The different types of influencer marketing campaigns

The different types of influencer marketing campaigns

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An influencer marketing campaign is a collaboration between a brand and someone influential who promotes the brand’s products or services to his followers/community which represent a specific target group for the brand. Brands team up with content creators, experts, or social media personalities for reaching more people, getting noticed, or connecting with certain types of customers. These campaigns come in all shapes and sizes, from sponsored posts to product reviews, spreading the word through social media.

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Here are the most Popular Influencer Marketing Campaign Types :

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1. Sponsored posts

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A « sponsored post » refers to content published by an influencer on a social media platform like Instagram. In this content, the influencer endorses a brand's products or services in exchange for compensation or other perks. These posts are typically clearly labeled as "sponsored" or done "in partnership with", ensuring transparency for the influencer's followers regarding the paid collaboration.

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Within a sponsored post, the influencer might present the brand's product through reviews, tutorials, demonstrations, or personal recommendations. The objective is to boost visibility and engagement for the brand within the influencer's audience. By leveraging the influencer's credibility and reach, the aim is to authentically and attractively promote the products.

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🎯 Goals : Increase brand visibility and website traffic, generate leads, and introduce new products.

⏱️ Duration : Transactional or short-term campaign.

🔥 Difficulty : EASY. Brands can simply relay the main idea of the campaign to their content creators, specifying the captions, keywords, hashtags and mentions that need to be included.

💰 Payment details : Influencers is usually paid in  a single payment, the amount varying according to their audience and statistics. Favikon gives an estimate of how much each influencer could cost in their Favikon profile → Reachability. The brand may also give him a promo code that he can share with his followers.

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2. Contests

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Giveaways, or contests, involve brands sending complimentary items to influencers who then offer them as rewards to their followers for completing specific actions.

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These actions may include subscribing to or following both the influencer’s and the brand’s social media accounts, liking and sharing posts, or tagging a friend in the comments.

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For brands, giving away products on social media is an excellent method to enhance engagement and generate buzz about their offerings. Giveaway campaigns have the potential to stimulate user-generated content, particularly if reposting and utilizing specific hashtags or brand mentions are incorporated into the rules.

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🎯 Goals : Increase reach, engagement and followers, and improve the brand's visibility.

⏱️ Duration : Transactional or short-term campaign.

🔥 Difficulty : MEDIUM. Social media contests should be transparent and have simple rules for participation. It's important to be aware of platform & location specific legal requirements regarding eligibility and disclosure.

💰 Payment details : The brand can combine monetary and non-monetary compensation, and also give a promo code that the influencer can share with his followers.‍

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Example of a Giveaway Collaboration:

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This giveaway by influencer Lorafied, in collaboration with Rick Springfield, is a great example of an influencer giveaway because it effectively combines several key elements that drive engagement, promote the brand, and excite the audience:

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✅ Attractive and Relevant Prize‍

The prize package includes tickets to a live show by Rick Springfield and Richard Marx, roundtrip airfare, hotel stays, exclusive merchandise, and VIP experiences. This aligns perfectly with the interests of both Rick Springfield fans and Lorafied’s audience, ensuring the giveaway resonates deeply with participants.

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✅ Clear Entry Requirements‍

Participants are instructed to follow Lorafied, like the post, and tag a friend they’d bring along. This encourages engagement on the post, increases followers for both Lorafied and the brand, and broadens the campaign’s reach as tagged friends see the giveaway.

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✅ Encourages Sharing for Additional Visibility‍

The giveaway offers a bonus entry for sharing the post to stories and tagging Lorafied, increasing visibility across Instagram and potentially attracting new followers who might not have been aware of her or the brand.

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✅ Collaborative Branding‍

The partnership with Rick Springfield ensures cross-promotion between Lorafied’s followers and Springfield’s fan base, enhancing exposure for both parties. The exclusive merch donated by Springfield also adds value and authenticity to the prize.

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✅Time-Bound and Clear Rules

The giveaway specifies a clear deadline for entry (one week), creating urgency and encouraging immediate action. The rules are straightforward and transparent, building trust with participants.

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✅ Emphasis on Experience‍

The prize isn’t just physical items but an unforgettable experience (live concert, VIP access, and travel perks), making it highly appealing and emotionally engaging.

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This giveaway checks all the boxes for a successful campaign: high-value prizes, audience alignment, simple and engaging participation steps, and strong brand collaboration. It’s a textbook example of how to run an influencer giveaway effectively.

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3. Influencer Affiliate Program

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It's a marketing strategy in which influencers promote a brand's products or services to their audience and receive a commission for every sale generated thanks to their recommendation.

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Influencers act as affiliate partners for the brand, using their influence to encourage purchases among their audience.

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This approach enables brands to benefit from the reach and engagement of influencers to increase sales, while influencers can monetize their audience by recommending products or services they value and deem relevant to their audience.

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🎯 Goals : Drive conversions, increase sales, and generate leads.

⏱️ Duration : Usually long-term collaborations.

🔥 Difficulty : HARD. Building a reliable and successful affiliate network takes time and dedication. Results take time.

💰 Payment details : Brands with limited spending options may choose to offer commissions after each sale. Commissions combined with flat-rate remuneration will provide an even greater incentive for creators to commit.‍

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4. Gifting

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Influencer gifting consists in sending free product samples to influencers whose followers are similar to the brand's target audience.

