Anyone who works in the marketing of beauty products, fashion, lifestyle or consumer products today know this: almost all brands in these fields make use of influencer marketing to approach the often-young target groups with their products in a credible way.
In the tourism industry, obviously, but also in the events field, companies are increasingly trying to involve opinion makers with a great social footprint - in other words, a large personal reach in social networks - in event communication.
But this area is complex and differs significantly from traditional advertising, and also from the social media marketing run by the organisers themselves.
Fortunately, there is one person in Salzburg who knows influencer marketing inside out: Lisa Binderberger, owner of the Boom Creative Lab agency in Salzburg, who studied to be a Tourism Manager and has international experience in New York and Portland. “You should communicate clearly what the event is about, who is behind it, who the target group is, whether there are certain wordings and hashtags or whether certain accounts should be tagged,” she recommends for cooperation with influencers.
“We use various tools in our agency and closely observe the channel with our expertise. Has this person bought followers? Does the engagement match the number of fans? Does the influencer work professionally? All this provides decision support when scouting for eligible partners,” Lisa continues.
We spoke to her about the opportunities and challenges of influencer marketing for events.
Influencer marketing has become increasingly important in recent years. What is meant by an influencer and how do I identify influencers in my field?
Lisa Binderberger: “Influencer marketing has really exploded. It is now a $ 2 billion industry and continues to grow. At the beginning, influencers were people with a broad reach, trusted by their followers.
Today, influencer marketing is much more focused. An influencer can be someone who is very dedicated, who takes beautiful photos, or who simply represents a specific opinion on a topic.
We differentiate between three kinds of influencers:
- “Nano-influencers”: influencers with around 5,000 followers
- “Micro-influencers” with up to 10,000 followers
- “Influencers” from 10,000 followers
Currently, Instagram is the strongest social media platform in influencer marketing. In 2018, 92% of brands used Instagram as their primary platform, followed by Facebook.”
How can I integrate influencers in communications in the run-up to a congress or corporate event?
“As the organiser, the first thing you should do is set the goal of working with an influencer. Is it primarily about reach or should more content be created? Or is the goal a longer-term collaboration that spans several events and for which one develops a storyline together with the influencer?
The sooner you start the cooperation, the better. The greater the influence of an influencer, the faster these people are booked. We recommend starting three months before the event by contacting influencers and inviting them to events.
Influencers are very visual people. You should take this into account in the material or event invitation that you send to the influencers.
Influencers can then provide preview information about the event in advance via Instagram stories, or offer benefits like discounted admission on their own Facebook event page.”
Which possibilities exist for collaborating with influencers during an event?
“We record the concrete agreements in a contract. I highly recommend doing that when dealing with big influencers.
The main thing about the event itself is that as an organiser you get involved in the creative freedom of the influencer. An influencer is not an event photographer for hire. You collaborate with influencers because these people are appreciated by their followers for their individual perspectives.
Influencers are often used to speak in front of the camera. They may do a spontaneous interview at the event or use new, innovative formats such as live streaming and stories.
I can invite videographers or video-influencers to get moving image content. Other influencers are wonderful at storytelling and can produce very detailed reports. We recommend selecting a range of different influencers and inviting them to the event.
It is also advisable to give the influencers the option of taking someone with them. This usually increases the output because the energy is better, and then you have someone who can take photos of him/her.
Organisers should provide opportunities for influencers to interview specific people and provide suitable, visually appealing places to do so. The photos and perspectives are incredibly important. Influencers should have access to perspectives that ordinary event visitors cannot see. A little bit of “behind the scenes” or backstage information.”
What should I look out for in particular when collaborating with influencers – keyword covert advertising and such?
“If influencers cooperate with brands whose target groups do not match their own, the collaboration will not bear fruit. The process of scouting as described is therefore very important for event organisers.
The influencers must always indicate exactly who they work with and comply with the legal requirements. Organisers should also check up on this.”
Conclusion for influencer marketing at your event
The possibilities that influencer marketing offers for event planners are immense. Lisa Binderberger, Influencer Marketing Expert, agrees: “91% of 18-34-year olds trust influencers. They regard influencers as their friends or acquaintances. That is why it is in the interest of brands, of organisers, to invest in influencer marketing."
Specialised agencies are available to identify professional partners and to make the collaboration successful. Talk to us if you are looking for contacts in the influencer scene.
Welche Möglichkeiten gibt es, während einer Veranstaltung mit Influencern zusammenzuarbeiten?
„Die konkreten Vereinbarungen halten wir in einem Vertrag fest. Das empfehle ich sehr, wenn es sich um große Influencer handelt.
Beim Event selber geht es vor allem darum, dass man sich als Veranstalter auf den kreativen Freiraum des Influencers einlässt. Ein Influencer ist kein Event-Fotograf, den man beauftragt. Man arbeitet mit Influencern deshalb zusammen, weil diese Personen von ihren Followern für ihre individuellen Perspektiven geschätzt werden.
Oft sind es Influencer gewöhnt, vor der Kamera zu sprechen. Sie machen vielleicht ganz spontan ein Interview auf der Veranstaltung oder nutzen neue, innovative Formate wie Livestreams und Storys.
Ich kann Videographer oder einen Videoinfluencer einladen, um Bewegtbild-Content zu erhalten. Andere Influencer sind wunderbar im Storytelling und können ganz detaillierte Berichterstattungen produzieren. Hier ist es empfehlenswert, eine Bandbreite an verschiedenen Influencern zu wählen und diese zum Event einzuladen.
Es empfiehlt sich auch, den Influencern die Möglichkeit zu geben, jemanden mitzunehmen. Das erhöht normalerweise den Output, weil die Energie besser ist und man dann jemand hat, der Fotos von ihm/ihr machen kann.
Veranstalter sollten den Influencern Möglichkeiten bieten, bestimmte Leute zu interviewen und hierfür geeignete, visuell ansprechende Plätze bereitstellen. Die Fotos und Perspektiven sind unheimlich wichtig. Influencer sollten Perspektiven bekommen, die die normalen Event Besucher nicht sehen können. Ein bisschen „behind the scenes“ oder Backstage Informationen.“
Was muss ich in der Zusammenarbeit mit Influencern besonders beachten, Stichwort Schleichwerbung o.ä?
„Wenn Influencer mit Marken kooperieren deren Zielgruppen nicht zueinander passen, wird die Zusammenarbeit keine Früchte tragen. Der beschriebene Prozess des Scouting ist daher sehr wichtig für Veranstalter von Events.
Die Influencer müssen immer genau markieren, mit wem sie zusammenarbeiten und sich dabei an die rechtlichen Vorgaben halten. Das sollten Veranstalter auch nachhalten.”
Fazit für Influencer Marketing
Die Möglichkeiten, die Influencer Marketing für Eventplaner bietet, sind immens. So sieht es auch Lisa Binderberger, Expertin für Influencer Marketing: “91% der 18-34-Jährigen vertrauen Influencern. Sie sehen Influencer als ihre Freunde oder Bekannte an. Deshalb es ist so interessant, als Marke, als Veranstalter in Influencer Marketing zu investieren.“
Um professionelle Partner zu identifizieren und die Zusammenarbeit erfolgreich zu gestalten, stehen spezialisierte Agenturen zur Verfügung. Sprecht uns an, wenn ihr Kontakte in die Szene sucht.
Social influencers: How to use influencers for your event
In some industries, nothing happens without influencers. But how about events? We spoke to expert Linda Binderberger about the opportunities for using influencer marketing for events.