What if you have tried all of the possible traffic sources and still feel there’s room for not only optimization and budget boosts, but also for widening your audience reach and getting more user categories to know your app? There are several ways to respond to that, but one of them definitely must be influencer app marketing.
Some of us still stick to the notion that influencer marketing works better for consumer goods of brand awareness and can hardly be applied to ore digital subjects, also, there’s a bias almost bordering the superstition that the results are impossible or at least ultimately hard to measure and that using influencers has nothing to do with mobile performance marketing.
Before we start, what has to be known about influencer marketing stats in 2020?
- Almost 90% of marketers state that ROI from influencer marketing is equal to or better than other sources, Instagram being the major channel with biggest spends, and Youtube following it closely. The most popular integration format is, accordingly, Instagram posts. The least preferred channel for now is Snapchat, though Insta engagement rates might see a kind of decline, and we are still not sure it will last, and no one mentions TikTok yet (at least in this context) but it’s obviously a force to be reckoned with.
- An incredible 92% of people listen to influencers when it comes to purchasing products and a fun fact is that influencer-influencers (bloggers, for instance) are considered to be more trustworthy in this case than the regular celebrities, and they are naturally more trusted than any company-company. 🙂
So is it that expensive to hire an influencer?
The average influencer marketing budget equals to or is less than $100 000, whether we are not sure this is of any use to the reader: however wealthy your brand might be, it’s not that easy to dedicate $100k for a new channel all of a sudden, especially if there are no guarantees. Well, if that’s a consolation, a micro influencer charges something like $200 per post, which sounds like a relief (but is it a relief?), and we’ll get back to the guarantees a bit later.
Actually, there are plenty of Influencer marketing digits for the past years, we have just named the basics (or the teasers), so you’re welcome to look up your own preferred sources of intel (the original ones, not the IM-is-great go-on-impress-me articles. Like the one you’re reading)
We, personally, are here to speak of how to run a successful influencer campaign for your precious app.
Step one. CHOOSE YOUR DESTINY
Well, you know we mean choose your goals. Yes, it’s always more installs, more purchases, more users and maybe even positive reviews, but you’ll have to be more specific, maybe by answering some tricky questions.
- To what extent are you satisfied with your current performance? Is it chable? Can you afford a “change” (as an opposite of “run”) course of actions?
- What are the things that could be better? The retention rate, the purchases, the DAUs
- Is your target audience behaving? Or, are the people who download your app close to the portraits you had pictured before launching your user acquisition campaigns?
Do you believe you have almost reached your maximum potential number of users for any region or social group?
How would you estimate your brand awareness?
Do you know your daily stats by heart? Have you faced any recent changes?
Step two. CHOOSE A SETTING
By this we mean a suitable platform. Do a research on where your audience dwells or make someone do that for you. As we have already mentioned, Instagram is still the biggest, but by no means your choice must be limited by it. If we speak of mobile games, you might as well start with more traditional Twitch or Youtube. If you have never tried to find a mobile-specific influencer, you might realize it’s not as easy as it seems. Trust us, there are more of them than you see at first sight, besides, many of them review both PC and smartphone stuff. After all, it’s not uncommon for a traveller to advertise skincare products, so why not place a bet on the fact that at least some computer gamers visit app stores for less hardcore issues every once in a while?
Step three. CHOOSE YOUR FIGHTER
- First of all, the influencer must be real. Well, they can, technically, be a hologram, an incognito artist, an AI-generated well of wisdom, but they must have real subscribers who care about them. “Care” here is the least sentimental and must easily be measured, stat. Proved by stats, screenshots and third-party influencer analytics systems. What is more, there is an easy way to do the first check: calculate the engagement rate. To do so, take the average number of likes and comments for each post, divide it by the overall number of the chosen influencers’ subscribers and multiply by 100. It’s good to see an engagement rate of 2-3%, though digits like 4-6 might be real and are a very good indicator. That’s the proof your hero has a connection with their audience, be it a nice or a disturbing one.
Check out whether the person fits your brand image and is capable of maintaining your tone of voice, at least to a certain extent. Make sure there are no questionable statements and no facts that are in discord with what you’re selling. A part-time animal rights fighter (even if he or she are makeup tiktokers in the first place) are not a good choice for a, say, game that involves hunting.
Don’t forget to check out their followers’ geography! It’s very simple, and still many of the marketers forget this point being overcharmed by the influencer overall stats and general coolness.
Yet, do not expect the blogger to stick to your guidelines fully. You have been using your brand book for quite some time and you know the results it brings. Open your might for something new: no one’s a celebrity for nothing, and their wit or eccentricity my bring out the fresh air your in-house or agency buying team lacked.
Bulk is not necessarily cheaper. It is only natural to imagine that 1 million people subscribed to one celeb are “more” than 600k subsribed to 10 influencers, but you need to know that smaller influencers sometimes have a more loyal audience. Also, human beings are capable of following an ultra famous person just for the fun of it or because everyone does it, while choosing a smaller one might be a sign of real interest or even a 20-handshakes personal connection.
Authority is what you’re seeking. Some of us might be following someone for mock issues and never trusting a word the picture on the web says. Look for those whose opinions matter, and, if you’re not badass enough to take risks, choose the least controversial option.
Do not expect the blogger to stick to your guidelines fully. You have been using your brandbook for quite some time and you know the results it brings. Open your might for something new.
Step four. CHOOSE YOUR CORNER
If that’s the first time you are starting a mobile app influencer campaign, a range of options might be overwhelming, and the number of checks to take may be too much for a single team of marketers. There are many influencer marketing agencies out there, and there are basically only three good reasons to hire them:
they have at least some guarantees (influencers themselves, however decent and nice they are, usually don’t), and some of them even have a performance-based approach, like being able to run a CPI/CPA campaign with an influencer as a valuable add-on, or even as an additional direct traffic source.
They save your nerves on stats, checks, agreements and approvals. Usually you only have to define your goals, and the routine is done by the agency (but you can have it a different way)
It costs the same. Influencers usually sell cheaper to the agencies, some do that because the particular agency provides them with a steady flow of clients, others, almost like you, prefer dealing with an all-caught-up agency with processes established to direct negotiations with a brand. That’s why you don’t pay extra money, and sometimes it comes out even cheaper.
After doing all of the abovementioned, hold your breath and wait for the results. Remember to keep a close eye on your metrics (even if other participants promised to be vigilant).
Do not hesitate to ask questions. Set up brand mentions tracking to be there for your users.
And good luck!
