Influencer Marketing Gets An Upgrade: How AI Is Changing The Game
Influencer marketing came on the digital scene in the early 2010s. Skip forward to 2024, and it's now a multi-billion-dollar industry. Yet, even with all that money flying about, brands still need help finding the right influencers and building successful campaigns.
The potential is enormous. Companies that figure it out see an awe-worthy return on investment—an average of $5.78 for every $1 spent, or 478%. Unsurprisingly, many brands are jumping on the bandwagon, ready to spend big on influencers.
The following chart, using numbers from Influencer Marketing Hub’s State of Influencer Marketing 2024 Benchmark Report, shows how much of the budget brands plan to spend.
How much are you planning to spend on influencer marketing in 2024? Here's how you stack up, according to data from Influencer Marketing Hub’s State of Influencer Marketing 2024 Benchmark Report. RENAE GREGOIRE
But influencer marketing isn't a cure-all.
In this article, I'll show you the challenges you might face with the strategy and how new AI tools can help. I’ll also share a few best practices you can follow to launch better campaigns and get real results.
The challenges of influencer marketing
Let's say your brand is launching a vegan skincare line for young adults interested in eco-friendly beauty. You’re the brand manager, excited to reach eco-conscious Gen Z shoppers. But finding the right beauty influencers? The hunt is on. You're not just looking for big numbers—you need influencers who genuinely believe in clean beauty and resonate with your audience.
Scouring Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok is a headache. There are so many profiles; how do you find the gems—creators who walk the walk, have passionate followers, and genuinely vibe with your brand? Then you have to look at engagement rates, past collabs…, and the list goes on.
You finally narrow down your list and send initial messages. Now comes the exciting part—creating authentic content that speaks to your brand goals. But will the influencers be on board? How much creative control do you give them? Can you strike that perfect balance and get content that genuinely resonates?
And then, later, how do you prove the campaign is working? Sure, website traffic and leads are essential, but which specific numbers mean success for your clean beauty line? Sadly, even fancy influencer platforms aren't much help here.
Traditional influencer platforms: Help or hindrance?
Like our stressed-out brand manager, many marketers turn to influencer platforms, hoping to find the perfect match. Sure, those tools have their perks, but they often fall short.
Think about it: Databases packed with tens, even hundreds, of thousands of profiles, forcing you to sort them using basic filters. It's a slog, and even if you know what you want, those filters might completely miss influencers who'd be fantastic for your brand. You show up looking for a vegan beauty advocate with a knack for creative reels, but the platform only lets you search by follower count and location. Frustrating.
Worse yet, many platforms emphasize big follower numbers. But a million followers doesn't guarantee engagement, let alone sales. This focus on numbers makes it way too easy to end up with a collaboration that looks flashy but doesn't bring in the new customers your skincare line needs.
Going with your gut on who'll resonate with your eco-conscious Gen Z customers is a recipe for wasted time and budget. Traditional platforms often don't go deep into audience demographics or interests. How do you know if an influencer's followers actually care about clean beauty or if they're just in it for the freebies?
And forget about knowing if your planned content ideas will land. It's a guessing game—not exactly what you want when launching a new line. Wouldn't it be awesome if you could analyze an influencer's followers, track how similar audiences have responded in the past, and get estimates on campaign results? AI tools are starting to make that possible.
The potential of AI in influencer marketing
AI is revolutionizing influencer marketing. AI tools that use machine learning and natural language processing can streamline the process, helping you pinpoint the perfect campaign partners.
Imagine that instead of endless searching and scrolling, AI quickly pinpoints influencers who align perfectly with your brand's values, target audience, and campaign goals. A laser-focused analysis like that could save you countless hours, giving you more time to cultivate genuine relationships and craft winning strategies.
AI can also offer deeper insights into influencer performance by analyzing their past data, engagement rates, and audience demographics. This data-driven approach can help you make informed, confident decisions about who you partner with, increasing your chances for a successful campaign.
AI can also act as your digital safeguard. By monitoring content and audience sentiment, AI algorithms can help you spot potential red flags—like influencers whose values might clash with yours—before you commit to a collaboration.
AI-powered tools: Streamlining the process for brands
AI-powered tools are now hitting the market to solve major challenges in influencer marketing. Brands are using technologies like Traackr, Meltwater, and BuzzSumo, which offer integrated AI features for activities like:
Influencer identification
Influencer content creation
Performance tracking
Campaign optimization
These powerful tools can help you overcome the tedious aspects of finding influencers, the limitations of relying on vanity metrics, and the risk of wasting time and resources on ineffective campaigns.
One powerful example of this transformation is Aria, an AI-powered influencer marketing tool developed by Socially Powerful.
