Spotting Top-Performing Influencer Features with SmartAssets

Influencer content is undeniably valuable and only becoming increasingly so with Goldman Sachs predicting it will roughly double in size over the next five years. Branded content ads quadrupled traditional media sales, including influencer content, according to Meta research. However, the average top 500 US companies could be wasting at least $25 million a year on unused creative assets, which translates to $100 billion in inactive assets across the entire industry, LBB recently reported. This is where SmartAssets aims to step in, saving investors money and time, and making influencer content more efficient.

Predicting Campaign Performance

SmartAssets is an adtech platform that accurately predicts the creative effectiveness of content before it goes live.

The platform provides traditional campaign analysis – using its signature trifecta of tagging, analysis and optimisation technologies – coupled with a growing new capability, influencer content analysis. Daniel Purnell, marketing director at SmartAssets, says, “More and more people are turning to influencers rather than to brands, because they see influencers as more reliable. It’s similar to word-of-mouth selling, but at scale.” However, on average, seven out of ten influencer partnerships fail because brands don't achieve the results they expect.

That is where SmartAssets comes into play. The platform scores more than a 100 industry best practices, behavioural insights, and influencer demographics while measuring feature importance based on their impact on engagement rate like follower count, number of scenes, hesitation words, and USPs.

A How-To for Influencer Success – What Should You Know?

Influencer content encompasses a range of assets that can make a significant difference. Engagement is one of the most important metrics to analyse here, notes Dan. “So it could be clicks or it could be conversion-focused. What we're essentially looking to do is identify the percentage of people that the content resonated with.”

The quality of engagement is another asset that SmartAssets evaluates. Dan says that the types of likes and comments can be classified as stronger or weaker signals and analysed for sentiment.

The type of influencer also plays a role. Dan breaks it down: “We have nano influencers, micro influencers, macro influencers, and a few in between. It's commonly known that content performs exceptionally well with nano influencers, because they have a more engaged audience.”

Nano influencers – those with less than 10,000 followers – generally drive the highest engagement rate, but this trend can vary per client, he explains. “One of our clients had content that was twice as effective with nano influencers as it was for its competitors. And these insights are vital when building influencer strategies.”

SmartAssets can help both the influencers and the brands that work with them. Dan says that while influencers can develop a content strategy through those tools, companies can target influencers that would work well for their brand or product.

In another recent case study, SmartAssets found that fast-paced editing had a positive impact on the performance for one client yet decreased performance for its competitors. The conclusion? Face-to-camera storytelling was more effective than product-centric content for slow-paced content.

Other successful elements are the personal voice and opinions of the influencer. The data shows whether the style matches the content and if people have observed it as scripted or unscripted. Dan says, “We're finding that non-scripted obviously works a lot better when looking at the camera.” By also having a look at the influencer's brand, following, demographic, and more, the company can decipher assets that work for the influencer specifically.

But, How Do You Measure Trends?

Trends come and go, as we all know. SmartAssets examines which ones are here to stay and which ones make a tangible impact. The company can examine historical data of the brand and analyse the impact of various patterns. Dan says, “What we're looking at mainly is learnings that stand the test of time, identifying the high-level stuff that is important for all content.” He stresses the importance of “tapping into the human element” when examining trends and making an “educated guess” about their background. That is why understanding how impactful trends emerge and engage audiences is vital.

What About Different Platforms?

Every platform has a different medium and its own unique algorithms. From TikTok short-form to written posts, SmartAssets breaks down the nitty-gritty of influencer content. Dan explains that while the content differs drastically at times, “there will be commonalities of what makes effective creative work on all different platforms.” SmartAssets also analyses the quality of the content. “So, for example, we can look at user-generated content. Are they taking a lo-fi production approach? Is it filmed with a phone camera rather than professionally? And how do you create a successful hook?” By breaking down the minute details of the content, the platform can suggest improvements and also guess the success of content on different platforms.

Another problem SmartAssets wants to help with is creating content that matches the various platforms. Dan says, “There are a lot of assets that are produced but aren't actually fitting.” SmartAssets aims to ensure that the produced content is usable and of high quality.

Overall, these tools should not be used to hinder creativity, but support content strategy and marketing, says Dan. “Keeping the brief lean is important. You don't want to stifle their creativity, but to provide them with some guidance so they can effectively communicate with their audience. It’s not about over-briefing them – and limiting their creative freedom – it’s about being specific on one or two key things that must be in there and not being too prescriptive about the rest.”