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Want to drive ROI for influence? Then you must integrate

It’s time to stop thinking in silos - getting influence right is crucial for the future of PR. According to Ogilvy PR’s 2022 Influence Trends Report, this integration is set to be super-charged next year and stands to have a significant impact on the bottom line. The report explores the emerging trends, hot topics and strategic approaches that will define campaign activations next year and beyond. As a PR professional, the question you should ask yourself is no longer if you should partner with influencers. Rather, you should be asking how to get the most out of influencer as part of the marketing mix. It’s not a garnish - it’s a key ingredient in any marketing and comms campaign.

Key Influence Trends for 2022

  1. At the intersections of the marketing mix influence is increasingly integrated
  2. B2B influence is the ‘sleeping giant’ set to drive sales and lives beyond LinkedIn
  3. Inclusive influence equals better results, but mind the pay-gap

Influencers do count

The days of guessing about the impact of influencer campaigns are over. The metrics are solid and the impact on ROI is easily measurable. Looking at this data, it’s clear that influencer marketing is most profitable when baked into wider marketing and communications mix. If you're not integrating influence, you’re missing out on the low hanging fruit that could nourish your bottom line. Our research shows that the potential to increase the ROI for a brand goes up by up to 30%, for every channel that influence is integrated into.

Why integration matters

But to reap these rewards, an integrated approach is needed from the outset. By getting all teams into a room upfront at the start of the campaign, rather than working one team to the next as you move through the chain – from conceptual creative to earned and paid media and beyond – you’re able to better identify moments of integration. Moreover, by bringing influence into the loop sooner, you can spot opportunities. By ensuring influencer briefs work within the wider campaign plan, and that the content is setup to be trackable, you can more effectively manage production budgets and assess ROI against true business results. This will help drive outcomes like sales, leads, etc, instead of outputs like engagement rate and impressions that influencer marketing is currently measured on.

As winter sets in, don’t leave influence out in the cold as you plan for 2022. The brands who recognise this and break down the silos between PR and influence are the ones we’ll be talking about in 12 months’ time. Integrate to thrive.

Written by Rahul Titus, head of influence, UK & EMEA at marketing and advertising agency Ogilvy

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