitor event mentions, engagement rates, and other metrics. Many tools also provide AI-powered analytics.
- Influencer discovery tools can help you sort through the reams of influencer information available. Use these tools to find influencer profiles, engagement rates, and more.
- All-in-One Influencer tools do it all. Find an influencer, create your campaign, and analyze its results.
Learn More About Influencer Marketing at The Event Planner Expo 2024
As an NYC event planner, you can’t afford to skip one of the most effective marketing strategies available. Influencer marketing has flourished into a massive industry, and for good reason. With the potential of generating $6.50 for every dollar spent, influencer marketing is perhaps the best way to get the word out about your events. You can learn more at The Event Planner Expo.
This year’s Event Planner Expo is set to be our biggest yet, featuring Tim Grover and David Stark! If you want to experience all the high-profile speakers, grab your Speaker Series tickets now. Don’t miss out on the event of the year!
