When launching a global campaign, it has become increasingly important to plan locally target campaigns. Social media channels make global cross-border marketing campaigns easier to manage and access than ever before. Making use of influencers is the word-of-mouth marketing technique that can help your brand attract loyal new customers fast. The drawback, you do not have control over the message.
Messages always carry more impact when they are spread by multiple people you’re connected with. A recent study said that 50% of customers would choose word-of-mouth if they had only one source of information. There is a (wrong) impression online that influencers are telling the truth about the products or services they promote. It is this following of the leader that as enabled brands to enter markets that might otherwise have been closed because of cultural or even language barriers.
Like any global marketing campaign, your cross-border influencer marketing campaigns will benefit from personalisation. Applying location-based marketing techniques to your influencer marketing campaigns, such as local colloquialisms, how the product or service might be adapted to be used in the region, or which other local celebrities are interested in the product or service.
Different communities require different content messaging and themes. By customising each message to your target locations, you can drive higher engagement among your audience. For example, your content messaging in Beijing may not be as effective in Taipei because of the language and cultural differences. Your influencers could resonate more with a particular audience from a particular region. By amplifying these messages from these influencers appropriately, you can optimise your budget.
A great example of how a company grew globally through local targeting is Facebook. Facebook began as a community project at Harvard University. It scaled to other colleges in the Boston area, gradually into most universities in the US and Canada before reaching anyone with a valid email address. They expanded from community to community before transforming into a global social media monster.
The same concept can be applied to cross-border influencer marketing campaigns that are up-scaled. Start small and grow – if this can be achieved organically that makes it seem even more impressive to potential customers, who then feel a sense of ownership over the brand.
Many brands have made the mistake of failing to align their influencer strategy with their existing marketing campaigns. It was often seen as a separate entity that could be used to drive awareness and quick sales. However, influencer marketing has become a major part of campaign strategies and it needs to align with your other existing advertising channels.
When choosing an influencer, focus on finding influencers who have:
- large portions of their audiences based in specific areas
- condensed audiences in particular target cities
One more simple thing you can do to impact your target audience in cross-border influencer campaigns on local levels is to utilise the platform features are your disposal. Use the geotagging features on Instagram and integrate paid social targeting so you can further amplify your influencer’s content. Social platforms like Instagram will reward you for utilising their features.
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