Brands are constantly on the hunt for ways to make their new product launches successful. And in my very humble opinion no launch strategy is complete without utilising influencers as part of that.
Influencers can help you boost brand awareness and will give you direct access to your target market. And as influencers act as an authority figure to their audience this is a sure fire way to build trust and credibility, quickly.
Note, this is only if you choose the influencer wisely. Remember to do your due diligence before making any commitments.
Now that you know you want to use influencers, what are the ways you can swing your influencer weaponry?
There are many tactics you can take and whether you choose to implement one or all of these, with one or multiple influencers, you will see pay off.
Unboxing
People love to watch influencers unbox their PR packages, so give the people what they want.
Unboxing videos, like this one, are widely watched across YouTube and Instagram and can score millions of views (depending on the audience size).
The wild success of these videos could be for multiple reasons. Is it because it makes viewers feel like Christmas every day of the year? Or the anticipation of seeing what’s inside? Or the fomo of potentially missing out on the latest and greatest products? But for whatever reason, people are tuning in.
Dedicated videos like the one linked above are all over YouTube, whereas Instagram unboxings feature mainly on stories and IGTV.
While popular with the tech, fashion, beauty and children’s toys crowds, these sorts of videos don’t discriminate. No matter what your product is, this tactic could be a winner.
A recent and very successful example is with the Adidas collaboration with Beyonce’s label Ivy Park. Influencers and celebrities received huge PR packages and the brands saw unboxings on social media from the likes of Reese Witherspoon and Kim Kardashian. While it is unclear if these big names were paid to promote the products or if they shared the unboxing just because it was so damn cool, what we do know is that it got a lot of eyeballs on the collection.
View this post on Instagram
Launch Events (you know, when it’s safe to do so)
So this one is off the table for a little while. But when you’re able, what better excuse is there than a new product to throw a party? As someone who very much loves a good event, it is no surprise that I’m a fan of this option.
While it could be considered extravagant, you’ll be yielding a whole event full of influencer power. And the influencers endorse and promote your product just by attending.
Most companies bring together a pack of influencers and reveal the new product for the first time at the event. Leaving the influencers to spread the news.
This is usually followed up by the influencer posting about and using the new product in front of their audiences in the days to follow.
Benefit Cosmetics is a repeat offender when it comes to this tactic. And well they do say if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
View this post on Instagram
Reviews and first impressions
This one is popular with the beauty crowd, such as with beauty Youtuber Shaaanxo. The formula is simple: send an influencer your products – whether for free in hopes of getting a feature, or more formally with a contract – for an influencer to try and review.
When using this method, you have a pretty big decision to make. Do you try and control the message and risk it feeling forced, or do you leave it in the hands of the influencer and risk your product or brand, or both being slammed, but in a more genuine way?
While you can try and control the message in the most authentic way possible, whether that be through putting a contract in place or sponsoring the content, the payoff can be higher when the influencer sincerely loves your products.
Food for thought: have the influencer trial your product first and only follow through with the public promotion if they form a positive opinion, which we are sure they will.
At the end of the day, if your products are good then you have nothing to worry about.
Giveaways
Social media based giveaways have gained popularity as a way to boost followers and increase brand awareness.
While you can use this technique solo, to get optimum results I recommend partnering with an influencer or another brand. Preferably a page with a larger following and with an audience that overlaps with your target market.
A giveaway involves each brand contributing something to a prize pack and an influencer is used for promotional purposes. Then, a follow loop is usually used, where each participating brand or influencer posts about the giveaway and entrants have to be following all accounts to enter. Hello new followers.
Don’t be surprised if once the freebies are over and done with you lose some of your shiny new followers, as this does often happen. Don’t worry though some of these people will stick around, especially if your content is strong and you have more giveaways coming.
View this post on Instagram
Discount codes
To keep the momentum of your product launch going, you can team up with influencers to offer their followers exclusive discount codes. I wouldn’t recommend doing this right away, as you want as many people to pay full price as possible, but it is good to get the little boost you need and to keep the hype going.
Hot tip: put an expiry date on the codes for the fomo effect.
View this post on Instagram
Content Creation
Being on top of your content creation is hard work, so why not outsource the job to influencers. As influencers transform more and more towards content creators, their content game is upping.
Influencers such as @dom.overseas and @thejulietreport create beautiful product photography and illustrations for clients on the daily. And brands such as Go-To Skincare have taken advantage of the skills of influencers like the two mentioned to create their feed goals.
Not only will you get coverage to the audiences of the influencers you work with here, but you’ll also get some amazing content that you can use during and after your launch too. It’s a win-win.
View this post on Instagram
View this post on Instagram
