5 Successful Influencer Marketing Campaigns You Need to Emulate [2024]

Running a successful influencer marketing campaign is challenging to say the least! 

First, there’s the time it takes to search influencer marketplaces for influencers who can effectively promote your products. Then you have to manage the influencers to ensure they provide quality content and don’t cross the line or tarnish your brand, and that they consistently produce content that appeals to your audience. 

Let’s just say that there are a lot of moving parts to be managed and it can be hard to handle all those AND create a great campaign that generates real results.

That said, it absolutely possible to run a truly great influencer campaign, that runs smoothly and generates great results for your brand! 

The best way to learn how to do that is to look at the some of the most successful influencer marketing campaigns for insight into what made them so successful, and how to use those winning tactics in your own campaigns. 

Let’s take a look at some of the best influencer marketing campaigns, the tactics they used and the lessons we can learn from them: 

1.Ralph Lauren

Ralph Lauren collaborated with influencer, Diana Silvers, for their campaign related to the US Open Tennis Championship. They married the huge audiences of the US Open and Diana Silvers and combined their interests into one hashtag, #WinningRL.

The brand then ran the campaign on TikTok and asked users to share instances when they won real-life challenges uniquely. The top three winners received gifts from Polo Ralph Lauren.

And that’s not all.

It gets better.

Their Sponsored Hashtags challenge was a great example of a native ad because it matched the function and feel of TikTok. In it, they tied the influencer, a challenge, a popular event, and prize all into one enticing package.

And the results?

Diana Silvers’ posts on the Ralph Lauren account amassed more than 200k likes while the #WinningRL hashtag got over 823 million views.

Key Takeaways

• Connect with an influencer who has an audience similar to your target audience and create videos that engage their audience. 
• Leverage a major event, trending hashtags, major movie releases, holiday, etc., in your videos and hashtags to increase your reach. But make sure it relates to your brand.
• Create a unique hashtag. Then use it and the event’s hashtag to reach a larger audience. Ralph Lauren didn’t do this, but if they had, they could have increased their views.
• Run a sponsored ad to promote the campaign. 
• Create a challenge with a valuable reward or one that gets audiences eager to participate.

2.Buffalo Wild Wings®

Another company that has used sports to connect with their targeted audience is Buffalo Wild Wings®.

The brand partnered with influencers and former college basketball players and then leveraged the latter’s influence to reach March Madness fans.

What’s more?

They leveraged the affinity between major sports events and social media to drive engagement. 

And how did influencers contribute to the campaign?

The influencers adopted a bold Buffalo Wild Wings® tone while asking their followers why they were still on their phones instead of watching the games. 

They also encouraged followers to drop their remotes, leave the couch, and watch the games at a Buffalo Wild Wings® sports bar near them.

Key Takeaways

In some situations, people may not appreciate the kind of forceful language the players used to encourage followers. However, the campaign was a hit for the brand while proving contagious to March Madness fans.

What’s the key lesson?

Don’t be afraid to take bold steps with your influencer marketing campaigns. Especially if you know your target audience and what their likes and dislikes are.

However, make sure you do it with niche influencers. If the target audience relates to them, the delivery of bold messages may go over better with the fans.

And how can you discover niche influencers?

Leverage influencer discovery tools that provide you with a list of influencers in your industry. You can then select the right one for your brand based on their authenticity, demographics, content type, audience type, etc.

3.Cuvée Coffee

What do you do when you can’t find an influencer to fit your brand?

Create your own.

Or at least that’s what Cuvée Coffee did.

Based in Austin, Texas, the coffee bar needed a person who would fit one of their clientele personas — blue-collar workers.

Now what they did is quite interesting.

They created an influencer page, @justaconstructionguy, and found a regular construction guy named Omar to represent their brand and products. They took professional photos of him, and the company had control over the page.

Cuvée Coffee then filled the account feed with Omar’s images performing different activities aligned with his job description.

And voila! 

They had an influencer campaign that they had complete control over.

Key Takeaways

Think outside the box.

Ultimately, that’s how Cuvée Coffee managed to succeed with their Instagram account. They chose to reach their audience through a regular Joe. Someone who embodied their clients or one they may run into at the grocery store.

And how can you achieve this with your marketing?

Feel free to experiment.

If a campaign idea makes sense to your product, experiment with it to gain a competitive advantage. 

You should also understand your target audience and find an influencer they will relate to easily. Then, post interesting content and build a loyal fan-following.

4.Nissan

In a bid to engage their most ardent fans, Nissan invited pickup truck owners, ambassadors, and influencers to a #TitanAdventure in Idaho and Wyoming. 

Then, they gave those in attendance a four-day experience filled with outdoor activities with the Titan. They also taught them how to plow and excavate vehicles stuck in the snow using the truck.

And now for the best part…

While Nissan did not require those in attendance to post on social media, they created an experience that would encourage them to share.

And the result?

The influencers enjoyed themselves so much and shared their experiences with their followers, leading to massive brand reach.

Key Takeaways

Nissan invited creators from various social media platforms who loved their trucks and had great reach. They also used influential people in the Nissan truck space and gave them an experience that excited them.

How can you employ this in your influencer campaign?

Well, in a world where consumers need authenticity, your Instagram marketing tactics need to change. 

Start building relationships with influencers so that they can help you build a community around your brand.

And while you may not have a budget that’s as big as Nissan’s, you can find intriguing ways to let them experience your products or services.

For example, you can host them at your hotel for a weekend, give them a free package at your spa, provide them with free products to review, etc. 

Then, use a unique hashtag related to your brand or products and create buzz about your offer.

Most importantly, give influencers creative freedom.

Don’t try to control every aspect of your campaign and allow them to write content from their point of view. Remember that one of the reasons the influencers became influential is that they publish content that resonates with their audiences.

To top it all off, give them a valuable experience they will gladly share with their followers.  

5.BMW

What do you do when you want to target a new demographic?

Change your promotional methods to suit their needs and interests.

That’s what BMW did.

To reach out to and bond with a young generation on the brink of owning a driver’s license, BMW launched a dance campaign on TikTok. They partnered with famous TikTok influencers like @falcopunch, and @skyandtami.

What’s more?

BMW encouraged their audience to perform choreographed dance moves and post them with the hashtag #THE1challenge.

According to BMW, their target group is young and spends a considerable amount of time on TikTok, and owns high-end smartphones that indicate purchasing power. The result was over one million likes, 7400 comments, and over 7 million views on TikTok!

Key Takeaways

• Reach your audience by leveraging the channels they use the most.
• Partner with well-known influencers who have a large reach and whose audiences are similar to those of your brand.
• Adapt your campaigns and sponsored ads to match the look and feel of the platform you use.  

BMW did this to perfection.

They offered users a challenge, and leveraged music and dancing, all of which are very popular on TikTok. They also required users to embody the BMW I series in their choreographies – they were to dance either on, in, or around the new cars.

Ready to Run a Successful Influencer Campaign?

What can you learn from these influencer marketing campaigns?

These brands took the time to understand their target audiences, the platforms they use, and how best to reach out to them. They also have stellar influencer outreach strategies and work with those who can bring them success.

What’s more?

These brands know what key messaging will drive engagement and which strategies will help them build communities around their brands.

And the good news?

You, too, can run successful campaigns if you strategize and use winning tactics.

Author Bio: Shane Barker is a digital marketing consultant who specializes in influencer marketing, content marketing, and SEO. He is the co-founder of Attrock, a digital marketing agency. He has consulted with Fortune 500 companies, influencers with digital products, and a number of A-List celebrities.