It stands to reason that if someone with influence in the culture says good things about your products, more people might give them attention and try them. Influencers can be powerful resources for building your CPG brand voice and marketing yourself to the right audiences.
Here are some guidelines for how you should approach the use of influencers to bolster your brand.
Look for a Match
It's possible that any influencer with a large following could boost your visibility and reach, helping you generate more sales. If you're playing the long game, however, you want influencers whose professed values and general persona are good matches.
Millennials and Gen Z will be particularly sensitive to the use of influencers incompatible with your brand voice. For them, it can be a turnoff if they disagree with the views and values of your chosen influencer.
Beware of Cancel Culture
Keep an eye out for when culture suddenly turns against an influencer. While it may be hard to decide whether to sever a relationship with an influencer that has bumped up against cancel culture, you can at least prepare yourself for pushback if you decide to stick with someone who's being criticized. Your continued loyalty may come at a price, at least initially, but if that's one of your brand's core values, it may make sense to stick it out and let the online backlash pass, as it generally does except in the most egregious instances.
Generate User Content
An influencer can be a leader in expressing what the brand means to them in the form of user content, and others will follow suit when this occurs. Sometimes, it takes someone bold and fearless to get the ball rolling, and your influencer is uniquely suited for this role.
Insist on Authenticity
The mark of a good influencer is the ability to come across as authentic to brand followers. Consumers can tell when someone is not being authentic, and it will dim the influence you seek by using an influencer in the first place. You can encourage authenticity by making sure the influencer has used your products and liked them because it will be almost impossible for them to authentically profess to like your products otherwise.
Put the Product at the Center
When you use an influencer, you can be sure they'll get lots of attention. The idea of using them to build your brand voice and to drive sales is to put your product front and center. This way, people will notice the product, not just the face supporting it.
You'll want to school the influencer in the aspects of the product and brand you most want to highlight so you can put your influencer's power to work in the best way. Having a big name won't mean much if it obscures your product or brand.
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