With so many social media content options available, it can be hard to know which will be most effective for a brand. Once a brand or business decides to use influencer marketing to reach their target audience, it is important for them to understand the specific benefits and opportunities of each social media platform and its content features in order to determine which ones will yield the desired campaign results. This guide provides a brief summary of which social media content types to consider for your next influencer marketing campaign.
PHOTO
Instagram and Pinterest are great platforms for photo content. On Instagram, photos are used to document where and how we move about the world. It’s a place for snippets of lifestyle content, or high quality photography. Instagram is the perfect channel for travel, lifestyle, and food content. On Pinterest, the content is a bit more purpose-driven: people share workouts, DIY projects, beauty looks, and of course, decor. Through brief snippets of a day on Instagram Stories and a regular stream of a in-feed photos in their feed outlining their favorite parts of the trip, photo content is essential to provide followers with a clear picture of a brand and what it has to offer.
Stories vs. Static Posts
Unless manually removed, in-feed static photos on platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest permanently remain part of an influencer or brand’s profile. For brands looking to maximize reach within the social platform rather than drive traffic to a link, in-feed static static posts are the way to go. When someone visits an Instagram profile, the first thing they usually see are the static in-feed posts. With in-feed posts, brands also have the opportunity to re-post the content on their own channels through their stories. If a brand is looking for content to re-purpose on their own social channels, requesting an influencer to post static photos can be beneficial for both parties involved.
Instagram and Facebook stories are fleeting, meaning they are only accessible for a select period of time. Stories are typically more of a casual place for content, and offer the opportunity to showcase a lot of content at once, such as an influencer going on a trip or showing their followers a variety of products from a brand. Instagram and Facebook stories show followers images and videos that may not make it to their feed as often. If the campaign requires an influencer to post in “real-time,” stories are great for showing what they are doing at that exact moment. As explained by ThriveHive, with stories, one can reap the benefits of real-time marketing without cluttering up their Facebook or Instagram profile. Most importantly, the swipe-up feature on Instagram Stories is the only way on Instagram to generate clicks to an off-platform destination.
VIDEO
With TikTok gaining popularity by the minute, it’s no secret that video content speaks to young audiences. With YouTube being the original video platform, social media platforms such as Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, Facebook, and LinkedIn are also popular places for influencers to post video content. For brands looking to provide a lengthier explanation about a product or trying to get a message out, videos are a great option. Video content can be broken into two categories: short-form and long-form.
Benefits of Short-Form Video Content
Incorporating short-form video content, such as Instagram reels, Facebook lives, and Snapchat videos into your influencer strategy is a great way to promote brand awareness in a quick and concise way. Consumers typically have short attention spans, so having an engaging, shorter video can work wonders for a brand looking to get a message out fast. As said best by Entrepreneur, short-form videos give brands more freedom to produce hard-hitting, relatable videos that get to the point, without the overhead of creating more in-depth content.
Benefits of Long-Form Video Content
Long-form videos, such as on Youtube or IGTV, have more of an emphasis on entertainment. Typically, in order to view a long form video on Instagram or Facebook, one has to directly opt-in to continue watching. While getting the attention of viewers may be a challenge, once the attention is received, it can be a great opportunity to build brand affinity and lengthen the profile visit duration. Consumers crave meaningful content to connect with brands, and long-form video can be the perfect opportunity to showcase the best of a brand’s messaging and values.
EDITORIAL
Editorial content, such as blogs or event appearances, can add a new level of authenticity to an influencer marketing strategy. When an influencer posts about a brand, experience, or product in detail, their followers are able to get the full picture of what they are promoting. Blogs are also a great way to reach a specific target audience. For example, if a tourism council would like to reach people that are especially interested in travel, working with a travel blogger can be a great way to reach that target audience in an organic way. Over time, influencers have built trust and established credibility with their fans. If someone’s favorite food blogger blogs about their great experience at a new restaurant, their followers are likely to want to try it out. Overall, editorial content is a great way to seal the deal in terms of influencer credibility.
While these are just a few examples of the social media content one can incorporate in their influencer marketing strategy, there are endless content opportunities for influencers to display their messaging. Ultimately, the focus of an influencer marketing campaign should be on creating content that appeals to a target audience’s needs.