The positive impact of influencer marketing can’t be understated. Research has shown that businesses earn $6.50 for every $1 spent on influencer marketing, 51% of marketers acquire higher-quality customers through influencer collaborations, and 39% of social media users say content creators had an influence on their buying decisions. But, the impact of influencer collaborations is only as strong as the foundation they’re built on.
With a decade of leading over 1,700 influencer campaigns, Acorn has successfully partnered with brands and content creators to increase awareness, drive trials, and boost sales online and in-store. With that comes years of collecting invaluable insights on how to generate best-in-class content for brands. Behind every successful influencer campaign, you’ll find that it takes significant effort to produce authentic, seemingly effortless content. In this article, we’ll take you behind the curtain to break down:
➡️ Planning phase considerations when building your influencer strategy.
➡️ Defining what your brand wants to achieve—such as driving sales, launching a new product, or promoting a sweepstakes—and how to reach those goals.
➡️ Pinpointing your target audience. Every product has a specific target audience, and choosing the right audience segmentations or staying broader is key.
Defining your brand’s goals is the first step in any successful influencer campaign. What actions do you want your audience to take? Once you know the goals, you can identify the key performance indicators (KPIs) that make the most sense for achieving and measuring against those goals. It’s also important to consider levels of KPIs. At Acorn, we bucket KPIs into primary, secondary, and tertiary focuses, with the success of the primary metric guaranteed based on historical and seasonal data. Consider these KPIs:
➡️ Engagements: Metrics like video views, or platform-specific interactions (e.g., likes, shares, and comments).
➡️ Impressions: Number of users who viewed your content, or ads shown to users on social platforms or digital media channels
➡️ Clicks: Number of clicks from content or paid ads to a specific online destination
➡️ Carting: The number of carts sent from a carting link to a retailer’s site or app.
In the planning phase, it’s critical to understand the persona behind your target shoppers. Are they busy moms? Foodies? DIY crafters? Party planners? What need or expectation does your brand’s product fulfill for them? Identifying specific personas enables you to tailor content and messaging to resonate deeper with the intended audience.
Beyond audience segments, it’s also essential to consider the generational aspects of your target shoppers and how that influences the way they shop, use social media, and choose brands to engage with. For instance, Gen Z deeply prefers sustainable and ethical brands. Millennials value personalization and authenticity in their brand interactions. Meanwhile, Gen Xers appreciate brands that provide incentives and loyalty programs.
For products that span age groups, campaigns may need to appeal to multiple generations simultaneously. You can approach this by making content that resonates across generations, or segment campaigns for different platforms and audiences. For example, Gen X is more likely to discover brands on Facebook and TV, while Millennials enjoy short-form content on TikTok and Instagram Reels. 55% of Gen Alphas want to buy products their favorite YouTube and Instagram personalities use, and 76% of Boomers are more likely to purchase an item when armed with recommendations, real-life context, and imagery. Tailoring content to fit these preferences can significantly boost engagement. Choose the platforms that make the most sense for each generation and plan your campaign segments accordingly.
⭐ Click here to go deeper into leveraging generational behaviors to boost brand reach.
Shoppers will quickly write off a brand that leverages dated (read: last season) social media trends. At Acorn, we deep-dive into social media trends across categories and seasonalities to understand how to make messaging hyper-relevant to the audience.
Depending on the product and retailer, shopper insights are critical to understanding who your shoppers are, how they shop, and what’s meaningful to them. We start by analyzing data sources, such as consumer surveys, social media analytics, and retailer-specific data, to gain a comprehensive understanding of shopper behavior. We also examine how shopper behavior varies depending on the season or time of year. For example, back-to-school shopping patterns differ significantly from holiday shopping. Understanding these seasonal nuances allows for more timely and relevant content creation. We then map out the entire shopper’s journey—from awareness to purchase—to identify key touchpoints where influencer content can effectively engage them.
