78% of CMOs said they plan to increase their social marketing spend, including influencer marketing, in the upcoming fiscal year according to Gartner’s 2020 CMO Spend Survey. Unsurprisingly, influencer marketing is expected to grow to be worth $9.7 billion this year, a 470% increase from 2016.
Genius brands Pampers and Gillette, prioritize influencer partnerships as part of their social marketing strategy, as observed in Gartner’s Digital IQ Index: Personal Care. Each brand had over twice the number of influencer posts than the Index average. Gillette in particular leveraged these influencer partnerships to highlight the launch of its SkinGuard Razor.
Beyond posting about the recent SkinGuard launch, Gillette’s influencers used affiliate codes and highlighted where to buy the razor, including on Amazon, Target, Kroger, and Sam’s Club. These influencers also tagged the retailer in their Instagram post to push consumers closer to conversion opportunities.
Gillette also repurposes influencer content for its owned Instagram handle (via both Instagram feed and stories) and targeted ads. The Instagram feed and story posts quote and tag the influencer and use a consistent hashtag. The targeted ads provide links to the highlighted retailers, such as Costco and Target, driving users closer to conversion directly on retailers.
CPG brands should learn from Gillette’s social media strategy and leverage influencer partnerships that drive acquisition efforts. Brands can make the most of this influencer content by also repurposing posts for owned handles and targeted ads.
