Data-driven. Targeted. Measurable.
Three words every marketer loves to hear, yet three words rarely associated with Influencer Marketing. Instagram's Branded Content Ads may provide what many marketers look for; a low-risk way to connect with new audiences at speed, scale and at a fraction of the cost.
So, what is a Branded Content Ad?
This new ad format starts its life as an organic Paid Partnership post on Instagram or Facebook. If the post performs well, you can turn it into an ad; combining the power of authentic word-of-mouth marketing with Instagram’s sophisticated ad-targeting tools.
Facebook Ads Manager will even change the shape of the original post so your ad can be placed everywhere from Messenger Stories to Facebook Marketplace. Check out our visual guide.
Simply put… while many ads lack influence and Influencer posts can lack effectiveness, Branded Content Ads combine the best of both worlds.
So how can Branded Content Ads—and Influencer Marketing in general—help solve the three big challenges marketers are facing right now?
1. How can I continue to inspire consumers on Instagram?
2. How do I generate creative assets without the Production House costs?
3. How can I achieve more on a smaller budget?
As a self-serve marketplace that connects brands with influencers, TRIBE has launched over 200 Instagram campaigns in the last month alone. So we thought it might be valuable to share the creative ways our brands are shifting their messaging to the current climate:
1. HOW CAN I CONTINUE TO INSPIRE CONSUMERS ON INSTAGRAM?
Creativity is key. The campaign titles alone demonstrate the commitment brands are showing to address the new norm: Rimmel pivoted their usual slogan from Live the London Look to Live the LondIN Look while Kathmandu launched the Adventure is a Mindset campaign. McCain asked Creators for their Hacks for Hanging In and Charles Worthington hair products activated a unique Salon at Home campaign.
RYOBI Powertools asked our Influencers to create content that demonstrates at-home creativity. The campaign titled ‘Get Stuck In While You’re Stuck In’ inspired Influencers to visually express how they were keeping their mind and bodies active with RYOBI, while also sharing creative ways parents were entertaining their kids.
Thought starter questions like ‘How are you breaking the boredom?’ and ‘How are you reshaping your home space?’ showed a clear shift in messaging allowing RYOBI to remain sensitive to the climate but also harness the trust of the influencers to inspire their community to get creative. It’s no surprise they received 130 content submissions in just over a week!
2. HOW DO I GENERATE CREATIVE ASSETS WITHOUT THE
PRODUCTION HOUSE COSTS?
Long ago, social media busted the myth that higher production value = better performance. Often, in light of reduced budgets, marketers are being forced to create ads without the bells and whistles; and low and behold… they are performing!
The modern day is challenging our reliance on polished content. Now more than ever, RAW and AUTHENTIC can be your secret weapon and save you significant time and money in the process.
A brand who knows this better than most is the much loved Mexican Restaurant chain, Guzman y Gomez. They believe there’s no one more equipped to create ad content their customers love, than their customers themselves. Hence why they’ve run close to 20 Influencer campaigns through TRIBE. Yes, they get the brand awareness from all of those engaging recommendations, but they now have a Content Library of over 1,600 pieces of mobile-first creative!
This Content Library is a goldmine of high-performing creative assets! In fact GYG recently pitted these customer-generated ads (seen above) against their brands ads and reached 50% more users across Facebook and Instagram for the same spend, while achieving 28% more efficient CPM’s.
Remember, this was all before Branded Content Ads arrived! In 2020 they no longer have to pit influencer content AGAINST brand ads because they can now COMBINE them.
Which is exactly what the innovative marketing team at Guzman y Gomez is planning. Almost as soon as a national lockdown was announced, GYG turned to TRIBE Influencers - experts in working from home - to step in as their temporary production company. Guzman y Gomez asked the community to showcase their free delivery on Deliveroo and received over 120 submissions in under a week!
This generous act to remove their delivery fee alongside the shift in messaging for their influencer campaign showed empathetic support of their customers, who simply can’t live without their favourite Mexican meals.
3. HOW CAN I ACHIEVE MORE ON A SMALLER BUDGET?
The answer is simple: Branded Content Ads. With social media screen-time at an all-time high, the opportunity couldn’t be more clear.
As marketing professor, Mark Ritson, recently told me on ‘Marketers In Pyjamas’: “One of the strengths of digital is the ability to test and learn. The nimbleness is a big advantage in a time like this. You can drop a little bit of money and see what's working and what's not.”
One of the world’s top marketers agrees. Jonathan Waecker is Chief Customer Officer at The Warehouse Group - New Zealand’s biggest retail group with $3B in revenue. Here’s what Jonathan had to say about the opportunities digital advertising now provides.
There is a huge competitive advantage for marketers who have more agile strings to their bow than simply producing another large, expensive brand ad. The nimble nature of Instagram’s branded content will allow you to send multiple ads into the world, use data to prove which are performing and only put money behind the ads that resonate with your audience.
Very few mediums allow you to achieve this on a shoestring.
Making use of this secret weapon is Dr Teal’s, who after identifying their top-performing posts on TRIBE, amplified them through beautiful Branded Content Ads just last week.
TEST IT FOR YOURSELF AND LAUNCH AN INFLUENCER CAMPAIGN TODAY.