The influencer selection process is instrumental in how much your campaign will resonate. Influencers offer authentic access to their followers, and each influencer has a following that looks different. Selecting influencers to partner with should be based on a variety of factors:
➡️ Your budget: Using nano, micro, or macro influencers will impact your campaign’s investment level. It’s important to select a mix that will collectively reach the right audience while staying within budget.
➡️ Audience alignment: Does the influencer’s audience align with the brand’s campaign target?
➡️ Brand personality: Does the influencer reflect the brand’s personality and style preferences? A mismatch will never feel authentic to their followers.
➡️ Brand value alignment: Be sensitive to an influencer’s values and if they align with the brand’s values. Particularly in election season, influencers are being pressured more to speak out on hot-button topics, so establishing the brand’s tolerance for political commentary is vital when selecting influencers.
⭐ Click here to learn more about navigating influencer campaigns in an election year.
While planners develop pricing and select influencers, Acorn’s content team researches trends and insights based on the shopper, social media, and the industry. Think: specific insights into back-to-school shopping at Walmart. This information helps determine ways to authentically speak to the audience and avoid feeling too ad-like. Taking all research into consideration, we brainstorm content concepts that fit the brand’s narrative focus.
Every agency offers varying levels of support, but managing the many moving parts of influencer partnerships can be challenging. Acorn’s teams handle every detail, working closely with influencers to ensure content expectations are clearly communicated. We oversee revisions to guarantee that the final product not only meets client expectations but also has the best chance of success. This hands-on approach ensures our clients receive high-quality content aligning with their brand goals.
Influencers deeply understand their audience and have cultivated their following for a reason—they know what resonates and what captures attention. However, there’s a delicate balance between aligning with the brand’s message and allowing the influencer’s creative vision to shine. Followers can spot unauthentic content from a mile away, so ensuring the influencer has the space to create content with a similar vibe to their nonsponsored content is essential. At Acorn, we expertly navigate this space, ensuring that the influencer’s content remains authentic and engaging while meeting the brand’s objectives and maintaining high content quality.
Consistency is often overlooked but is a cornerstone of any successful influencer marketing campaign. Campaigns can span multiple channels and formats—short-form TikToks, Facebook ads, and CTV. Consistency streamlines campaign execution, making it easier to manage large-scale campaigns with multiple influencers and content pieces. When everyone involved is on the same page, it reduces the chances of errors, miscommunication, or last-minute changes.
Now that you have all the insights to run a successful campaign, see what high-impact, seasonal influencer content looks like in action.
With back-to-school season in full swing, our strategy team dove into what makes this time of year so unique—and how brands can tap into it. For young adults transitioning to college, it’s all about embracing their individuality and expressing their personal style. Social media is buzzing with creators sharing their routines and unique perspectives, inspiring followers to elevate their everyday lives. NIL athletes are also adding fresh, diverse viewpoints to Back-to-College content. Key trends to watch? #rushtok, where Greek Life members share their rush experiences, #GRWM (Get Ready With Me) beauty routines, and dorm room makeovers.
Last year, Acorn partnered with Kleenex to inspire Walmart shoppers to purchase Kleenex products as part of their yearly back-to-school hauls. Through relatable, family-oriented content, influencers highlighted Kleenex as a staple of the school season. Paired with a targeted media strategy, the campaign over-delivered on engagement and cart conversion rates.
When Keurig Dr. Pepper wanted to target back-to-school shoppers this year, they came to Acorn. Influencers created video content around packing lunches, providing moms with inspiration to make their kids easy, tasty meals with staples like popcorn, cheese sticks, and applesauce.
Influencer marketing has proven to be a game-changer for brands that want to connect with their audience in a real and authentic way. By carefully planning your strategy, setting clear goals, understanding who you’re trying to reach, and selecting the right influencers, you can create campaigns that deliver results. The secret to success is in the details—ensuring your message stays consistent and relevant across platforms while giving influencers the freedom to let their creativity shine. Whether you're gearing up for a back-to-school push or any other seasonal campaign, these best practices will help you create standout campaigns that make a lasting impact.