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The aim is to attract the attention of influencers, who will then promote their product or service to their followers on social media.

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Gifting campaigns are cost-effective  because influencers don't need to be paid, but they may not agree to promote products without being paid.

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🎯 Goals : Increase brand awareness and visibility, generate traffic, create long-term relationships with influencers and acquire customers.

⏱️ Duration : Because of the need to establish a relationship with the influencer, campaigns of this type are considered time-consuming.

🔥 Difficulty : HARD. Influencer gifting is designed so that influencers feel compelled to share posts about the brand's products, without being asked to do so.

💰 Payment details :  There are no fixed costs, the brand offers free products or exclusive services to influencers as gifts.‍

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5. Brand ambassadors

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Ambassadors can be influencers, celebrities, customers who have been big fans of your product range, or content creators who have collaborated with you on previous campaigns.

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An ambassador represents your brand consistently across multiple online platforms, and sometimes extends their role to offline events. They sincerely believe in the brand and its values. They love their products and recommend them based on their experiences.

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Brand ambassador programs involve creating and maintaining long-term relationships with influencers. Ambassadors who are popular, trusted by their followers or experts in their field can help build a brand's reputation. Brand ambassadors can play an active role in product launches. The feedback and ideas they provide help companies improve their products and strategies. Thanks to their understanding of the brand's message and products, they can communicate with customers and address issues or answer questions.

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🎯 Goals : Increase brand awareness, build trust and credibility, and expand the market.⏱️ Duration : Long-term collaborations.

🔥 Difficulty : HARD. It requires dedication and mutual trust on both sides. It takes a lot of effort to identify the right ambassadors. Ambassadors must avoid overexposing other brands.

💰 Payment details :  Influencers receive regular monetary compensation over a given period. In addition, they may receive personalized gifts, exclusive discounts or early access to products.‍

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Example of a Brand Ambassador Partnership:

Brand: Gymshark

Influencer: Whitney Simmons

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Whitney Simmons, a well-known fitness influencer and YouTuber, partnered with Gymshark as a brand ambassador. As part of this collaboration, Whitney frequently showcases Gymshark’s activewear in her workout videos, Instagram posts, and fitness tutorials. She also worked with the brand to release her own exclusive collection, aligning her personal fitness goals and style with Gymshark’s values.

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6. Content whitelisting

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The combination of influencer marketing and paid social advertising has become essential as the organic reach of social media declines. To maximize impact, brands are using strategies such as influencer whitelisting.

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Influencer whitelisting allows companies to use influencers' social media handles and content for paid advertising. This approach targets a motivated and diverse audience, while offering the possibility of tailoring ads to the tastes of each audience.

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🎯 Goals : Increase brand awareness, expand reach and provide consistent content quality.

⏱️ Duration : Usually one-time collaborations.

🔥 Difficulty : MEDIUM. Although this is a short-term transactional partnership, the legal agreement between brands and creators preceding the execution of the campaign itself can take a long time. Brands need additional tools, such as ad management tools. For best results, they need to test different captions, texts and CTAs.

💰 Payment details : Brands can offer a fixed payment or a hybrid repayment that combines a fixed fee with complementary services or products. Influencers who work on a white-label basis generally charge higher rates.

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7. Events

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Brands use live events such as shows, sports and music festivals, and conferences to actively engage with their audiences. These events are prime opportunities for brands to showcase their products and services.

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By featuring influencers in their campaigns, brands can enhance the impact of these events. Influencers play a key role in creating teaser videos, countdowns and behind-the-scenes content to build anticipation and excitement.

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They can also provide live updates from the event venue, capturing moments in real time and sharing their insights and experiences with their followers. This collaborative approach enhances the overall experience for the brand and its audience.

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🎯 Goals : Increase brand awareness and engagement, create buzz around new products, boost credibility and highlight unique value propositions.

⏱️ Duration : Event are one-time partnerships between brands and influencers.

🔥 Difficulty : HARD. The brand needs to find creators who fit with the event and connect with the target audience. Another challenge facing brands is the availability and schedule of influencers. Teaming up with mega-influencers requires a substantial budget.

💰 Payment details : Fixed payment. The bigger the influencer the brand chooses, the bigger the budget.

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8. UGC campaigns

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A User-Generated Content campaign is a marketing strategy where brands encourage their customers or followers to create and share content related to the brand's products, services, or campaigns.

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Typically, brands launch UGC campaigns through social media platforms, websites, or dedicated apps, inviting users to contribute content such as photos, videos, reviews, testimonials, or stories. This content can then be curated, repurposed, and shared by the brand across its marketing channels.

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UGC campaigns often leverage hashtags to aggregate user-generated content and make it easily discoverable. By involving their audience directly in the content creation process, brands can foster a sense of community, trust, and loyalty while also benefitting from the diverse perspectives and creativity of their customers.

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🎯 Goals : Generate engagement, enhance brand credibility and authority, increase brand awareness and provide social proof.

⏱️ Duration : Can be either short-term or ongoing.

🔥 Difficulty : MEDIUM. Requires an easy submission method and adequate resources to manage the volume of content. Consumer-generated content is often used by brands across multiple platforms, but companies must obtain permission to do so. In addition, user-generated messages must be consistent with the brand's message.

💰 Payment details : Businesses can offer prizes, awards or products that are not commercially available.

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