Influencer Marketing: 10 Examples to Inspire Your Social Media Strategy

Filed Under: October 2019 Issue

By Lauren Shepherd
(Conclusion of a two-part article that covered examples 1-5 in our September issue)
6.) Glossier tells your stories
Makeup and beauty influencers are some of the most common on Instagram, which can make it hard for make-up companies like Glossier to stand out.
The Campaign: Instead of choosing a few influencers, Glossier decided to shape their IG into a marketing machine that turned all of their users into influencers. They encourage all women to post, and the way they succeed is by interacting with them constantly. Not only do their thousands of normal-user influencers post stories and pictures on a daily basis, but Glossier rounds them up and produces IG stories based on influencer input. Those stories get about 10 million views a month.
Why it Worked: By dedicating their team to interacting, reposting, and creating stories based on their users’ content, Glossier turned their page into a close-knit community that rewarded interaction and loyalty. This, in turn, incentivized thousands of normal users to create original content for Glossier. As a final touch, Glossier repackaged and reposted its fans’ own content which both rewards followers and allows the company to maintain control over the brand’s image.
7.) Forever 21 Puts Fashion in Action
Forever 21 markets clothes to women that are affordable and fashionable. As women’s feeds are already full of fashion shots, they had to do something different to draw attention.
The Campaign: Forever 21 partnered with some hot influencers, and instead of having them post pictures of themselves, they asked them to post IG stories of them trying the clothes on and giving their opinions.
Why it Worked: The Food Network figured out years ago that watching someone cook is so much more mouthwatering than seeing the finished result. Forever 21 came to the same realization about clothes: watching someone try on an outfit and make a purchase is much more effective. Also, using stories helps Forever 21 jump to the front of the line, as users engage more with stories than they do with the feed. Forever 21 enlisted chic and relatable influencers (most of them micro) to try on outfits while giving their unique fashion input. Couple that with a discount on screen and a swipe up to shop, and you’ve got major ROI for a small investment.
8.) Ebay gets colorful
As the world of ecommerce grows, the effort required to shop on Ebay threatens to make it an inconvenient option. This brand needed a way to make a purchase feel like a unique reward.
The Campaign: As a way to combat the unavoidable global domination of Amazon, Ebay used influencers like Keri Fay, a New York-based fashion and lifestyle blogger, to market itself as a lifestyle brand—a place of limitless imagination, color, and style that you can use to mix and match and create a new look. The result of their #fillyourcartwithcolor campaign was record-setting engagement (nearly 350k engaged followers) and a global campaign that took their success even further.
Why it Worked: Ebay is neither a fashion company nor a clothing company nor a lifestyle brand. But, IG is very much a lifestyle-based social network that is in love with fashion (fashion is the most active industry on IG). For Ebay, it was less about finding influencers to fit their niche as it was about using influencers to rebrand the company for the IG audience. By the time the campaign was over, Ebay had gone from being the site your dad used to buy old baseball cards to a lifestyle bazaar where millennials e commerce eTail © 123RF.COM/JRG SCHIEMANN capeplymouthbusiness.com | October 2019 | Cape & Plymouth Business 25 (508) 385-3811 sales@capeplymouthbusiness.com “Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower.” Steve Jobs Choose to Lead. eTail OUR REPUTATION DEPENDS ON ENHANCING YOUR REPUTATION “A­ er seeing the Stewart Painting sign in front of many impressive projects over the years, it was a no brainer who I was going to call. ‑ ey surpassed their reputation, we couldn’t be happier.” ~ Matt Downes: Owner ‚ 6A Brewing Company HOUSE WASHING CARPENTRY PAINTING Cape Cod: 508-362-8023 / www.StewartPaint.com / South Shore: 781-749-4215 30+ Years Quality Service / Better Business Bureau A+ Rating / Summit Safety Certified / Licensed / Fully Insured could build their own unique look.
9.) Bigelow Tea lets down their guard
Bigelow Tea is one of the most established tea brands, but nowadays, hundreds of new, hip, and millennial-targeted tea brands are popping up and threatening to make the big guys like Bigelow and Twinings seem boring and outdated.
The Campaign: To keep up with the times, Bigelow brought on craft bloggers and creative culinary influencers to show that there was a lot more to tea then what’s in the bag. Their influencers crafted new recipes and foodie-centric beverages with Bigelow’s teas, as well as plenty of great photos.
Why it Worked: Bigelow’s success came because, despite its conservative image, it gave its influencers all the creative freedom they wanted. By letting go and allowing its influencers to give the brand a lively and spontaneous creative push, Bigelow transformed from the unattractive “old” to the coveted “vintage” and sales boosted by nearly 20%.
10.) American Express flies high
American Express wanted to promote their high-end Amex Platinum card to the right audience, but marketing credit cards on social media invites legal trouble (and besides, it’s not very fun).
The Campaign: Amex reached out to influencers who flaunted a luxurious and lavish life. Art galleries, 5-star hotels, designer clothes, VIP events—these are all things that Amex attached to its #AmexPlatinum and #AmexLife tags. The influencers barely mentioned any of the perks of having the card. They simply shared high-quality images of their luxurious lifestyle and associated their ability to live that way with Amex.
Why it Worked: Amex demonstrated a mastery of influencer marketing by letting its product live vicariously through its influencers. This value-driven campaign didn’t use influencers as experts to promote an established brand but instead used their lifestyles to build the brand’s image. Once the image was built, they introduced elements of exclusivity and FOMO to drive conversions home.