It’s no surprise that Canada seems to be heading into a recession after a two-year pandemic, according to economists. Some adjustments will again be needed as half of the organizations plan to reduce their marketing spending to prepare for it. But not to worry, we are here to help you figure out how to make the most out of your influencer marketing campaigns for the upcoming year.
Social Media in 2022: Which Platform to Bet On?
According to The State of Social Media in Canada in 2022, released by Social Media Lab and Toronto Metropolitan University, we are now close to 32 million Canadians who use an average of 6 different social networks daily, for approximately one hour and fifty-three minutes. By 2026, 96% of Canadians will be on social media.
Most people use social media to keep up with friends and family (47.6%), pass spare time (36.3%), or read the news (35.1%). For advertisers, Facebook remains the number one preferred platform with a 63.2% reach, compared to 52.6% for Instagram. Interestingly enough, YouTube has a 91.9% reach in Canada, while TikTok is the fastest-growing platform in 2022 with 25% of Canadians scrolling through videos weekly.
With these numbers in mind, what should you do to leverage your next influencer marketing campaign?
10 Things you Should Do for 2023
1. Choose Nano and Micro-Influencers
They may have smaller followings but nano and micro-influencers are the next best thing for your brand. Their audiences have a tendency to be more engaged (3.86% versus 1.21% for mega-influencers on Facebook) and generate more impact per impression while being more affordable.
2. Get on TikTok
TikTok might still be relatively new for brands across Canada, but advertising still reaches 36.1% of viewers. Why choose this platform for your next campaign? First, the extremely high engagement rate for influencers of all sizes: 18% for micro-influencers and 5% for mega-influencers on average. And then, for the young target, 76% of 18-24 years old have a TikTok account in Canada.
3. Be Authentic
Authenticity is not new, but it should be something every brand should have in mind while choosing the influencers they work with. Photos and videos that are too perfect or too cliché won’t get the same attention as real authentic content does.
4. Diversity, Inclusion, Equality
If the past few years have taught us anything, it’s to put diversity, inclusion, and equality at the heart of every campaign. Open yourself to working with influencers from different cultural backgrounds and part of the LGBTQ+ community. Not only will this help you reach out to a new demographic but also reflect your values as a company.
5. Get Brand Ambassadors
Having ambassadors or long-term relationships with influencers for your brand is something to think about. It helps establish consistency on a variety of social media platforms and turns them into full-time brand advocates.
Looking for a brand ambassador? Contact us!
6. Go All in with Video Content
As much as we love photos, it’s about video nowadays. Did you know that people are consuming an average of 18 hours of online video per week? ** TikTok, Instagram Reels, Stories, YouTube shorts; the most engaging content on social media these days come with moving images and music. If you’re not already producing, sharing or hiring influencers who produce video content, add that to your list!
7. Work with Bloggers
Videos and photos aren’t everything! Invest in evergreen content that will last forever online. We have learned from the ever-changing algorithms and the October 2021 social media outage that bloggers can and will always have control over their websites and content. They can also target your audience through good referencing and send customers your way months, and even years, after your initial campaign.
8. Diversify Your Investments
The saying “don’t put all your eggs in one basket” applies more than ever for the next year. We have come to realize that things can change quickly so make sure your influencer marketing campaign is on different platforms to reach different people at different times. Diversify your investments to maximize your reach.
9. Be More Efficient
With smaller budgets comes the need to be more efficient. Remember that influencers are a one-stop shop for all your creative needs. They can produce videos, photos, audio, or written content that you can afterward use on your social channels, newsletter, website, etc. Think of your influencer marketing campaign as a way to generate extra creative pieces for your current and future needs.
10. Be Original
Every day, a Facebook user is exposed to more than 1 200 different contents. How will you stand out? It might feel like everything has already been done but there are always new ways of approaching your product. Brainstorm with us and trust the influencers you hire to be the voice of originality.
If you want an influencer marketing agency to help you to design and execute your influencer campaign, contact us and we will be happy to send you an offer: info@clarkinfluence.com