Influencer Kits – The Right Package Design

In the age of social media, so-called “influencers” seem to make up the next generation’s equivalent of celebrity endorsements. Although there is no broadly agreed-up definition of an influencer, these people tend to be individuals who have garnered a significant following on social media and are trusted by their followers as an expert or authority within a particular field.

Perhaps the most commonly seen example is the social media makeup artist, who posts pictures, videos, and tutorials on different makeup techniques. For a health and beauty company, having such an influencer endorsing their products could bring in hundreds, if not thousands, of new and curious customers.

Launching an Effective Influencer Campaign

Particularly if your product is geared towards a younger, tech-savvy audience, it may be worth your time to identify and approach well-known social media influencers within your field. The first step, of course, is to find influencers that could benefit your brand. While you of course want to identify individuals that have a significant following on social media, numbers aren’t necessarily everything. A person may have thousands of followers because the content they post is entertaining, but if their followers don’t trust them and look to them for recommendations, they are unlikely to be effective influencers.

Spend some time perusing profiles of top influencers in your field, reading the comments their followers leave and getting a feel for the type of content they produce. This should go without saying, but never approach an influencer before first making sure that their social media presence is aligned with your brand’s message and values. Once you’ve identified potential influencers, it’s time to create your influence kit.

Designing an Influencer Kit

With some influencers, you will be expected to pay a fee in exchange for their endorsement of your product, while with others you may simply mail them a kit, and then they will choose to endorse your product or not as they see fit. Make sure you understand these expectations when you initiate a conversation with a potential influencer.

When selecting items to include in your influencer kit, keep in mind the diverse population the influencer is likely to reach, and consider including a variety of products within the same brand. It never hurts to do a little extra research and see which product’s they’ve endorsed with a positive response in the past.

The Role of Packaging

Even more than for products to be sold in retail venues, packaging is a crucial element of an influencer kit: the success of the relationship depends upon the excitement they have about your product, which is then passed on as a recommendation to the followers who trust them, so everything about the kit should be engaging, starting with the packaging.

The outermost aesthetic should align with your brand, and consider opening and closing mechanisms that turn the process of opening the kit into an experience itself. Multiple elements and layers of packaging can work together to allow anticipation to build – this is especially effective if your influencer decides to post a video or live stream of them opening the package.

If you’re trying to expand your audience through the use of social media influencers, get in touch with JohnsByrne to develop a unique packaging solution.