Aria is an example of a new breed of AI tools on the market. Aria focuses on influencer discovery, allowing brands to use natural language to find influencers who exactly match their criteria. ARIA, BY SOCIALLY POWERFUL
This tool simplifies the influencer discovery process to address common frustrations with existing platforms. "Over the last seven years, we’ve licensed every influencer marketing technology and have always been disappointed," says James Hacking, founder of Socially Powerful. "The endless filtering using preset criteria was especially disappointing."
According to Hacking, Aria solves this pain point with its advanced natural language search capabilities. Forget basic filters. Instead, describe your ideal influencer using plain language, such as "female influencers with curly blonde hair who’ve posted a picture wearing a red dress," and Aria's AI does the heavy lifting. It pinpoints keywords, interests, and even visual elements for hyper-targeted results.
Aria simplifies the influencer discovery process. ARIA, BY SOCIALLY POWERFUL
To further streamline the campaign planning process, the tool also offers features like:
Image recognition—visually search for influencers based on elements in their photos.
Performance predictions—get forecasts on impressions, engagement, and even website visits.
Creative previews—visualize how your content could look on an influencer's feed.
Aria shows you what your content might look like in various influencers' feeds. It also shows the predicted results, like impressions, engagement, and website visits. ARIA, BY SOCIALLY POWERFUL
And the best part is that Aria is free for brands to use, making advanced influencer marketing features accessible to everyone. "An influencer marketing platform doesn't solve critical marketing problems alone,” says Majid Bahi, Socially Powerful’s CEO. “The true value lies in the strategy and creative behind the campaign. That’s why we give brands free rein to explore influencers and envision possible creative, knowing they'll still need our expertise for strategy and execution."
Using AI-powered tools like Aria, you can eliminate the tedious parts of influencer marketing and focus on what matters most: Building powerful campaigns based on strategy, creativity, and authentic connections.
Quality versus quantity: The key to success
Let's face it: Finding the right influencers is essential, but the real magic happens when you prioritize quality and authenticity. Here's how experts put it.
Bridie Castiel, digital communications lead at monday.com, believes in the power of genuine connections. “One of our core beliefs is that investing in the quality of the campaign versus quantity is vital,” she says. “I'd rather find one genuine advocate—a trusted thought leader—than have a massive volume of content across more influencers who don’t really know us.”
Fiverr's brand and influencer marketing manager, Blaine Doherty, agrees that authenticity takes work. “For us, authenticity might mean investing a few months in an influencer’s onboarding process, especially if they’re not already a superfan customer,” he says. “But it means that when the content is live, it's a genuine endorsement.”
The lesson here? While AI tools like Aria excel at identifying potential partners, building authentic relationships takes strategy and effort. Prioritize finding influencers who genuinely resonate with your brand and create long-term collaborations that yield the best results.
Best practices: Your influencer marketing playbook
Think of the following best practices as your roadmap to influencer marketing success. Even with the best AI tools, a strategic approach is key.
Crystallized goals: What do you want your campaign to achieve? Aim for specific goals, such as boosting brand awareness, generating leads, or driving sales. Clearly defined goals will keep your influencer selection and content strategy focused.
Audience match: You’re out to find your tribe, so don't fixate on those big follower numbers. Seek influencers whose audience truly aligns with your target customer. Prioritize engagement, content quality, and niche expertise.
Multiple layers (like a cake): As Hacking says, layering your campaign adds dimension. Consider working with nano- or micro-influencers for deeper connection, balance your goals, and use paid media to amplify your reach.
Genuine relationships: Authenticity is the secret sauce. Find influencers who genuinely believe in your brand. Empower them with resources and creative freedom—their voices matter.
Collaboration, not dictation: Partner with your influencers to co-create content their audience will love and hit your goals. Offer direction, but remember that their authentic voice is their superpower.
Paid ads as campaign accelerator: Strategically boost your organic reach with paid social media promotion to give your influencer campaign the powerful lift it deserves.
Data as your compass: Track those metrics. Analyze website traffic, leads, conversions, and ROI to see what's working—and what needs tweaking.
The future is bright: Influencer marketing powered by AI
Influencer marketing is evolving fast. AI is transforming how we find influencers, craft campaigns, and measure success. But even with all the advancements, the best campaigns will always depend on the human element—authentic connections, compelling content, and strategic thinking.
AI tools take the guesswork out of influencer marketing, giving you the data and insights to streamline the process. But killer campaigns still require both tech smarts and creative expertise. As Bahi puts it, "AI gives you the tools, but mastering the strategy is up to you.”
Will you embrace the revolution? Using the right tools and a strategic approach, you can build campaigns that echo in the hearts of your audience, spark interaction, and nail your business targets. The future of influencer marketing is in your hands. Go forth and tap AI innovation while keeping authenticity, relevance, and the power of collaboration at the forefront.
Originally published on Forbes.com.