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What are my goals and target groups in influencer marketing – and how can I reach them effectively?

Influencer marketing allows you to reach a wide range of target audiences and goals that can be pursued both in the short and long term. If you don’t yet know which goals and target groups you can reach with creator marketing, this article will help you gain insights into possible objectives and effectively identify and address your defined target audience in the context of influencer marketing.

If you are currently considering implementing influencer marketing measures for your company, you probably already have a few initial ideas about what success you would ultimately like to achieve. It is important that you are clear about which target group you want to address and what you want to achieve with influencer marketing. It doesn’t matter whether you define the objectives first and then the target group – or vice versa. Both approaches work equally well. In this article, we will first look at the possible goals in influencer marketing and then the possible target groups.

Here are some examples that can assist you in defining your goals. There are several questions you should clarify to help you achieve them:

1. Short-term goals: Quick successes through influencer campaigns

Increase the brand community: Which influencers already have an engaged community that matches the profile of your target group? Which specific posts or activities could arouse the interest of your target group and further expand the brand community?
Promoting community engagement: How can content creators help to increase engagement in the community? What creative interaction opportunities can they initiate?
Increase website traffic: Which influencers not only have a high reach but also a high interaction rate to effectively drive traffic to your website? How can personalized discount codes or exclusive offers be used to direct the target group to the website?
Lead generation: Which creators have a target group that is not only interested but also actively involved in the purchasing process? How can targeted lead generation strategies, such as competitions or exclusive content, be implemented effectively?
Attention for your products or services: Which specific features of your products/services should be highlighted by influencers? How can creative approaches to product placement or authentic product reviews arouse the interest of the target group?

2. Long-term goals: Sustainable brand development through influencer marketing

Increasing brand awareness: Which content creators possess a robust community connection alongside extensive reach to effectively boost brand awareness over time? How can incorporating long-term storytelling into influencer campaigns contribute to enhancing brand awareness?
Increasing brand trust: Which specific aspects of the creator convey trust and credibility? How can storytelling be designed to strengthen trust in your brand?
Strengthening customer loyalty: In addition to a loyal following, what specific elements of influencer collaboration can strengthen the bond with existing customers? How can long-term collaborations with content creators help to build sustainable customer loyalty?
Tapping into new target groups: What specific influencer characteristics enable access to previously unreached target groups? How can collaboration with various influencers specifically target the expansion of target group diversity?
Building long-term partnerships with influencers: Which influencers fit your brand’s values and goals in the long term? How can ongoing collaborations and long-term relationships be established?
Increasing sales: How can long-term partnerships with influencers promote not only short-term sales success but also sustainable growth over a longer period of time?

Once you have set clear goals for your influencer marketing strategy, it is also crucial to define your target audience precisely. This step is essential to identify the right influencers and ensure that your message resonates with the people most relevant to your business.

If you can answer the following questions, you have already gained a clear understanding of your target audience:

Age, gender and location: What demographic data characterizes your current or potential customers? What age groups do they belong to? Is there a gender dominance and which geographical regions do they come from?
Interests, values and hobbies: What are the predominant interests, values and hobbies of your target group? Which topics are particularly relevant to them? Which specific features of your product or service appeal to their interests and how can these be specifically integrated into influencer marketing campaigns?
Needs and challenges: What are the basic needs of your target group and what challenges are they focusing on in their daily lives? How can your product or service help fulfil these needs or overcome their challenges?
Influencers of your target group: Which creators, opinion leaders or industry experts have a significant influence on your target group? Which personalities could act as potential cooperation partners for your influencer marketing strategy?
Consumer behavior: What is the general consumer behavior of your target group? Which products or services do they prefer and what purchasing habits characterize them?
Social media usage: On which platforms is your target group most active? Where do they search for products or information, and what does their customer journey look like from the discovery of a product to the final purchase decision process?

Tip: Some marketers find it helpful to define a specific persona for their target consumer. Developing a persona is a structured process that aims to paint a vivid and meaningful picture of your target group. Answer the previously asked questions from the perspective of a person who typically belongs to your target group. Strive to remain as realistic as possible – you can do this by analyzing the data of your current customers, looking at industry and market studies or browsing online forums/communities, for example. Also, give your persona a name to make it more human and tangible.

Example:

Name: Sophia Wagner
Age: 32
Gender: Female
Location: Althofen, Austria
Job: Journalist

Interests, values and hobbies: Sophia is particularly interested in sustainable lifestyles, healthy eating and DIY projects. Her core values are reflected in a strong environmental awareness, the pursuit of physical and mental well-being and a strong sense of community. In her free time, she enjoys vegetarian cooking, hiking and is involved in environmental organizations.

Needs and challenges: As an environmentally conscious consumer, Sophia looks for sustainable products that support her lifestyle. Her challenge is to find a balance between her demanding job and her sustainable life goals.

Influencers: Sophia is heavily influenced by influencers who share her values. She follows content creators who share tips on sustainable nutrition, zero-waste lifestyles and green technologies.

Consumer behavior: Sophia values sustainable products and prefers local, ethically produced food. As she lives in an Austrian village and doesn’t have many stores nearby, she often does her shopping online. To do this, she looks at product reviews and informative content on social media to make informed purchasing decisions.

Social media use: Sophia is active on Instagram and Pinterest, where she looks for inspiration for sustainable lifestyles. She also uses YouTube to watch tutorials for DIY projects and reviews of eco-friendly products.

The more alive you make your persona, the better you can use it as a guide for future marketing strategies and the design of your marketing campaign. Remember that it is not just an imaginary character, but a reflection of the actual people you want to target. In every future step of campaign planning, your persona should always be present. This will not only give you insights into the preferences of your target group but also create an effective basis for a successful influencer marketing campaign. If your target group is rather heterogeneous, several concise personas can also be helpful.

Conclusion:

Influencer marketing offers many opportunities to connect with your target group and achieve short and long-term success. By clearly defining your goals and knowing your target group, you can harness the potential and influence of influencers to drive your business forward and build lasting customer relationships. Choosing the right content creators plays a crucial role in this: through an influencer search platform like influData, you can find creators that perfectly match your goals and your target group – so that you reach exactly the people who can benefit most from your products or services.