Chapter 4: Influencer Marketing Loyalty Program
What is an Influencer Loyalty Program
Influencers vs. Customer Ambassadors
Like most great things, ambassadors come in many different forms. We've been speaking previously about influencers, who are influencer social media users that promote your brand. Now, we will speak about Customer Ambassadors, which are influencers that already exist within your customer base.
This unique collaboration harnesses and blends two amazing factors for success. You and individuals with strong social media influence and you have someone that is already dedicated to and appreciated your product. This means you already have someone who loves your product, and they just need to share their passion for your brand with their strong network. These types of programs would be considered influencer loyalty programs.
How to Identify Influential Customers
Collect customer’s social details during sign-up or payment
Identifying influential customers is the first stage of running a successful influencer loyalty program. This means having a stage in your customer journey, be it at the purchase page or an integrated pop-up, that collects customers' social media credentials. This field should explain to customers why you are asking for their details, and collect a relevant social media handle. For example, if your main channel is Instagram, then it would make sense to ask for your customer’s Instagram @handle.
Once you begin collecting your customers' social media details, it is important to have a data-driven vetting process to identify those with strong social influence. This typically requires using an influencer technology to review a customer's True Reach, engagement metrics, and audience demographics. All of which will paint a detailed picture of your customers' social media strengths, and help you identify the most relevant customers to collaborate with.
Coupon Codes
What is a Coupon Code?
Coupon Codes, or Promo Codes, are a series of characters (letters, numbers, and symbols) used to generate a discount on an eCommerce site. Coupon codes are a great way to generate sales and get customers interested. Many brands have their brand ambassadors share coupon codes with their network as a method for incentivizing sales.
Why Should You Use Coupon Codes During Loyalty Programs
One of the great benefits of coupon codes is that they can be personalized, which gives customers a true understanding of the value of your brand ambassadors. This means that your coupon code can include your influencer’s name or signifying details, which can really help to incentivize their dedicated followers. Additionally, when tracked properly, coupon codes offer extremely valuable conversion data which can help for successful budgeting of future collaborations.
How to Track Coupon Code Conversions
Conversions are one of the leading KPIs for an influencer loyalty program. It is important to have a technology that can measure the conversions generated by a specific influencer, to understand if your ROI is justifiable. Klear supports this process with a tracking pixel that can be added onto any more multiple pages within your website. The pixel will automatically recognize any conversion generated from your influencer campaign and aggregate all data to a comprehensive campaign report.
Compensation
Influencers vs. Customer Ambassadors
Compensating customer ambassadors can be different than the traditional compensation methods used with influencers. Because your ambassadors are customers, it means they enjoy and benefit from your brand. This means that there can often be more creative, and meaningful modes of compensation.
Methods of Compensation
Below are several examples of compensation methods that brands tend to use with customer ambassadors.
- Discounts: Offer your customer ambassador a discount on products in exchange for participating in your campaign. Determine the discount amount that best fits your partnership.
- Free Products: Offer your customer ambassador free products in exchange for collaborating. This compensation method is great because you already know that these influencers love and use your products.
- Pre-Release Sample: Send you customer ambassador sample products before they are released. This way you can get feedback from loyal and important customers, and show them how much you value your partnerships.