How to Maximize Influencer Content

Influencer partnerships have become a staple of many public relations campaigns, providing an effective way to promote product, increase brand awareness and generate authentic, engaging content. In fact, influencer-generated content (IGC) has proven to drive consumer engagement and sales. Here are just a few statistics that demonstrate why your brand needs to make the most of its IGC:

• Eighty-four percent of Millennials and 70% of Boomers report that user-generated content on company websites influences what they buy. 
• Nearly 40% of Twitter users say they’ve made a purchase due to an influencer’s Tweet.
• IGC can increase social engagement sevenfold compared to brand-generated content.

Collaborations with bloggers, YouTubers, celebrities and other influences can cost anywhere from a few hundred dollars to hundreds of thousands of dollars, so naturally you want to get as much mileage as possible out of your investment. Savvy PR pros are leveraging influencer campaigns to generate high-performing content that can be recycled on their websites, social platforms and other owned channels – ensuring that they maximize the ROI of each piece of content.

1. Share all IGC in real time. This one may seem obvious, but it can often be overlooked. Be sure to repost all of the branded content on your owned channels, as well as “like” and comment on the influencer’s pages. It’s an easy way to show the influencer support, give your loyal followers the opportunity to check out the post and amplify audience reach.
2. Promote, promote, promote. I can’t state this enough! In addition to sharing the content, create your own social posts that tag or link to the influencer’s channels. Share the content with your customers via an e-blast. Publish a blog post on your website that links to the IGC. Just be sure to add more meat to the post to make it an original piece of content.
3. Turn quotes into graphics or videos into GIFs. Bring new life to IGC when re-purposing it for your own channels. Use free graphic design tools to make fun, colorful images that feature the influencer’s quote or trim down videos that will prove more attention-grabbing on Instagram. 
4. Use images in ads and marketing materials. Spell out usage rights from the beginning to ensure that you have permission to use the content commercially. When planning the campaign, feel free to prepare some content examples, such as an inspirational mood board, to provide the influencer with an idea of the brand identity you want to portray.
5. Secure a testimonial. Influencer testimonials carry more weight than those written by consumers. One way to compile the testimonial is to simply use a photo of the influencer along with an excerpt from their original piece of content. Sometimes influencers prefer to write a separate endorsement for the brand’s website, so be sure to check.

Re-purposing IGC in clever and creative ways can definitely stretch the PR dollar long after a campaign has run its course, as well as help your brand reach a larger audience and boost traffic. Remember, it pays to recycle!