Increase brand awareness with influencers in 10 steps

• #Influencer Marketing
• #Marketing

Have you ever seen an influencer start a trend and suddenly everyone is talking about it? You can harness this incredible power to increase brand awareness with influencers! Imagine your product being featured by an influential social media star and being seen and shared by thousands in an instant. People trust the recommendations of their favourite influencers and are influenced by their opinions.

Much more than a passing trend, influencer marketing has become one of the most effective strategies for exploding brand awareness. By working with the right influencers, you can not only expand your brand’s reach, but also build a deeper connection with your target audience.

Why is Influencer Marketing so powerful?

Influencers provide trust and authenticity

A key to the success of influencer marketing is the trust and authenticity that influencers enjoy with their followers. Unlike traditional advertising methods, which are often perceived as impersonal and intrusive, influencers offer an authentic and trusted source of information. Their followers see them as role models and value their opinions and recommendations.

Influencers share personal insights and real experiences, making their messages credible and relatable. When an influencer endorses a product, it’s not just an advertisement – it’s a personal recommendation. This authenticity creates a strong bond of trust between the influencer and their followers. Your brand can benefit from this trust by working with influencers.

Impressive reach and targeted approach

Another major benefit of influencer marketing is its massive reach. Influencers have large numbers of followers who actively consume and respond to their content. This reach allows your brand to spread messages quickly and effectively to a wide audience. But it’s not just about the quantity of reach, it’s also about the quality of reach.

Influencers have the ability to target specific audiences that are relevant to your brand. Whether it’s fitness enthusiasts, tech fans or fashion lovers, there are influencers for every niche. By working with them, you can ensure your messages reach the right people.

What types of brand awareness exist?

Unaided brand awareness

Unaided brand awareness is the ability of consumers to recognise a brand without any memory or reference. It is considered a strong indicator of a brand’s familiarity and presence in people’s daily lives. A classic example is when you ask someone what brand of soft drink they can think of and they immediately answer ‘Coca-Cola’. This shows that the brand is so well known that it can be recognised without help. → Regular mentions in influencer content can increase unaided brand awareness, allowing users to instantly recognise your brand.

Supported brand awareness

Aided brand awareness occurs when consumers recognise a brand after being reminded of it through advertising or other references. This can be achieved through various forms of advertising, such as television commercials, billboards or online advertising. For example, someone might answer ‘Mercedes-Benz’ when asked about a car brand after seeing an advertisement for Mercedes-Benz. → Brand awareness can be promoted by influencers specifically mentioning your brand or featuring it in specific campaigns so that their followers recognise your brand through these reminders.

Spontaneous brand awareness

Spontaneous brand awareness occurs when consumers mention a brand without a specific prompt or reminder, but simply by mentioning a product category or need. An example of this is when someone needs a quick snack and immediately thinks of ‘Lay’s Chips’ without being prompted. → This type of brand awareness is encouraged when followers associate your brand with a specific product category without a direct prompt.

Top of mind brand awareness

Top-of-mind brand awareness means that a brand is the first thing consumers think of when they think of a particular category or need. This is the ultimate goal for many brands as it shows that the brand is perceived as a leader and influencer in its category. An example of this would be when someone thinks of a new smartphone and the first thing that comes to mind is ‘Apple’. → Ongoing and prominent influencer campaigns can make your brand the first thing consumers think of in your category.

Essential steps to increase brand awareness

1. Choosing the right influencers

Choosing the right influencer is crucial to the success of your campaign. It is important to choose influencers whose follower profile matches your target group. Look for influencers who are authentic and trustworthy and whose values match those of your brand. Tools such as Kolsquare, Traackr or agencies such as Lookfamed can help you identify suitable influencers and analyse their reach and engagement.

2. Long-term partnerships vs. one-off campaigns

Long-term partnerships can be more sustainable and create deeper brand loyalty than one-off campaigns. Influencers who regularly report on your brand appear more authentic and can gain the trust of their followers more strongly. A long-term collaboration also makes it possible to tell more complex stories and build deeper connections with the target group.

3. Content collaborations and creative approaches

Creative and authentic content is the key to increasing brand awareness. Influencers can use exciting storytelling approaches, creative photos and videos as well as interactive content to arouse the interest of their followers. Collaborations can include blog posts, Instagram stories, YouTube videos or TikTok challenges. It is important that the content fits well with the brand and appears authentic.

4. Use of micro- and nano-influencers

Micro- and nano-influencers often have a closer relationship with their followers and enjoy more trust. Their recommendations come across as more personal and authentic, which can effectively increase brand awareness in niche markets. They are also generally less expensive than macro-influencers and can still have a high engagement rate.

5. Integrated multichannel campaigns

An integrated multi-channel campaign utilises the strengths of different platforms such as Instagram, YouTube, TikTok and blogs to reach a broad target group. By combining these platforms, you can maximise the reach of your campaign and appeal to different target groups. Make sure that the content is coordinated and conveys a consistent message..

6. User-Generated Content (UGC)

User-generated content is an effective way to increase brand awareness. Encourage your followers to create and share content that relates to your brand. This can be done through competitions, hashtag campaigns or rewards. UGC increases credibility and shows real experiences with your brand.

7. Events and product launches

Invite influencers to exclusive events or product launches. Their coverage can generate a lot of attention and significantly increase brand awareness. Such events also offer the opportunity to build personal relationships with influencers and introduce them more deeply to the brand world.

8. Influencer takeovers

Let influencers take control of your social media channels for a certain period of time. This brings fresh content and new followers as the influencer’s fans follow your channel. A takeover also offers the opportunity to present the brand from a new perspective.

9. Competitions & Sweepstakes

Use competitions and sweepstakes promoted by influencers to increase interaction and engagement. Such campaigns can go viral and increase brand awareness exponentially. Make sure it is easy to enter and offer attractive prizes.

10. Brand ambassador programmes

Engage influencers as long-term brand ambassadors who regularly report on the brand and demonstrate their loyalty. These programmes help to establish a consistent brand presence and gain the trust of consumers. A brand ambassador is often perceived as part of the brand and can build a strong bond with the target group.

Brand awareness with influencers – here is where we had success

Fairtrade – Fairbruary campaign

Fairtrade ran the Fairbruary campaign to raise awareness of fair products. The campaign involved over 30 influencers who generated a total of more than 300,000 impressions and 30,000 interactions. The influencers shared personal stories and authentic content to effectively convey the Fairtrade message. The high level of participation and emotional appeal reached a broad audience and significantly increased brand awareness.

Xplora – Increased reach through co-creation

Xplora utilised a co-creation strategy with influencer Eva (@what_eva_loves) to increase awareness of their smartwatches for children. A specially created co-creation reel and competition achieved an impressive 107,000 impressions and a reach of 85,700. The interactive and creative design of the content helped to maximise engagement and bring the Xplora brand into the focus of the target group.

Reisenthel – Increase in website traffic

Reisenthel ran an influencer campaign that increased website traffic by 200%. By working with influencers to show creative and practical uses of Reisenthel products, the campaign achieved over 500,000 impressions. This authentic and engaging content not only led to an increase in traffic to the website, but also a significant increase in sales, demonstrating the effectiveness of the campaign.

Conclusion

Influencer marketing is a powerful method of increasing brand awareness. Through authentic and credible recommendations from influencers, you can achieve a wider reach and deeper audience engagement. Whether through creative content collaborations, long-term partnerships or the use of micro-influencers, the strategies are versatile and customisable. Successful examples show that working with influencers not only brings short-term success, but also strengthens brand loyalty in the long term. Use this strategy to position your brand effectively and grow sustainably.