A Guide to Running a Data-Driven Influencer Campaign for DTC Beauty Brands

Ahana Machaiah
Influencer marketing platform
Product Marketing Manager - Qoruz

Did you know it’s predicted that by 2024, the global e-commerce market will reach a value of $6.67 trillion

The beauty industry is also on the rise, and it’s not just because new products are being launched every day. People are spending more and more on their beauty routines. According to the NPD Group, Americans spent $22 billion on prestige cosmetics in 2021, up from $17 billion in 2020. That’s an increase of 30%. 

Many online shoppers are looking to invest in enhancing their appearance, and it means a lot of money for direct to consumer beauty brands looking for more exposure. Of course, as anyone in these industries will tell you, getting that exposure is not easy. 

So how do brands do it? The answer is influencer marketing.

If your DTC beauty brand has just released a new product onto the market, there are a ton of ways for the brand to raise awareness within its target audience. 

One particular marketing strategy that works well is the data-driven influencer marketing campaign. Many of the world’s best-known brands in the DTC fashion and beauty industry, like L’Oréal, Revlon, and Shiseido, use data-driven influencer marketing campaigns to get the best ROI.

As a DTC beauty brand managing an influencer marketing campaign, doing things quickly and efficiently is critical. 

In this article, we’ll understand how to prepare a data-rich influencer marketing campaign.

Steps to run a data-rich influencer marketing campaign for DTC beauty brands

1. Understand the Influencer Ecosystem

The influencer marketing ecosystem is complex. There are various ways that brands can work with influencers, each having different end goals and bringing different positives for a D2C beauty brand.

The most common way for brands to work with influencers is through influencer marketing platforms to reach out to various influencers. Brands select the influencer and collaborate with them on the platform and pay them to share their content in exchange for visibility and reach. They can manage all this through the influencer marketing platform.

Other ways for brands to engage with influencers include product reviews, giveaways, and brand ambassadorship programs.

Knowing which type of program is best suited for your brand will help you make better decisions. You can understand how much to spend, who to partner with, and how to measure the success of your campaign.

2. Gather Relevant Data

A data-rich influencer marketing campaign starts with a strong foundation of research and analysis. The more comprehensive your knowledge of your specific audience, the better you’ll be able to target them with relevant content and messages from influencers.  

Influencer marketing platforms ensure that you get segment-wise data on influencers on influencer marketing platforms. There are various parameters, such as  age, location, engagement rate, and influencer score, that are given by influencer marketing platforms. 

Here are other ways to gather relevant data about your audience:

  • Use tools like Google Analytics and Facebook Ads Manager to collect as much data as possible.
  • Use social media listening tools like Sprout Social or Hootsuite to find out what people are saying about you on social media.
  • Ask your customers for feedback on their experiences with your company and its products.

3. Set Goals For Your Campaign 

Before you start contacting influencers, it’s important to know what your goals for the D2C campaigns are. If you want sales, your goal will be different than if you want awareness or brand affinity. 

One of the most useful features of influencer marketing platforms is the campaign planner tool. This feature lets you manage every aspect of your campaign from one place. It helps you create a campaign, find influencers, collaborate with them, set goals for the campaign, and execute it smoothly.

There are two main goals for a data-rich influencer marketing campaign: awareness and engagement.

Awareness Goals: These can be as simple as increasing awareness about a product, promoting an event or raising brand visibility.

Engagement Goals: Engagement goals are more specific and usually involve specific actions from your target audience, such as making a purchase or sharing content with others.

You also need to set a timeline for how long you want the campaign to run. This will help determine how many influencers you can work with at once and how much money you’ll spend on each one.

If possible, try to set incremental goals along the way by breaking down the bigger goal into smaller ones that can be accomplished on an ongoing basis. An example might be “We want to drive 1000 visits from social media in 3 months” or “We want 100 new customers in 2 weeks.” 

4. Identify relevant influencers

Choosing the right people for influencer marketing campaigns is critical to success. To find the perfect match, you can leverage the influencer search feature provided by influencer marketing platforms. 

The feature comes in handy when you want to target niche audiences, as it allows you to search for a specific niche or industry.

The feature also allows you to search for influencers based on their location and language preferences. This way, you can easily find influencers who speak the same language as your target audience or those who live in the same region as your customers.

Here are two ways to identify relevant influencers for your campaign:

Consider micro-influencers who are more relevant to your brand’s niche

Micro-influencers have 10,000 followers or fewer, whereas macro-influencers have more than 100,000 followers. Both types can be very effective at driving sales, but macro-influencers tend to be more expensive. 

You can start by working with micro-influencers, who usually have a more personal connection with their audience and may have higher engagement levels (more likes, comments, and shares).

Work with influencers who naturally include engaging CTAs in their content

Influencers are often asked how they build their audience or choose which direct to consumer products to feature in their posts. But brands need to remember that these aren’t questions that will help them grow their business. 

The most effective way for brands to engage with consumers is through storytelling and authenticity — not sales pitches or calls-to-action (CTAs). A good CTA will appear naturally within each post. It should feel like it was written by the influencer rather than something forced on them by a brand representative.

5. Influencer Outreach

Once you’ve identified your target audience (and potential influencers), it’s important to craft an approach that resonates with them. This will help ensure that your pitch is well received when contacting potential influencers about working together on an upcoming campaign for beauty products like lipsticks or mascara, etc. 

The best way to approach an influencer is by sending them an email or direct message (DM). The subject line should be short and catchy so that they open your message. If you want them to promote your product, it’s best to let them know why they should choose your product over others in their niche. 

Make sure that your pitch is personalized and tailored for each influencer. You can even ask them if they would like to receive a free sample of your product beforehand so that they can test it before posting about it on social media.

In addition, include a link or attachment with a brief description of your product or service so that they can get a better idea of what you have in mind.

6. Track Performance Data

You should always be tracking your performance metrics throughout the life of your influencer marketing campaign. The real-time monitoring feature in the influencer marketing platform allows you to see all of your influencers’ activity in one place. 

You’ll be able to see how many impressions each influencer has received and how many likes they received on their posts. This will allow you to adjust your D2C strategy as needed and make sure that the influencer is putting out content that resonates with their audience.

You can also use these metrics as benchmarks to understand how effective each campaign is compared to others. It’ll help you determine which campaigns should continue and which ones should be put on hold indefinitely.

7. Analyze Results

Influencer marketing campaigns should be measured against KPIs like sales conversions or revenue growth. You can use the campaign reporting feature of influencer marketing platforms. 

The reporting solution can help you track and analyze the performance of individual influencers. It’ll help you understand which strategies are working and which ones aren’t. 

Here’s how an influencer marketing platform can help a D2C beauty brand achieve the desired results:

Bare Anatomy is an innovative brand in the area of personal care and beauty products for women. They wanted to adopt new, proven ways to help them grow their consumer base by leveraging influencer marketing. The challenges with influencer marketing that Bare Anatomy faced were influencer discovery and reachout, along with content planning.

Qoruz simplified Bare Anatomy’s approach to influencer identification by streamlining their influencer data management. Qoruz helped Bare Anatomy accelerate its influencer marketing campaign planning process by automating many tasks to help them speed up their campaign planning process.

Wrapping Up

All in all, there are numerous ways to leverage the power of influencer outreach for your brand. Some work more effectively than others, and the key is determining which one will work best. As you plan your next campaign, consider the methods discussed here, and let your budget and D2C business model guide you towards the most effective strategy.

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