Influencers are creative experts who are intimately keyed into what consumers want. They have the ability to produce high-quality, visually stunning creative content that is comparable, if not better, than studio-shot content. And yet, most brands still rely on a agencies or in-house creative teams to fulfil their content needs. Today, the most successful brands are repurposing influencer-generated content (IGC) across all of their marketing channels from email, website, social, paid ads, and even offline advertisements. While there’s really no limit to where you can re-use influencer content, here are six of the most common ways that brands are using IGC to resonate with their audience across every touchpoint.
6 Places You Should Be Repurposing Your Influencer Content:
1. Paid Social: Facebook and Instagram
Facebook and Instagram offer the opportunity for brands to deliver highly targeted, personalized ads to over 1.3 billion people. However, most marketers lack the amount of creative content needed to hyper target consumers with personalized imagery that will resonate with them individually. Influencer content solves this problem. Marketing teams can rely on a diverse community of influencers to power their paid ads by producing a large, diverse repository of photos quickly and on an ongoing basis. And, because these images were created for social media, they’re an ideal fit for Facebook and Instagram ads.
2. Social Media Accounts
74 percent of shoppers make buying decisions based on what they read or hear on social media. Influencer content excels on social media because it blends seamlessly with the other content on a consumer’s feed. Unlike studio-shot creative that can look out of place, IGC looks native to the channel and receives higher engagement. Influencer content also helps brands grow their audience. By having influencers post about your brand on their own account, brands can reach new customer segments and grow their brand love. And, when a brand repurposes influencer content on their own account, it helps deepen the connection with the influencer, as well as his or her audience.
3. Websites
Influencer content adds a human-element to your product that makes it feel more relatable. Using IGC on your website, as a result, can increase conversions. A report from Nielsen found that IGC had an 88 percent greater impact on increasing brand affinity than even user reviews. With ICG, potential buyers can view real life examples of how your product is used in a variety of situations. Influencer images work great as headers, banners, testimonials, and customer stories. Other options for IGC include articles, videos, audio clips, or blogs.
4. Email Marketing
Technology has given brands the ability to craft engaging and personalized emails; however, marketers lack the creative assets needed to make an impact. MailChimp reports that segmented emails receive 14 percent more opens and 101 percent more clicks than unsegmented emails. With influencer content, marketers can leverage an endless amount of diverse content to craft personalized emails to each customer segment based on h\who is most likely to engage with each influencer. IGC also offers the ultimate social proof, which is why 40 percent of marketers already use it in their emails.
5. Television
Big brands from Dove to Chevy to Realtor.com have experimented with featuring ‘real people’ having ‘real reactions’ to their products in commercials, but with mixed success. While authenticity is nice, TV viewers still expect to be entertained. Influencers offer the best of both worlds. For example, GoPro’s adrenaline-pumping TV spots have led viewers to believe that anyone can be a hero. By leveraging influencers, GoPro is able to blend aspiration with accessibility.
6. Outdoor Signage
While the days of billboards and storefront signage might seem long gone, the industry has gone so far down the digital path that it’s now coming back full circle. What works on social media belongs in store. Social media influencers are proving to be highly effective poster children for big brands on traditional media like outdoor signage. By using IGC on billboards, in-store promotions, and other offline mediums, you’re allowing more customers to identify with your branded content at every touch point. For more on how you can repurpose IGC, be sure to check out our ebook: Ultimate Guide to Repurposing Influencer Content
