How to Create an Influencer Marketing Campaign in Shopify

Last updated - February 7, 2023

Collaborations with influencers have become an integral part of almost every digital marketing strategy. Such campaigns lead to better sales, contribute to a brand’s image, and bring about more desirable outcomes. That’s why this tool is in favor for both small or new labels and world-renowned companies.

Let’s say you’ve recently launched a Shopify-based online store and aim to reach a relevant audience. Or you’ve just dropped a new collection and want to promote it efficiently. Or you need a fresh take on your products from somebody creative. Here influencer marketing comes into play!

Let’s regard key advantages of this marketing branch, outline the cooperation scheme, and look at a couple of vivid examples from brands.

Table of Contents

Why Promote via Bloggers?

Whatever product you represent, you’ll find a perfect match amongst influencers to make a promo. So, what benefits will you gain as an online retailer from working with creators? Well, it depends on your goals which we’ll talk about a bit later. But, basically, these are the advantages you can count on:

1. New Customers

Followers gathered on bloggers’ social media can convert into your regular clients. If you work with niche influencers, the chances to hit the bull’s eye are very high because the audience is already targeted. On the other hand, a so-called macro blogger can bring the needed number of customers because of a vast number of followers.

2. Brand Awareness

Even if people don’t buy immediately, they get acquainted with a brand. In this case, your cooperation with bloggers could have a delayed effect. Once prospects need the product X, they will turn to you (as they have heard about you) rather than seek X in Google.

3. Social Proof

Many experts compare backing from an influencer with a friend’s recommendation. Some bloggers indeed have this level of authority because they are very picky, advertising only selected products they like. Therefore, your ultimate goal as an advertiser is to work with this category of bloggers.

4. Cool Content

People you will collaborate with are creators with unique vision and experience in making catchy content. Firstly, they could showcase your product/brand from a new perspective that addresses their followers’ pain points. Secondly, they can produce user-generated content of high quality for your social media and website (this option depends on your agreements with a blogger).

Launching a Campaign: Core Steps

There are many decisions you have to make prior to working with influencers. Below we’ve listed major stages you shouldn’t skip.

1. Set Your Goals and Budget

Of course, you want to achieve everything mentioned before simultaneously. But it’s important to make these goals measurable.

For instance, you want sales to be at least twice as much as your expenses on this campaign. Moreover, you count on 1000 new followers on Instagram. Having these figures at hand, you’ll be more specific during negotiations and will be able to evaluate the results.

At this stage, also determine the number of bloggers you want to work with and the budget.

2. Find Influencers

First and foremost, decide who you need to promote your Shopify store or its goods and who you can afford to collaborate with. There are three general types of bloggers based on the audience:

a) Micro-influencers: fewer than 10,000 followers.

Pros. They gather people with similar values and interests who will be a perfect targeted audience for a particular business. As usual, connections between the blogger and followers are tight, so the trust is high. Moreover, niche experts more willingly work on barter.
Cons. In most cases, a blog isn’t a full-time job for them. Thus, they may lack experience in content creation for brands.

b) Mid-tier influencers: 10,000-100,000 followers.

Pros. They can bring way higher ROI than the previous group. In the meantime, they often still keep a sense of connection with the audience.
Cons. Most likely, this is a full-fledged job for these influencers, so financial compensation will be obligatory.

c) Top-tier influencers: 100,000 – 1,000,000 followers and beyond.

Pros. These people are true celebrities, so the outcomes of collaboration are likely to be far higher than in the first and second cases.
Cons. The price is an obvious drawback. Another one is a motley audience, a substantial part of which will be irrelevant for you. Besides, users are watching these people rather than truly communicating with them, which lowers trust.

We’d recommend using services that help find proper bloggers for your niche, audience, region, platform, and so on. Here are some of them you may consider:

Dovetale
Hypetrace
Grin
Upfluence
Creator.co

3. Discuss All Details

The next step is negotiations. This checklist will help not to forget some critical nuances while collaborating with influencers:

Determine types of content you want them to create: videos, photos, Stories, Reels;
Clarify what channels must be covered: Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, TikTok;
Emphasize what a message you want to convey: product features, a brand’s story, a discount, etc.;
Define how a blogger will mention you: an account, links in bio/description box, tags, CTAs;
Set the dates of posting;
Highlight your requirements for content. But don’t be too rigorous: give bloggers creative freedom. After all, people like their blog because of its unique style.
Talk about terms and conditions of content usage on your social media/online store. For instance, can you publish a blogger’s photos on your product pages, use them for targeted ads, or repost their content on your socials?
Negotiate the compensation for work: free products, payment per post, affiliate program, or something else.

All these points should be covered in emails or a term sheet so that you have some documentary proof of your agreements.

Influencer Marketing Campaigns: Examples

1. Healthish

This young brand has one product: a stylish and ecological water bottle with timestamps that help stay hydrated all day. Founders of the store decided to promote it via influencers. They just sent bottles to fitness gurus, fashion and lifestyle bloggers, and YouTube vloggers. They hoped that if bloggers liked the product, they would share it with the audience. And the strategy worked!

Screenshot taken on the official Healthish Instagram account

2. Daniel Wellington

This is probably the most prominent instance of how influencer marketing contributed to the rise of a business. At the very start in 2011, the company didn’t have enough money to pay for ads. So, Daniel Wellington decided to send out their watches to bloggers. The strategy led to true success. Then, the brand applied an affiliate (or pay-for-performance) model with special promo codes for followers and commissions for bloggers from every conversion.

Screenshot taken on the official Daniel Wellington Instagram account

Moreover, the company followed the emerging trend of live shopping events. They invite influencers to present new collections in live broadcasts in the online store. Watchers can buy the demonstrated pieces straight away.

Screenshot taken on the official Daniel Wellington website

To Conclude

Influencer marketing is an actionable way to become closer to your potential customers and expand your audience. For instance, you can quickly develop your Instagram this way (just don’t forget to connect your Shopify store with the account). It’s also a chance to become friends with creators you like and make them your brand ambassadors. If they promote your product in the long run, it will raise people’s trust and desire to buy it.