Influencer Marketing for Snack Brands: 5 Tips & Tricks

In today’s hyper-connected world, as the traditional advertising playbook grows stale, effectively reaching consumers and driving sales requires brands to adapt with innovative marketing strategies in the realm of digital marketing. One such strategy that has gained significant traction is influencer marketing. As consumers increasingly trend towards seeking authenticity and trust, influencers play a pivotal role in shaping consumption trends and purchasing decisions. In fact, according to the Digital Marketing Institute, 49% of consumers depend on influencer recommendations, and 72% of marketers agree that influencer marketing draws higher quality customers. By partnering with influential individuals on social media, brands can boost brand awareness, engage their target audience, and ultimately increase sales.

In this article, we, as experts in influencer marketing, provide 5 actionable tips and tricks for snack brands to leverage the power of influencer marketing. These insights will help you navigate the influencer landscape successfully, create engaging content, and measure campaign success. 

What is Influencer Marketing?

So, what exactly is influencer marketing? It's a dynamic collaboration between brands and influential individuals — influencers — who possess the ability to create amazing content that sways opinions and inspires action within their devoted online communities. Unlike traditional advertising, influencer marketing thrives on cultivating authentic relationships that resonate with the influencer's audience.

The exponential growth of the influencer marketing industry, set to reach approximately $21.1 Billion in 2023, is a testament to its effectiveness, with brands of all sizes recognizing the power of these influential relationships. Popular influencer categories for snack brands include lifestyle, fitness, and models. By partnering with influencers, snack brands can tap into their vast reach and credibility to amplify brand visibility and consumer interest

Now that we have a little background, let’s dive into how snack brands can maximize the potential of influencer marketing for their own growth, sales, and marketing goals.

Tip 1: Find Authentic Influencers Who Align with Your Brand

In the vast influencer landscape, it's vital to find influencers who genuinely resonate with your brand. Take the time to research and vet potential influencers. Of course, you should look at follower count, but also focus on factors such as content quality, engagement rates, and audience authenticity. Ensure that the influencer's audience aligns with your target market. If your product is health-oriented, be sure to engage with influencers with similar interests and images; models, for example, who maintain healthy lifestyles, or fitness Instagram pages.

92% of marketers believe their content resonates as authentic, while 51% of consumers believe that less than half of brands create authentic content, a disconnect between where marketers are placing their money and what strategies are actually most effective.  The research process for finding the best influencers can be labor-intensive if you don’t use a platform like Neon Coat. 

Tip 2: Foster Genuine Relationships and Collaborations

Building strong and authentic relationships with influencers is a long-term investment. A lasting relationship with an influencer can generate greater brand awareness and loyalty among their followers. Foster genuine collaborations based on mutual trust and shared values.

Involve influencers in creative campaigns, and even consider ​​involving them in product development or events. By including them in your brand's journey, you can create opportunities for exciting content that stands out within oceans of content on a possible customer’s Instagram or TikTok feed. This collaboration not only boosts engagement but also strengthens the bond between the influencer, your brand, and their followers.

Tip 3: Encourage Creative and Authentic Content

Give influencers creative freedom while providing brand guidelines and identity. Authenticity is key to success in influencer marketing. Encourage influencers to showcase your snack brand's products in relatable ways that resonate with their audience. Authentic content not only enhances the influencer's credibility, but also increases the likelihood of connecting with and engaging your target audience.

Providing influencers with materials to create this content is an important part of your job. For example, giving your influencer partners access to exclusive products, behind-the-scenes experiences, or simply conversing with them about what they might need to produce truly captivating content.

Tip 4: Leverage Different Content Formats and Platforms

To maximize the impact of your influencer marketing campaigns, it's essential to explore various content formats and platforms that align with your target audience's preferences and demographics. Consider video reviews, snack pairing suggestions, recipe creations, or snack challenges based on what resonates with your audience. Each format provides a unique opportunity to showcase your snacks in an engaging and appealing way.

Furthermore, take advantage of different social media platforms such as Instagram and TikTok. Each platform attracts diverse audiences and offers specific features that can amplify your brand's reach. By tailoring your content for each platform, you can effectively engage with different segments of your target audience and maximize your overall campaign impact. While producing content across multiple platforms is labor-intensive for a snack brand, influencer marketing beautifully allows you to tap into the skill, experience, and existing audiences of your influencer partners.

Tip 5: Track and Analyze Campaign Performance

Tracking and analyzing the performance of your influencer marketing campaigns is crucial for measuring success and refining future strategies. As a first step, it’s crucial to keep track of the content you’re receiving - which can be difficult on your own, but is made much easier by using a platform like Neon Coat. And Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) such as reach, engagement rates, social media followers gained, website traffic, and conversion rates when possible, can provide valuable insights into the effectiveness of your campaigns.

At Neon Coat, we believe in data-driven decision-making. It’s truly worth the effort for your business to set up and create systems that will collect this data (and keep reading to see how Neon Coat can help!). By monitoring the content you’re receiving, along with these metrics, you can identify what works best for your brand, optimize your influencer partnerships, and ensure use of your resources and capital that will maximize impact and bring you to your business goals as quickly as possible.

Final Thoughts:

Incorporating these 5 tips and tricks into your influencer marketing strategy can have a significant impact on your business's success. As a little summary of the lessons we just learned: find authentic influencers who align with your brand, foster genuine relationships and collaborations, encourage creative and authentic content, leverage different content formats and platforms, and track and analyze campaign performance.

The potential of influencer marketing in driving brand visibility, engagement, and sales growth in the competitive snack food industry is immense. Implementing these strategies and partnering with influencers authentically means you can elevate your brand's presence, foster meaningful connections with your target audience, and ultimately experience the delicious rewards of success. And to make this whole process easier, Neon Coat, the leading influencer marketing platform for professional models, is here to help. We understand the steps and challenges associated with influencer collaborations and offer a comprehensive solution. With over 9,000 vetted professional models, Neon Coat ensures access to top-tier influencers who can elevate your brand's visibility, impact, and reach. Our platform streamlines talent identification, communication, negotiation, logistics, content gathering, and analytics, making your influencer campaigns seamless, successful, and less labor-intensive. Get in touch with us for a quick chat to learn more about what Neon Coat can do for you.