April 8, 2020
Influencer marketing has changed the way people shop, and it’s a trend that’s here to stay across all industries – especially in the home space. When it comes to renovation and décor, consumers are looking to trusted influencers with hands-on product experience for recommendations. That’s why our PR program with Trex, the world’s leader in wood-alternative decking and railing products, includes campaigns with bloggers and social media stars from around the globe to take fans on the journey of planning and building a composite Trex deck – showcasing how Trex makes it easy for anyone to build a dream outdoor space.In exchange for Trex product, our carefully vetted influencer partners guide their followers step-by-step through the deck building process via videos, blog posts and social content. Whether it’s a DIY project or a DIFM (do-it-for-me) build with a TrexPro contractor, each influencer discusses his or her deck design and layout choices, product selection, installation and, finally, gives a tour of their completed outdoor living space – all while reinforcing the benefits of Trex products, tools and customer service.
Here are some insights into how we maximize these influencer deck builds to deliver outstanding results for our client:
- Keep it real. Collaboration is crucial to striking a balance between branded and authentic content that will keep audiences engaged. We work closely with our partners to ensure that Trex’s key messages are woven into all posts while giving influencers creative license to share their Trex experiences in their own personal tones and styles. This approach increases fan engagement and gives each influencer the flexibility to be responsive, such as when YouTuber DIY Creators started Part Two of his Trex deck build tutorial by addressing viewers’ feedback in the comments of the first video.
- Provide real time updates. Keep your client informed on all influencer activity. Even better, work with the influencer to provide a content calendar so your client knows what’s in the pipeline. Share the posts as soon they publish and then follow up with updates. When our partner Little House in London issued her first Instagram post, we immediately shared it with Trex. Then, we provided a one-day update (1,285 likes and 82 comments!) and a three-day update (1,545 likes and 177 comments!). While it may depend on how often new photos are published, most Insta posts max out engagement after three days.
- Build rapport.When working with influencers, deliverables and assets are important, but don’t make every interaction strictly transactional. Take the time to establish a meaningful relationship and ensure that they have an amazing experience with the brand. As a result, you’ll find that influencers will over-deliver and continue to promote your client long after their project and your partnership has ended. For example, we collaborated with Instagrammer Liam’s Hometo build a Trex deck in 2018, and he’s still showing Trex love two years later!
- Paint the big picture. Connect the dots to show how the influencer campaign is impacting overall brand engagement. In addition to sharing the number of likes, views, shares and comments, track brand mentions, message penetration, click-through-rates, referral traffic and any other metrics that are important to your client. For the past two years, we have been able to report that our 2018 and 2019 Aussie influencer campaigns with Interiors Addict and Naomi Findlay drove the most traffic to Trex’s Australian website throughout the year! Understanding the value an influencer is driving for your client’s business is an incredibly powerful tool to show the ROI of a campaign.
Influencer partnerships are an effective way to promote products, increase brand awareness, generate engaging content and drive website traffic – and sales. When done effectively, they can also convert influencers into longer-term brand ambassadors.